Chicago with Kids: 13 Best Things to Do
Chicago is one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in America, packed with opportunities for a memorable family vacation. In this article we’re going to discuss what we think are the best things to do in Chicago with kids.
Perhaps you are asking a different question: Is Chicago even safe for children to visit? The answer is, “Yes,” Chicago is quite safe for children (and tourists). Most of the excursions we mention are located near the waterfront district, which is incredibly safe. A few of them are found outside the downtown area, and only one of those is in a rougher part of town (indicated in Our Honest Conclusion).
Many of the child-friendly attractions in Chicago are highly esteemed institutions, such as Navy Pier, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History. In fact, Chicago expects you to visit these places with your family, which is why you can purchase the Chicago City Pass and gain entry to five Chicago Attractions (during a 9 day window) while saving almost 50%.
While you’ll most certainly want to include these world-class facilities, there are other places around town that are worthy of your time. Some cost money, others do not. In Chicago with Kids, we will discuss both.
Here’s a MAP to all of the features in this article.
Who’s Writing this Article?
If you’ve never found one of our articles on the internet, we are the Hoffmann’s, a family of six that has lived on the road full-time the past three years. We’ve visited over 40 US states during that time, and lived in 8 of them.
If you’d like to know what we’re about or what we have to offer, feel free to peruse our website. Here is a sample of what we’ve been up to in our full-time motorhome adventure: The Best of What We Did Year 1, Year 2, Year 3.
The following are what we found to be the best things to do in Chicago with Children. We hope you enjoy the article!
Lincoln Park Zoo
The Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the best free zoos in the United States, and it is open 365 days a year. There are over 200 species of mammals, reptiles, and birds on display in these beautiful grounds. This is the perfect place to take the kids because it is beautiful and accessible, but it is also small enough that they won’t get worn out.
Galloping Ghost Arcade
The Galloping Ghost claims to be the largest arcade on earth, boasting over 800 stand-up arcade-style games. If you have a favorite game that you can never find, it’s almost a guarantee these guys have it in one of their four packed rooms.
Admission is $25 for all-you-can-play action. Hours are from 11:00-midnight weekdays, and 11:00-02:00 weekends. Bring the kids here and they’ll never stop thanking you.
First Ascent Climbing Gym
There are four First Ascent Climbing and Fitness gyms in the greater Chicago area. Whether you are a first time climber or a bouldering champion, this is a mecca of leviathan proportions. There are 11 different ascents that have built-in belay mechanisms for maximum safety. Put those kids to work in Chicago — send them up a 30′ wall. Imagine how good they’ll sleep.
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is consider by most to be one of the top 10 roller coaster parks in the United States. If your family likes amusement parks, this is the best one in Chicago.
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum is home to Sue, the largest T-Rex known to man, as well as the Tsavo Lions (of Ghost and the Darkness fame) and one of the most comprehensive collection of animals on earth. Children love animals and Chicago loves children. This is the Can’t Miss attraction for kids in Chicago.
Chicago Cubs Game
Any respectable fan of baseball will visit Wrigley Field if given the opportunity. It is one of the most famous venues across all sports. Cubs fans are second-to-none, and so is their famous Chicago Dog. And win or lose the whole stadium sings a song at the end of the game. We’ve never seen anything like it. This is baseball at its finest, and the perfect place for kids who like sports.
Adler Planetarium
If you’re an interplanetary space geek, this is your Xanadu. The Adler Planetarium is home to an abundance of things pertaining to the universe, and includes the Doan Observatory (a large telescope), and an assortment of Sky Shows in their immersive dome theaters. The place is packed with Chicago school children.
Deep Dish Pizza
If you come to Chicago and don’t indulge a deep dish pizza, did you really visit after all? The answer is… yes. Yes you did. But you forgot to eat the pizza. Lou Malnati’s is the best. Giordano’s, Gino’s East, and Rosati’s are pretty good. Pequod’s was supremely disappointing. Parents don’t let kids in Chicago eat at Pequods.
Lakefront Parks
The waterfront in Downtown Chicago has an collection of contiguous parks that rival any US city. All of them backdropped by the magnificent Chicago skyline, the parks flow seamlessly, one into another, composing a ceaselessly strollable milieu.
The heavily photographed Millennium park (above) is home to the famous “Bean” sculpture, and Maggie Daley Park is a children’s wonderland. Other noteworthy parks include Grant Park, Lakefront Park, Buckingham Fountain, and Lurie Garden.
Seadog High Speed Boat Ride
At first they’ll tell you interesting facts about the Pier and Chicago’s lakefront. Then they’ll crank up the music and race south to Museum Campus, then speed back past Navy Pier to cruise the Magnificent Mile, giving you unique views of the Sears Tower, Buckingham Fountain and Grant Park along the way. If you want to get those kids all squirrely, here you go!
Shedd Aquarium
Widely considered one of the ten best aquariums in the USA, the Shedd sees over 2 million visitors annually due to its reputation and prominence on the Chicago City Pass. The highlight of the park is a 90,000-gallon tank that lends a 360-degree tour of an underwater reef community.
Navy Pier
Navy Pier rambles onto Lake Michigan north of the Chicago waterfront. Stretching 6 city blocks and seeing 9 million annual visitors, Navy Pier is considered one of the best things to do in Chicago with Children. Most popular activities include the Chicago Children’s Museum, speed boat tours, a ferris wheel, and plenty of eating and shopping.
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
Part of Chicago’s embarrassment of league leading museums, the Museum of Science and Industry has an assortment of dynamite exhibits. Consider the following: A full-size coal mine; a German WWII submarine; a stainless-steel diesel steam train; as well as features on the human body, computers, and other interesting things. Probably best reserved for the older kids in Chicago.
An Honest Conclusion for Chicago with Kids
Chicago is a lovely city with an abundance of wonderful things to do with children. Our family never felt unsafe except for in the neighboring streets around the Galloping Ghost arcade, which wasn’t all that bad. Maybe don’t leave valuables in your car, though.
If you wander into the villages of North Chicago (about 30 miles up the freeway), you will be floored at how family friendly the suburbs of Chicago can be. It doesn’t hurt the neighborhoods are full of the most exquisite mansions imaginable.
Don’t wander more than a couple of blocks beyond the lakefront district unless you are headed north in downtown. It’s easy to see that the city gets increasingly rougher as you head west or south.
Absolutely avoid the South Side of Chicago with children. Or adults. Just keep people away from there. You don’t want to tarnish your impression of Chicago. Just stay in the brightly polished areas of the city and you’ll have a terrific time.
Thank you for stopping by our website! We are the Hoffmann family, a full-time RV family that has split residence in Seattle, Washington and San Antonio, Texas. We have special needs children that we homeschool, and work travel assignments for the Veteran Affairs Hospital. If you would like to learn more about us, check out our Start Here and Biography pages. In the meantime, God bless and travel happy!
If you’d like to read more about things to do in Big Cities, here are a few sample articles:
10 Family Friendly Things to do in San Antonio
Things to do in Salt Lake City