Chicago Heights

Willis Tower Skydeck: Stepping Out Into the Chicago Sky

Chicago, Illinois, United States

By the Wicked Cool Places editors · Published Thu, Mar 19, 2026 · Updated Fri, Aug 28, 2026

Why it’s cool

Hovering 103 stories above the pavement, these clear glass cubes let you walk out past the skyscraper's edge for a dizzying look at the city below.

Midwest Scenic

A person looks down through a glass floor at the Chicago city streets and river far below from the Willis Tower Skydeck.

Standing on the 103rd floor of what many locals still affectionately call the Sears Tower, you aren't just looking at the Chicago skyline. You are hanging over it.

The Ledge consists of four specialized glass balconies that jut out from the building's face, providing a perspective that was once reserved for window washers and birds. At 1,353 feet in the air, the sensation of nothingness beneath your shoes is enough to challenge even the strongest constitution.

Why It Stands Out

The inspiration for these transparent perches actually came from the visitors themselves. For years, staff noticed that tourists were constantly pressing their faces against the glass to peer straight down, leaving a never-ending trail of forehead smudges.

To solve this and enhance the experience, designers created these glass cubes that extend 4.3 feet past the tower’s exterior wall. The engineering behind the floating sensation is as impressive as the view.

The city is also home to the impressive Tiffany Dome. Each box is built from layered structural glass engineered to hold the weight of the visitors who step inside.

By removing the visible steel supports from the perimeter, the architects created a seamless transition into the sky. Visitors seeking more glass architecture can visit the Garfield Park Conservatory.

On a clear afternoon, the visibility stretches for 50 miles, encompassing parts of four different states. Whether you are watching the tiny toy-like cars move along Wacker Drive or looking out at the vast blue of Lake Michigan, the 110-story vantage point remains one of the most iconic urban experiences in the world.

Before You Go

The Skydeck is a popular destination, so expect a wait during peak hours. To find the entrance, head to the south side of Jackson Boulevard.

Another local landmark is the themed Oz Park. While the building was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009, you will likely still hear it referred to by its original name during your travels through the city.

Questions worth answering

Where do we find the way in?

Look for the entrance on Jackson Boulevard's south side. It's the standard access point for the tower.

What is the view actually like from those glass boxes?

You're standing 1,353 feet up on a transparent floor that extends 4.3 feet past the building. On clear days, you can see across four states and fifty miles of landscape.

Why did they build these balconies in the first place?

Staff kept finding forehead smudges on the windows from people trying to look down. These glass cubes were the solution to that constant cleaning problem.

Is this the same place as the Sears Tower?

The name changed to Willis Tower back in 2009, though plenty of locals haven't made the switch yet. Our own editorial from there covers the 103rd-floor experience.

Visit Snapshot

Access the Skydeck through the entrance located on the south side of Jackson Boulevard. On clear days, visibility extends to four states, so check the weather forecast before heading up.

Location

Chicago, Illinois

Know before you go

To visit Skydeck, enter Willis Tower on the south side of Jackson Blvd.

Editorial source

Willis Tower Glass Platform

The second-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere (the tallest if you're not counting antennas) provides an unrivaled view of a cityscape, all from the comfort of four glass platforms suspended 1,353 feet in the air. Located on the Willis Tower's 103rd floor Skydeck, the observation perches have walls, floors, and ceilings made entirely of glass, allowing visitors to jut out from the edge of the building to enjoy a unique and vertigo-worthy view of Chicago's architectural landscape.

Though the building is now officially known as the Willis Tower after being acquired in 2009, it's still commonly referred to by its former name, the Sears Tower. It's the 14th-tallest building in the world with 110 stories constituting 1,450 feet.

The glass cubes, called "the Ledges," were opened to the public in 2009. Each of the four compartments measure ten feet by ten feet and protrude 4.3 feet from the edge of the tower.

With three layers of glass totaling one-and-a-half inches thick, each platform can support up to five tons. A completely transparent three sides, top, and bottom designed to generate the sensation of hovering over Chicago do just that, as the boxes are wide enough for one row of visitors to stand suspended at a time.

A clear day presents a view of up to 50 miles and four states. Structural glass design experts Halcrow Yolles took the original architectural plans of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill a step further, from the concept of a retractable structure for easy cleaning to a glass box with near-invisible structural support.

All the side and bottom perimeter steel was removed, completing the floating-on-air appearance. The idea for the Ledges supposedly originated from the constant cleaning workers had to do on Skydeck's windows.

Every day, tourists would press their foreheads against the glass, attempting to peer down at the city, leaving smudges that were becoming tedious to clean. Now, all the staff need to clean are the occasional footprints left by fearless children, or the handprints from nervous adults ensuring themselves that the walls are still there.

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