Leaning Tower of Niles

An interesting structure — it turned out to be even taller than I expected! We heard the bell ring, but couldn’t tell if it was coming from the tower or a nearby church 😅 Not much to do here exactly, but it’s definitely a fun spot to snap a few photos. Also, hey — Costco is nearby if you want to make the trip count 😅 Just a heads-up: the parking lot is closed off, so it’s better to park near Aldi.

The saddest thing about this landmark is how overlooked it is, as it’s on a mega busy main drag through several of Chicago’s northern suburbs where suburbia development has drowned it out. It’s been here since 1934, when artistic novelties were the norm. I’ve passed by this tower all my life and never even noticed this charming work of art until now. Chicagoland has many “hidden gems in plain sight” like this, and only recently has this place started to receive the popularity it deserves. This tower reminds me of the lovely things in life that are easy to miss, yet right in front of me. I recommend you stop here and take a moment to pause, take photos, and remember how fun life can still be.

Very romantic spot in Chicago. The Leaning Tower of Niles is free to access and it has available parking. 5 replica of the Tower of Pisa and it is well preserved. I love it!

It was a little bit out of our way from milwaukee back to Muskegon Michigan but I am glad I stopped. Very pretty grounds and photo opportunity. I couldn't stay to hear the bells at 6pm but I heard the faint sounds of them at 530pm. Definitely a neat little stop for travelers.

The Leaning Tower of Niles is neat to see in person, but it isn’t really functional or open for anything beyond photos. You can walk around the grounds, take pictures of the tower, and enjoy a quick stop, but there’s not much else to do or experience beyond that. Worth a visit if you’re nearby, but not a destination on its own.

Interesting building, not much to see besides this. So expect around 5 minutes of your time here. You can park on the building next to it, it’s FREE!

A nice place to spend some time and take some great photos. A little piece of Italy in Niles. Clean and well-maintained. Unfortunately, at this time, the Leaning Tower is not open for tours to the top.

A very peaceful park and beautiful piece of architecture! Maps said "as busy as it gets" but there were just a few other people there so I'm guessing it's quiet most of the time. I stumbled across it unexpectedly but I definitely plan to come back soon! I'm not sure if there's an official lot but I was steps away by parking in the back corner of the Aldi parking lot. There's a very slight grade grass hill between the lot and the tower but if you're just stopping by for a quick visit it seemed to be the easiest way to get to the base of the tower.

Excellent roadside attraction. Completed in 1934, this is a water tower in disguise. Added to the National Register of Historic places in 2019 the tower is closed for tours while the tower itself, the grounds around it and the parking area are getting a face lift. Keep an eye on their social media and/or website for updates on when tours will begin again. The tower bells ring out a song at 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm and gives a single chime every quarter hour. The bells are lovely. At the time of this review the parking area is unavailable during renovation. The Aldi's parking lot next to the tower would be a good option until their lot opens again. The gardens around the tower are filled with beautifully scented flowers. The reflecting pool in front is very nice and there are two tiers of seating facing the tower with gardens between the tiers.

Super cool to be able to stand next to a leaning tower in Pisa if you don't feel like flying overseas to take a picture with the "Real" leaning tower. It is definitely leaning. It was easy to navigate to from the Des Plaines area of town. It is located in the parking lot of a YMCA that is not open so there is plenty of parking. I walked around and looked at the plaques that had historical information about the leaning tower. It was a fun and cold few minutes that I spent there getting a few pictures for fun.

Who knew there was a half-sized replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the suburbs of Chicago? We stumbled on this place while on a driving trip, and decided to stop off and check it out. We figured it would be easier and faster for us to visit here than to make our way to the original in Italy ;-) Easily seen from W Touhy Avenue, the Leaning Tower of Niles is ninety-four feet tall. If you take a walk around the outside, you find some great spot to take photos, and you'll see a number of plaques containing interesting historic facts. Tip: The LTON was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. It was designed by architect Albert L. Farr and construction was completed in 1934. There's ample free parking available, and the area that the Tower is situated in looks peaceful and lovely. If you take the time to walk around the tower, it's difficult not finding yourself thinking about its history. You might even find yourself planning a trip to Italy. After all, it's only a hop, skip, and a 5000 thousand mile jump from Niles Illinois to Pisa, Italy ;-)

Review Visit: May 27th, 2015 The iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa... in your backyard. This scaled-down replica is awesome since flying to Italy to see the real thing is out-of-reach for most people. Surrounding the tower is a nice, quaint park that, at the time of my visit, was undergoing repairs. So because of that, you couldn't get too close to the tower, but still close enough to take a photo with it. Definitely a Must-Visit for anyone who is in the area (North of Chicago). Maybe you can even fool people to think you are actually in Italy!

As far as fun roadside attractions in the state of Illinois go, this is one of those that's definitely worth a special visit. You'll definitely get more than your usual number of pictures here as this spot features bells, pools, fountains, plaques, and a mini tower. When I made a visit here it wasn't super busy so it wasn't too challenging to get some fun pictures and others were respectful to try to not get in each others' way for photos.

The Leaning Tower of Niles is a total tourist trap. It is a fun roadside attraction to take pictures in front of. I had heard of this before, but when I saw it in person, I was impressed with how immense it was. I was not expecting the quality of the building that I experienced. There is the ability to climb the tower but the door was locked when my husband and I were there. There is parking behind the Leaning Tower of Niles in the YMCA parking lot. There are seats in front of the tower, which leads me to believe that civic events are held there. There were a fair number of people when I visited, but there was still enough room for people to take pictures. The Leaning Tower of Niles is a fun place to take friends, family and visitors to take pictures. I highly recommend the Leaning Tower of Niles!

Being a little tourist today with my daughter. It's pretty cold so the outside water isn't on due to it being the winter season. I don't know if you can in it at one time but you can't now.

The Leaning Tower of Niles is one of our proudest monuments here in the IL suburbs. It is quite a sight to see when driving down Touhy Ave. I always take visitors here and they are constantly impressed by the scale replica of the leaning tour. It is such a fun and unexpected stop and I recommend at least driving by with guests. There is free and easy parking right next to the monument for visitors to pop out and get a quick picture. I believe you may be able to walk on the first floor of the building too.

I'm all FOMO with multiple friends going to Tuscany and the Amalfi coast. I'm pretending I'm there sitting in the Italy section of the Art Institute. My European day dreams just got a bump closer to reality with the Leaning Tower of Niles! A half sized replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Worth the drive or I biked through forest park. There's also a scaled down version of the Leaning Tower of Niles in front of the Leaning tower of Niles! Friggin Inception! Now you can can bask in the glory of taking all the novelty selfies for the gram or the Tok or whatever. Fool your friends! Jet setter pose like you actually went to Pisa for the weekend. The possibilities are truly endless.

Leaning Tower of Niles is a fun, somewhat gimmicky attraction, but the kids really enjoyed it. They have plenty of ledges to sit down and just enjoy a little bit of Italy.... right next to a busy loud Touhy Avenue street. From what I read, this is about half the size of the real Leaning Tower of Pisa. Personally I haven't been to the real deal, so this one will have to do for now. Head closer to Touhy and you'll get the right-angle to take the cliché "Omg, I'm holding this tower and I alone am keeping this from tipping over" photo shot.

Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area. I love novel attractions like this that are great for a photo opp but won't take up a ton of time.

I love exploring and finding hidden gems throughout Chicago/Burbs. The Leaning Tower of Niles is a half-size replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Located in Niles, Illinois. You can spot the leaning tour while driving in your car. You will instantly want to pull over and park your car. To get some good photos for social media. Just a fun way of taking some cool pictures of the tour. There is free parking. There is an area where you can sit and enjoy the surrounding of the tour. Bring a book and some lunch to enjoy the weather.

Well it's a leaning tower... looks just as crazy in person as it does in pictures. There's TONS of free parking, but nothing else to do there besides look at the tower. There's a nice little park there... you could sit and contemplate it. It's totally safe and empty there. Take your photos and head over to Barnaby's for some real Chicago tavern style (thin) pizza.

Not the real thing but it's pretty Darn close in feeling. Had the opportunity to visit the real one many years ago and if you close your eyes and just imagine when you open your eyes you might feel like you're in Italy for a moment until you see Aldi's next door but overall Great experience and just to say I say it

Finally after driving past this building for so many years I decided to stop by the Leaning Tower of Niles for my photo op and it did not disappoint. The Leaning Tower of Niles is a half size replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa located in Italy. I've heard stories that this building was originally for utilities and then designed to replicate the tower when Niles became a sister city with Pisa. You currently aren't able to go inside (I don't know if you ever were) but you can kind of see inside of the building as well as the other floors and it looks cool. There were other people trying to get their photo in & some people just enjoying lunch near the tower, but it wasn't congested at all. There is seating space all around the tower and on one side it's completely accessible. Niles is a really nice area and I would recommend stopping by if you have the chance to. There is a parking lot behind the tower, but I think it might be for another business. I'm sure if you are quickly parking to get a photo and then leaving it wouldn't be a problem.

Fun for a photo op! You can get some good pictures here when people aren't in the way. Too bad they don't seem to open the tower up anymore, though!

Went to see the replica of the Leaning Tower in Niles. We went with friends from out of town so we decide if we wanted to see the actual one in Italy. Parking was easy to get in. Getting out was a little tricky since it was one way in

I found it on Google. A nice spot to hang out and just sit and think. The Leaning Tower of Niles is a half-size replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Located in Niles, Illinois, it was completed in 1934 by industrialist Robert Ilg.

Just a fun spot to take a goofy photo of you trying to hold the building up. Why not??? It's so cliché but it's too much fun.

We were staying in Evanston nearby and decided to check it out. It's cute but we fortunately saw the real Tower of Pisa. Go to Italy... We did get a Chicago hotdog nearby....excellent. Don

This is a small YMCA with a hotel. The first time I came, I parked and entered through the hotel side. There is a hallway that connects the gym side. I wish there was some sort of separation between the two. The staff is super friendly. The facility is a little run down and small bit you can get a good workout. There Kids Club is nice and the staff is friendly there too. The leaning tower in front is super cool. Plenty of parking.

It's a half sized replica of the more famous Leaning Tower. This one holds water though. It is cool to see, I often taken out of town people to visit. The YMCA is also nice with great staff. Drop by for a few minutes and think of visiting far away places.