This place is actually ALOT of fun looking back! It doesn't have the best of probably any store in it, but there are some good stores so the overall experience is fun! The Lego Store is probably the lamest of all Lego stores but they have lots of clothes stores for females with some really great dresses. But as a guy, I didn't find 1 thing. However, it's nice to catch that mall vibe in downtown Chicago! read more

The Water Tower Place has a few stores (literally): Akira, Lego, Adidas, American Girl . . . and some others. The mall, if you can call it a mall is desolate. Some levels have no stores. Other levels have 2-3, maybe 4 stores. There is an Asian-inspired food place on the lobby level (I didn't try it). Te'amo, a well-known tea spot is located on level 2. The Hershey store is located on the lobby level as well (separate entrance). Te'amo - Waited about 5 minutes before an employee appear from the back to prepare my order that I placed through the kiosk. The tea was decent. The employees in Akira and the Lego Store was excellent. I was greeted immediately and offered assistance. Even some small talk about what brought me in and offering their name and future assistance if required. For me, there is no excitement to return. Hard pass next time I am in Chicago. The highlight was the Lego store which is what drew me to the Water Tower originally. I am Lego geek. This place reminds me of old Route 66 in the Cars movie #dead. read more

See all

This is a parking garage for stores inside this building , and to get too attractions on the magnificent mile. The American Girl store has a huge storefront here . To park here it s pretty pricey. Check your timeline and make sure it's worth the cost ! read more

See all

Nice place to visit for the Lego store and American girl store, not the best selection of stores many closed down locations inside but the first and second floor have the best stores for the family! read more

It's great in the heart of downtown in the tourist area but has lots to see and do. Parking is paid in garages nearby or on the street and you pay the mobile meter or at a machine so it's best to take CTA subway or bus. This mall has a lot of fun stores like Sunglasses hut, Lego, Wow BAO, and tons of food and clothing stores among others. It's pretty inside and they keep it clean, free bathrooms. On the weekends there's an indoor farmers market on floor 4 and on 3-23-25 there was live music (it was a bit too loud) but it was fun. Vendors and lots of seating to eat and people watch. read more

See all

My kids favorite stores are here -- right next to each other. American Girl and LEGO store. We only visit for these but I did notice that they have Free People which I might have to visit soon. The bathrooms are clean. The elevators are gorgeous and the parking is $14 if you park after 5pm. read more

See all

If you are looking to kill some time and want to roam around in a non chalant way, this mall is for you. The positive is it's very pretty and now for the holidays decorated very festive. It is located on Michigan Avenue and that is another plus. However, I have never seen a more boring collection of stores. American Girl and LEGO is the main draw and Chicago Sports museum other than that....????? My cousin and I roamed for thirty minutes until we found Spirits and Spice which houses artisanal oils, wine and beer. There is a small dining area on Ground Floor which offers pizza, burgers and shakes. Fun facts: first opened in 1976 and was Chicago's first nine level multi purpose mall. read more

Water Tower Place - Shopping Centers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I'm sure that Water Tower Place was once a swanky place, but now it's little more than another possibly dying mall; it's just that this one has spectacular real estate. There's really nothing at WTP that I can't get elsewhere if I wanted. Some of the stores are standard mall fare (e.g., Claire's) so if you want to get your ears pierced with a piercing gun you'll be able to achieve your dream here. They've repurposed some of the space for exhibit spaces I think--there was some Harry Potter thing happening a year or so back and I think something else is happening now. It's worth a stop for tourists, or if you're going there for something specific. Otherwise it's nothing special. read more

Idk this place seemed dead! It might have been something back in the day but it ain't much today. Maybe it was the time of day I went, noon on a Wednesday. I did see a small Garrets in there and a couple of stores I went in of interest (like the Lego store) but otherwise, I was killing time waiting on my 360 Chicago appointment. Hard pass next time I'm in Chicago. read more

By the name of this place, you know what's close to it. It's a mall located next to one of Chicago's most famous landmarks. Water Tower Place certainly isn't historic like that structure though. Even so, it has an important part in retail history. This was one of the first malls with multiple floors, glass infrastructure and all that kind of stuff. As for the actual shopping at this mall, it's not good. It seems to have lost a lot of stores in recent years and hasn't recovered. The stores are a mix of casual and upscale. Also it certainly feels dated. The glass structure is from years past and pretty dumpy looking to be honest. About the only cool part is the water at the entrance. This is an appropriate motive since it's next to the water tower, one thinks. For sure it's not a great mall. It's more about the area and going to other places. There's still things to check out like the food court and whatever. read more

See all

Pretty cool mall in downtown Chicago. Being from the south I prefer my outlet malls. I have come to the conclusion people in Chicago like to spend money because most stores are full price. Some normal pricing like Bath and Body works and other name brand stores. Nice selection of stores and chill atmosphere. Good place to walk around and sightsee. Not really my type of place in-terms of cost but nice place overall. read more

Water Tower Place - Shopping Centers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It has been some time since I've been to the water tower. I usually go for eyeglasses or random things shipped to a store, but I actually walked around and though a lot of stores have closed & the variety has changed, but they do have different themed installations/exhibits that make the water tower place it's home for a time (ie. Harry Potter Experience and Art exhibits). It's weird, because I remember people used to just walk around at the water tower but after Covid, random burglaries/smash and grabs, it is a little different now. I don't think the water tower has a lot of customer service? But the stores I visit are very friendly and helpful. I will say visit or revisited for the new exhibits, decorations, and new stores. I do believe the prices, for a lot of stores are still the same. read more

See all

One of the many skyscrapers in Chicago, this property includes commercial office space, a hotel and a shopping mall. The 74 story building houses the Ritz-Carlton Hotel with over 425 rooms and the shopping mall that has over 60 stores, shops and restaurants spread out over 7 floors. Located on the north end of the Magnificent Mile, this is a. Chicago landmark worth checking out. There are several public transportation bus lines that make a stop here. read more

See all

There are a few empty shops but the whole place has an amazing selection of clothes and other shops! Akira was my personal favorite since it's filled to the brim with unique clothing for every style and the jeans were incredible. The shops are a bit pricey but it's definitely worth it!!! And the customer service was impeccable. The ladies that helped me were so kind! read more

Oh! Not my game. Such an illusory place. Who needs a unicorn store? Rather walk outside, see the city and visit the stores you need on the way. read more

Great selection of shopping stores It is my go to spot for chill shopping days!!! Definitely check it out. read more

Water Tower Place - Shopping - Shopping Centers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Sad excuse for a mall (apr 2022). About half the stores in this mall are closed. And although it's on the magnificent mile there is nothing magnificent about it. They have an ardidas, a Lego and American doll Stores. An express and several sports apparel stores but it was a waste of time to go here. read more

Water Tower Place - Shopping Centers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

What happened, never mind I know most of the truth or lies they have fed the public. It doesn't matter now, the glory days with the crowded food court, lots of great food and beautiful folks to mingle with is the days of yesteryear I guess. That's okay I only frequented it once in a while Now there are only a couple stores left and no food court last I was there. Mostly quiet , empty and a little sad Such a great building and so many great experiences there. Hope they can rebuild it up again. read more

This mall is absolutely gorgeous! I've never seen a mall so visually appealing. Tons of speciality stores exclusive to Chicago. It's a must see place to visit. The American Girl store was like a dream! Amazing. read more

See all

Off Michigan avenue. Quite a few police detail in here. 7 floors of stores. It's connected to American Girl place, Ritz Carlton and a movie theater too. Glass elevators and escalators too. Touch screen directory. read more

See all

I had a great interaction today with Osafo - I was running behind and needed a place to park up for an interview across the street. He had my back 100% - I meant it when I said it and I mean it now - there should be more people like Osafo in the world. read more

We've been shopping here for many years. We have a lot of great memories of our kids at the American Girl and Lego stores. While they are still open, many stores have closed, moved, or have a new tenant with stuff that is not desirable for us. Unfortunately this location is slowly going under and will not be visiting as often going forward. read more

See all

There are so many businesses inside the Water Tower, such as my dentist. If I am early for my appointment, I walk around inside. If I am on time, I walk around after. Love the Sprinkle's ATM, so cool and easy to use. read more

See all

Unfortunately after the Covid-19 Pandemica, many shops (including Starbucks) have LEFT Water Tower Place. Bummer-but there are still others worth returning too! HOWEVER, THE MAIN FOOD COURT IS STILL THRIVING...UPSTAIRS...take the escalators. SOME SHOPS-That are still going strong! GROUND FLOOR- Wow Bao-Dumplings/Potstickers and Buns are still on the Ground Floor near the Main Entrance As is the American Girl Doll Store There is a SPRINKLES Self-Service Cupcake Kiosk on the Ground Floor in the back near the elevators and entry to the garage! Yay! Also a small convenience store not far from the Cupcake Kiosk that sells Lottery Tickets if you are feeling lucky. TOP FLOOR- Haray Caray's Restaurant and Sports Museum The Top Floor still has Harry Caray's Restaurant and Sports Museum for diners who get in FREE after eating at the Restaurant. Bath and Body Works-selling bath, shower, and other scented candles and sprays for your nap or nighttime pillow. Garrett Popcorn Is also on the top floor. Yes Please! All the flavors are available, fresh and sourced with large fully popped kernels flavored or unflavored! A Sports Shop that sells Jerseys and other Trademarked Logos from Chicago Teams to other NBA, NHL, and Football Jerseys and Hats and other items. read more

Water Tower Place is somewhere I always stop when I'm in town. It's nostalgic more than anything. When I was a child, my aunt bought my sister and I American Girl dolls here. We dined at the American Girl cafe and saw the show at the shop as well. The American Girl store is still here. Very clean and spacious. A young girls dream! How special! I always stop in for nostalgic purposes. Due to the pandemic a lot of stores have closed. My most recent visit was May 2022, but before that I was here February 2020 -- right before the world shut down. Quite a few stores closed in the time since (Pink, Macy's, Abercrombie and Fitch, Victoria Secret, etc) so I definitely felt like this mall felt empty. I didn't end up buying anything during my recent trip. However, I liked that Hollister relocated and adapted a brighter storefront. Employees were kind and helpful. Store was full of cute options. read more

I was at Water Tower Place yesterday, as an early Birthday present to see Harry Potter Magic at Play, which last day here is this upcoming Monday which is Labor Day, so if you want to see it you better hurry up. it takes about an hour to get through the whole thing. If you are a big Harry Potter fan this is a must see. There are no restrooms at all in the exhibit, so if you need to use it go before, as once you leave there is no re-entry. And of course at the end is a gift shop with all sorts of clothes and other things at the end. read more

See all

One of the joys of the Magnificent Mile are the malls. I was surprised this mall had zero Christmas decorations up. I recall years past this mall was always decked out. They have lots of empty space but not as much as I expected. It is fun window shopping. We had a doughnut from Do Rite Dounuts. They were ok not great. Found a Squishable Corgi I couldn't live without. First floor is a Dr Seuss Experience if you have a kid or don't mind being around screaming kids. Don't forget the Unicorn Store. read more

See all

Not what I remember but still a nice place. Unfortunately the pandemic changed so much everywhere and this is no exception. Shorter hours, less stores and much less eateries! read more

Iconic Chicago. Back in the day (and this wasn't that long ago) this place was filled with department stores and smaller stores alike. We used to head in from the burbs because they had stores that couldn't be found elsewhere. And you came down for the day, because this place had a lot to offer and it took a lot of time to navigate it all. Unfortunately, post-covid and the reduction of retail have severely crippled this one-time mecca of shopping. Gone are the department stores and easily the majority of the smaller ones. I recall the food court being wall-to-wall with options, there are only one or two down there now, and you're lucky if either are open. But still, the Lego Store remains. And you're never too old to stop in to browse the latest in brick genius. As I remember the heyday of this place, I truly hope it can find a comeback. I have a lot of memories here with a lot of people in my life. Cheers. read more

Wanted to check out what they have in the mall so decided to visit Water Tower Place. The name sounds confusing and honestly, I wouldn't think this is a mall but when you walk in you can tell right away. Plenty of stores inside such as legos, Jojos shake bar and the art of Dr. Seuss. The Legos line was pretty long and sort or insane. Went to Lacoste and bought a white sweater from here and if anything this store pretty much had just two other people inside. Service was friendly and enjoyable. Not all the stores are open since Covid is still here. But I would think it's a pretty nice place to get some stuff done and find a few things that you might like. There are a lot of floors in this mall I believe about 7 but if you get to the top it gets somewhat smaller I feel or maybe that's just me not sure. read more

This mall is great for elementary school kids. The Lego store is really nice and the American girl doll store is the ultimate little girls dream. Went here with my niece and it was magical. read more

Upscale shopping center on Michigan Avenue with over 100 stores. Nice mall to just come and get your shop on. Many stores and restaurants to explore. Enjoyable outing for the kiddos to have fun. Lego Land, American Girl and Dr. Seuss Art Gallery. Plenty of stores and fun for the whole family. I like the glass elevators and the interior waterfall fountain displayed between the escalators. Free Wi-Fi Unique, enormous mall with many floors of variety stores, nice decor and great ambience. read more

See all

Wow . I had family visiting from Florida that wanted to explore downtown Chicago . Every stop was great except water tower place . It's definitely an eyesore compared to other stores , and attractions on Michigan ave . It's dead , outdated and simply not appealing to tourists or us residents . I think the city should either update it or put a different attraction here it definitely doesn't stand out at all. Disappointing read more

I've been coming to this mall for a long time. It really is quite beautifully decorated for each holiday season. The glass elevators are so majestic. The stores in the mall range from every day stores to high end stores. Some of the stores charge for a bag when you purchase something which I have never encountered anywhere but here. The staff does ask the customer right away if this wish to purchase a bag. There was ample security and everything was clean. read more

Water Tower Place - Shopping Centers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

This place just isn't what it was in the old days. I remember seeing how there would be massive department stores here - those have mostly closed now thanks to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are still some stores here such as American Girl and a food court, but there's more fun places on the Magnificent Mile than here. Stop by here if you want but I wouldn't spend too long in here. There's a lot more to do in Downtown Chicago than checking out this place. read more

Water Tower Place - Shopping Centers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This mall is so nostalgic for me since I've been coming here since I was a little kid! Loved the American Girl Place here growing up. Now I love shopping here for the holidays and especially love the Free People! read more

Very nice mall, but quite honestly, I'm flat out too lazy to shop haha. Online shopping is taking over my life. This mall is definitely for tourists with the multiple souvenir shops and sports stores, but they also have tons of clothing stores. I think this mall is very overrated, though because I rarely ever actually find anywhere that interests me at the time I go in. My favorite thing about this mall is the beautiful architecture and the overall classy look inside. When you walk in, you go up escalators with water fountains in the middle of the up and down escalators. Once on the main floor, you see a wide open circular kind of area where you can see the glass, see through elevators. There are three elevators, and the nice thing is that one of the elevators goes straight to the 7th floor in case you are in a hurry and need something up there. This mall gets very busy, and half the time, the elevators are out of order or an escalator is, so that gets annoying. Also, too many people crowd into the elevators at one time. The Water Tower Place is huge, has 7 floors, and has over 100 stores. Though, it doesn't seem that big when you walk in because some stores are located in hallways, while others are seen in the main circular area at the heart of the mall where the elevators are. The stores attract people of all ages. For kids, they have the American Girl Store, the Lego Store, Build a Bear, and Claire's. For clothing, there is an Akira, Abercrombie, Forever 21. Hollister, Adidas, Express, Gap, and Macy's. Because I don't live downtown, I don't come here often, but at least once a year I do. I've come here since I was a toddler. I feel like there is no need for me to come downtown and shop in this mall because I can go to these places in the Rosemont Outlet mall near me; however, I still like Woodfield Mall best located in Schaumburg. They also redid the dining area so there are some great food options. They have a Harry Caray's restaurant and sports bar. They also have quick service restaurants, such as Foodease and Foodlife. Foodease has a wine bar, soup bar, salad bar, sandwich counter, sushi, and a bakery, while Foodlife offers barbeque, grilled food, stir fry, Mexican, pizza, and pasta. Overall, if you can't find something to eat, you aren't hungry! read more

Water Tower Place - Statue outside Art of Dr. Suess store (No, I didn't walk in) - Shopping Centers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I grew up near Chicago and this was one of the places we'd come for "shopping for the sake of shopping". I don't recall ever coming here looking for something in particular, but we did always have fun, and would come home with something random that we could easily carry home on the L. These days, I love coming back to see the holiday decorations, window shop and buy something random. The Lego store has an impressive model of the skyline in their window, and I loved the silver Horton outside the Dr. Seuss store. This is a very big mall with a wide price range and likely something for everyone. Even if you're not a huge shopping fan, this is an iconic Chicago mall worth a stop. I've never tried parking near here; we always take public transportation, which I highly recommend. read more

See all

I didn't realize that there is a mall here. I walked in looking for a museum and than I realized the museum that I was looking for is really a pub. Its a pretty nice mall. There are a few restaurants upstairs. The elevators may need to be checked on. There are 3 elevators with one going straight to the 7th floor. Unfortunately, none of the elevators were working when I was there. Be prepared to hike up a lot of stairs. Its great that there is a mall with AC and it is definitely better than walking outside on a super hot day. My favorite store here is the Lego store. Yes, I got some pictures with the lego cowboy man outside of the lego store. read more

See all

I barely ever get to Chicago and my husband wanted me to visit some stuff on the Magnificent Mile so we decided to explore one shopping center at a time. On our last visit we tackled the Water Tower Place, home of the American Girl Doll Place, an awesome Lego store and some fantastic pop-up stores. It was a lot for an anxious human to ingest, but I did enjoy myself. There are 8 levels to Water Tower Place and it's packed full with stores that will catch your eye. I honestly was obsessed with Squishable, with all of it's colorful and squishy stuffed items. One of the levels has mostly food options and there were some pretty good ones (we decided to eat later on so we didn't eat there). If you love shopping and haven't gotten the chance to come here, you're missing out on some great places. read more