2020-01-22 02:21:29
Explore Chicago like a local and experience the city’s diverse neighborhoods, outdoor thrills like river kayaking and rock climbing, and happening LGBTQ+ nightlife. Looking for outdoor adventures in the city? Here you can kayak the Chicago River, try stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Michigan, and even go rock climbing in the heart of downtown. Climb 40 feet to the breathtaking top of the Maggie Daley Park Climbing Wall. Complete with sculptural rocks and boulders, Chicago’s only outdoor climbing park is perfect for beginners and experts alike. Or take a loop around the Skating Ribbon, where you can rent a pair of roller blades or a scooter in the summer and go ice skating in the winter. Show off your skateboarding tricks on the concrete ramps, grinding rails, and quarter pipes at two lakefront skate parks: Grant Park Skate Park and Burnham 31st Street Skate Park. Paddle along the Chicago River with Urban Kayaks, which offers several different guided tours, including historical and sunset paddles, as well as a summertime Navy Pier fireworks float. Try stand-up paddleboarding at picturesque 31st Street Harbor with Chicago Water Sport Rentals. More advanced paddlers can join the paddleboard yoga class on Lake Michigan. Chicago Water Sport also rents jet skis and kayaks. Or head to the new Ohio Street Beach location of ChicagoSUP and take an in-water paddleboarding lesson before heading out on the lake. ChicagoSUP also offers wakesurfing, complete with a custom boat and captain. Jump the waves with Jet Ski Chicago, located at North Avenue Beach. Zoom along the beachfront with the stunning Chicago skyline as your backdrop or buzz by bustling Navy Pier. Kick things up a notch with an Extreme Thrill Ride by Seadog Cruises. The Seadog speedboat takes off with a jet-propelled blast from Navy Pier, reaching speeds that top 45mph and making sharp turns and full 360-degree spins along the way. There’s music and fun narration, but be warned — you will get wet! Shove off from Navy Pier aboard Tall Ship Windy, a traditional 148-foot-tall topsail schooner that was modeled after a Great Lakes trading ship. Listen to maritime tales about Lake Michigan’s notorious pirates as you sail. 5 FREE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES 1 Hike The 606, an elevated 2.7-mile trail popular with runners and bikers that connects four hip Chicago neighborhoods: Wicker Park/Bucktown, Logan Square, and Humboldt Park. 2 Explore the Nature Boardwalk at the free Lincoln Park Zoo, an urban oasis that skims a prairie pond ecosystem that’s a year-round haven for wildlife, including colorful birds and fluttering butterflies. 3 Bike or stroll (there are paths for each) along the Lakefront Trail, which spans 18 miles from the south to the north side of the city, passing scenic parks, Northerly Island, boat harbors, and beaches. 4 Go for a swim at Humboldt Beach (Chicago’s only inland beach), located on a natural swimming pond in beautiful Humboldt Park. The park was designed by legendary Danish landscape architect Jens Jensen. 5 Go bird watching at the Garden of the Phoenix, an authentic Japanese garden nestled in Jackson Park that’s home to a tranquil lagoon, and see the nearby Skylanding sculpture by famed artist-musician Yoko Ono.
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