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Buckingham Fountain, Chicago

4.5
#21 of 604 in Things to do in Chicago
Fountain · Hidden Gem · Landmark
One of the largest fountains in the world, Buckingham Fountain was built in 1927. Taking its inspiration from the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, the attraction features an ornate Rococo style. Designed to represent Lake Michigan, each seahorse that decorates the fountain symbolizes its bordering states. Every hour on the hour for 20 minutes the fountain produces a water display, with the center jets shooting 45.7 m (150 ft) into the air. The fountain also features other colored light shows. With our online itinerary creator, Chicago attractions like Buckingham Fountain can be center stage of your vacation plans, and you can find out about other attractions like it, unlike it, near it, and miles away.
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Buckingham Fountain reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
3,360 reviews
Google
4.7
TripAdvisor
  • By elioboom
    As someone noted already, the fountain is not fountaining at the moment yet still is nice to go because of the surroundings. It’s just parks and more parks with a beautiful view of the skyline. You...  more »
  • By BamaRowersMom
    Due to COVID, Buckingham Fountain was not fountain-ing at the time of our visit. Sad face. Still, it is a GREAT place to get photos of the city skyline and we really enjoyed our walk.  more »
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Google
  • By Elizabeth Angasan
    Such a beautiful fountain. The park area surrounding it is just as beautiful. I never realized there was a small rose garden before the fountain. Definitely a sight worth seeing, and great backdrop for portraits/photography shoots!
  • By Hailey Johnson
    This fountain was beautiful and definitely a touristy thing to do. It was big and had a fence around it so you couldn't come too close. Overall a great spot for pictures. I would recommend going if you haven't seen it.
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