Kelly Aiglon 2024-01-06 07:12:42
In Chicago, you can take the kids on a pick-your-own adventure through parks, zoos, and even an ice cream museum. Start downtown at the Museum Campus, a walkable lakefront oasis where you can journey into the past and ponder the cosmos. Peer into a mummy’s tomb at the Field Museum, be mesmerized by glowing jellyfish at the Shedd Aquarium, and watch galaxies unfold in a domed sky theatre at the Adler Planetarium. At Navy Pier, the action extends 3,300 feet beyond the shore into Lake Michigan and lasts from day into night. Dig for faux dino bones at the Chicago Children’s Museum, take a turn on an old-fashioned carousel at Pier Park, catch an outdoor music performance at Polk Bros Park, virtually soar over the city at the newly opened Flyover, and circle nearly 200 feet in the air on the Centennial Wheel (don’t miss the skyline photo ops from the top). Stick around after dark for Navy Pier’s fireworks, which light up the sky Wednesdays and Saturdays during the summer. In the Loop, the American Writers Museum inspires budding scribes to browse bookshelves filled with works of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and more. Families can snuggle in the cozy reading nook of the Children’s Literature Gallery that’s lined with books for little ones. The nearby Maggie Daley Park lets young kids run off steam in the Play Garden, where they can navigate a huge play ship, careen down a 25-foot-tall spiral slide, and find their way out of a mirror maze. While you’re there, grab a putter at City Mini Golf and take aim around an appetizing new obstacle — a giant Chicago hot dog statue. The park’s Skating Ribbon will tempt you to put on roller skates or ice skates (depending on the season) and take a spin in the shadow of skyscrapers. And don’t leave without testing your stamina on the 40-foot-tall Climbing Wall. It’s time to fill your camera roll. Start at the Museum of Illusions, a mind-bending attraction featuring topsyturvy exhibits where you’ll want to strike a pose. Keep grinning at WNDR Museum, an interactive experience that explores the imagination and offers Instagrammable backdrops courtesy of up-and-coming artists. At the Color Factory Chicago, discover a rainbow of a museum with slides, a ball pit, and a silent disco. If you like sweets, the Museum of Ice Cream offers cool treats in themed rooms that pay homage to ice cream. Slime more your thing? Let the kids dig their hands into the oozy stuff at Sloomoo Institute. In Hyde Park, more hands-on fun awaits at the Museum of Science and Industry, home of a 13-foot-tall 3D heart and a human-sized hamster wheel (yes, you’re welcome to jog in it!). In Calumet Heights, discover the Bronzeville Children’s Museum, the first and only African American children’s museum in the United States. For nature and history in equal doses, head to Lincoln Park. At the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum frolic with 1,000 free-flying butterflies and reverse the flow of a mini river. At the close by Chicago History Museum, explore important artifacts from the Great Chicago Fire and ride a high-wheel bicycle. Don’t leave Chicago without answering the call of the wild at Lincoln Park Zoo, where species from apes to zebras roam. Be sure to check out the state-of-the-art lion habitat and the underwater viewing area at the Kovler Seal Pool. Just outside the city, discover another intriguing animal planet. At suburban Brookfield Zoo you can feed penguins, meet gorilla families, and watch bottlenose dolphins in action at the newly renovated Seven Seas. 5 FREE THINGS TO DO Visit these free family-friendly attractions. 1 Millennium Park Splash around in the Crown Fountain, take a selfie with the mirror-like Cloud Gate sculpture, tiptoe through the tulips in the Lurie Garden, and catch a concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. 2 Pullman National Historical Park Imagine life in an 1880s factory town as you explore this historic neighborhood, where kids can become a National Park Service Junior Ranger. 3 Big Marsh Bike Park Jump over bogs and hills as you careen around the trails on a rental dirt bike. 4 Money Museum Train your eyes to recognize counterfeit currency and see what $1 million looks like. 5 Lincoln Park Conservatory and Garfield Park Conservatory Go from the tropics to the desert as you wander under palm trees and encounter prickly cacti at these two acclaimed conservatories.
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