Known for decades as the Sears Tower, Willis Tower held the title of world’s tallest building for nearly a quarter century after it opened in 1973, and it remains the tallest building in Chicago today. The Skydeck on its 103rd floor delivers one of the most dramatic views in the Midwest, with the added thrill of stepping out over open air in its glass observation boxes.

Completed in 1973, the tower held the title of world’s tallest building until 1998 and remains an engineering landmark for its bundled-tube structural design, which let architects build higher using significantly less steel than earlier skyscraper methods required. It was renamed Willis Tower in 2009 after an insurance brokerage took over naming rights, though many longtime Chicagoans still call it by its original name out of habit.

Best Things to Do at Willis Tower Skydeck

Step Out onto The Ledge

Glass boxes extend about four feet out from the building’s facade on the 103rd floor, letting you look straight down over a thousand feet to the street below, a genuinely nerve-testing experience even for visitors who don’t consider themselves afraid of heights.

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Take In the 360-Degree Views

On clear days, the view from the Skydeck reportedly stretches across four states, taking in Lake Michigan and the flat expanse of the Midwest in every direction beyond the city itself.

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Explore the Interactive Exhibits

The elevator ride and approach to the deck include digital displays and historical exhibits about the building’s construction and its decades as an engineering landmark.

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Combine with a Chicago Architecture Boat Tour

Pairing the Skydeck’s bird’s-eye view with a river cruise focused on the Loop’s architecture gives you both the aerial and street-level perspective on Chicago’s famous skyline in a single day.

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Time Your Visit for Sunset

Watching daylight fade into the city’s lights from over a thousand feet up is one of the more memorable ways to experience the Skydeck, with the skyline gradually lighting up beneath you.

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Best Time to Visit

Clear afternoons maximize visibility for the four-state view, and arriving close to sunset lets you catch both daylight and nighttime skylines in one visit without needing separate tickets.

How to Get There

The tower sits in the Loop, reachable via several CTA train lines with stops at Quincy, Wells, or LaSalle, all within a short walk of the building’s entrance.

Good to Know

Security screening applies before the elevators, so build in extra time, particularly without a timed ticket booked ahead. The elevator ride itself is fast, reaching the 103rd floor in roughly a minute, and lines for The Ledge boxes specifically can add extra waiting time even after you’ve reached the deck. Ledge access is included with standard Skydeck admission, though lines for it can add extra time beyond the main deck visit. Checking the visibility forecast before you go is worth it, since haze or low cloud cover can noticeably limit how far you can see.

Willis Tower Skydeck delivers exactly the kind of dizzying, city-spanning view that first drew visitors to it decades ago, and The Ledge alone makes it worth the trip for anyone chasing a genuine adrenaline moment with a skyline attached. Checking the day’s forecast before you commit to a visit can make the difference between a hazy skyline and a genuinely four-state view.