Is this Illinois Tourist Attraction as Magnificent as it claims?

A big-time travel website is calling out tourist attractions across the US for not living up to the “hype” surrounding them, and they have strong words about a tourist attraction in Illinois…

The travel website exploredplanet.com has compiled a list of the most overrated tourist attractions across the US. The list has plenty of places I agree are overrated like the Carhenge in Nebraska or the Viking Tower in Rhode Island. But when it comes to the tourist attraction in Illinois they claim is “overrated” I have some issues with it, they say The Magnificent Mile in Chicago isn’t that Magnificent. On the site, they say…

“The Magnificent Mile is the largest shopping district in Chicago, Illinois. Not only does it feature some mid to high-end shops, but there are also restaurants, museums, and hotels. It is what Rodeo Drive is to Beverly Hills and Fifth Avenue to Manhattan, making it the eighth-most expensive place to rent in the United States…Most of what’s located on the Magnificent Mile can be found in most American cities, so it shouldn’t be the focal point of a Chicago vacation.”

There is a lot to unpack here, but as a former Chicago resident, first, let’s start with the fact that they are RIGHT the Mag Mile shouldn’t be a “focal point” of your Chicago vacation. But I disagree with the fact that you would call the Mag Mile a tourist attraction in the first place… It’s a shopping district, and a darn good one, it’s not Navy Pier, The River Walk, or the Lincoln Park Zoo! The Mag Mile wasn’t designed with tourists in mind, it was designed for local wealthy Chicagoans to have places to buy expensive designer things. Should you walk the Mag Mile when you are in Chicago? ABSOLUTELY, but that takes an afternoon and there is plenty more to do in the Windy City.