What the Observation Deck Actually Is

The Willis Tower Skydeck on the 103rd floor is basically a glass box jutting out of the building. Two hundred and seventy-six feet above the ground. It's Chicago's most visited paid attraction for a reason - you can see four states on a clear day. The line moves fast when it's not crowded. Tickets are about thirty dollars if you buy online in advance, which you should always do. Buying at the door costs more and you're just handing money to someone for no reason.

Getting There Without Losing Your Mind

Take the Blue Line to Clinton. The tower is two blocks away from the station. The CTA approach is honestly the easiest way to handle this unless your whole trip revolves around rental cars. I once tried driving downtown with a group of six and spent forty-five minutes circling near Randolph Street before we just walked from the Garfield Park Brown Line station because parking was twelve dollars an hour and every lot within a mile was full. Nobody talks about that. The entrance is on the southwest side of the building, not the main Michigan Avenue face. You walk through a security checkpoint similar to airport screening. No oversized bags. Lockers are available but they charge extra, so don't bring a backpack if you can avoid it. My group had a rolled-up poster tube once and the security guard made us check it at the nearby locker for seven dollars. We didn't have seven dollars on us. We left it and came back two hours later. Not ideal.

Tour Willis Skydeck: What to Expect When You Actually Get Up There

The elevators are actually part of the show. They shoot up from the lobby to the 103rd floor in about forty seconds. There are screens on the walls showing the ascent and telling you what you're looking at. It's gimmicky but it works. You'll hear people gasp when the floor drops out from under the elevator, which is a real thing the building does - the floors tilt slightly downward at the top so you're looking through glass at the ground below. The Terrace, that's the glass box area, is the main draw and it gets crowded fast. If you go mid-afternoon on a weekday in November, you might get a clear shot without someone's forehead blocking half the view. Go on a Saturday in July at noon and you're standing behind a wall of phones taking the same picture you could take from your own phone after cropping it. The glass is shaded so your phone camera won't overexpose, which is actually helpful. You can stay up there as long as you want during your timed entry window. Most people spend about twenty minutes walking the perimeter and then leave. I usually stick around longer because there are informational panels along the walls about the building's history and the engineering behind it. The thing most people miss is that the tower was the first building to use bundled tube structural design. Fazlur Rahman Khan came up with it. That's worth reading about while you're waiting for the crowd to thin.

The Two Problems Nobody Warns You About

The first is wind. It's not a joke. The tower sways about four inches at the top in high winds and the staff will sometimes close the Terrace if it gets too gusty. I went up in late March during a fifteen-mile-per-hour crosswind and they closed the Terrace for forty minutes. We stood on the 102nd floor interior observation deck instead, which has normal windows and plenty of views, but nobody tells you this could happen until it happens. Check the weather and the building's Twitter account before you commit to a time slot. The second problem is the photo situation. Yes, professionals are up there taking pictures with serious gear. They'll offer to sell you a digital copy for around twenty-five dollars. I bought one once and it was fine, decent quality, well-composed. But if you have a phone and some patience, you can get photos that look nearly as good for free. Go early. Stand near the corners of the Terrace where there's less foot traffic. The glass has anti-reflective coating but it's not perfect. Angle yourself carefully and you won't get mirror images of your own face in the shot.

Is It Worth It

Honestly, it depends on what you've already seen. If you've been to the John Hancock Center's 360 CHICAGO observatory, you're getting basically the same thing at Willis, just taller. Some people argue Hancock gives you better views because it's closer to the river and the angles are less obstructed by other buildings. I think the difference is marginal. The Willis Tower has the glass boxes. That's the differentiator. If you're visiting Chicago once and only want one observation deck, go with Willis. Buy the online ticket. Show up fifteen minutes early. Go on a weekday morning if you can. The whole thing takes about an hour including the elevator ride and the walk back down. It's not going to change your life but it's a solid Chicago experience and it's better than most of the tourist traps downtown.