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Skydeck. The Willis Tower observation deck , called the Skydeck, opened on June 22, 1974. Located on the 103rd floor at an elevation of 1,353 feet (412.4 m), it is the highest observation deck in the United States and one of Chicago’s most famous tourist attractions.
General Admission includes access to the elevator ride to the Skydeck, and The Ledge, glass floor balconies 1,353 feet over Chicago. Children under 3 are FREE! Tickets available online to print at home or for immediate mobile delivery.
Better view than the Sears Tower ! Admission is free , so if you just want to go through to look at the view without paying or taking a drink – you can . My husband and I sat and had a drink and snack as we watched the sunset over Chicago from the Lounge.
The Skydeck at the Willis Tower is iconic in Chicago , which means it’s also more expensive and will have longer lines. So, if you want a great view but don’t want to wait for it, go to the 360 Chicago . (Or, you can always do what I did, and visit both! That way you can make up your own mind.)
Willis Tower elevators operate as fast as 1,600 feet (488 meters) per minute – among the fastest in the world. Willis Tower contains 25,000 miles (40,223 kilometers) of electrical cable.
4. SEARS HAS NOT OCCUPIED THE TOWER SINCE 1995.
2 hours
Nope you can buy tickets right there.
The Blackstone Group
Willis Tower was the world’s tallest building until 1998. After 18 years, Sears Roebuck and Company sold the tower and moved out of the building. In 2009 the building was renamed Willis Tower after the Willis Group Holdings, the global insurance broker who calls the Tower its Midwest home.
Offering spectacular views spanning up to four states and The Ledge, a glass balcony extending four feet outside the 103rd floor of Willis Tower !
General admission: $20 for adults (ages 12+); $13 for youth (3-11); free for children under 3. Additional ticket options such as Total Tower Experience, FastPass, and Sun & Stars are available online.
That structural integrity is indeed intense. The 1,500-pound ledge consists of three half-inch thick pieces of glass that can hold at least 5,000 pounds. So, yes, despite the crack, the Skydeck is still safe to peer down.
The John Hancock Center, one of Chicago’s most famous skyscrapers, must change its name. It feels like just yesterday that Chicagoans were told that their prized skyscraper, once the world’s tallest building , would no longer be named the Sears Tower .