Willis tower tour series#
Willis tower tour zip#

In the winter, you can zip up to the top without much of a wait, but in the summer, budget a half hour to 45 minutes in line, or purchase the pricey “Fast Pass” and skip the wait. Sears actually sold the building and moved out in the late '80s, but the name remained until 2009, when global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, the building’s largest tenant, acquired the naming rights and the skyscraper became Willis Tower (many Chicagoans still insist on calling it Sears). When it opened in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, although it’s since been surpassed in height multiple times (the Burj Khalifa in Dubai holds the current record). You’ll also get a brief Chicago history lesson from a 9-minute movie, which talks about the building of the tower for Sears in 1970. Zoom above Wrigley Field and Millennium Park to see just how tall you really are, and measure yourself to determine how many of you, stacked, would reach the top of the tower. In addition to 50 miles of views on a clear day (you can see four states: Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois), you’ll also get to engage with fun, kid-friendly interactive displays that show you, comparatively, what other Chicago landmarks look like from 1,353 flights up. That’s the reason 1.5 million people visit this very spot every year, posing for a souvenir photo while floating above the Windy City. and the second-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, vehicles look like Matchbox cars and the skyline of Chicago looks miniature. From your vantage point on the tallest observation deck in the U.S.

Willis tower tour series#

It takes a slightly wobbly 60-second elevator ride to get to the 103rd-floor Skydeck, which actually consists of a series of 4-foot-long, 1.5-inch-thick glass ledges that place you, hovering, 1,353 feet above the city. Before the Ledge opened at the Skydeck at Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) a few years ago, people were faced with a difficult choice for the best views: Willis or Hancock? Now, there’s really no competition.