We can hear the birds chirping around Chicago as the days get warmer and the trees get greener. Spring is around the corner, and so is spring break. Today, we are sharing a quick list of fun things to do with kids near the Chicago Loop.
See Some Animals
We love Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. Gather up your little mermaids and mermen, and head out to the museum campus on Lake Michigan to visit with all types of aquatic life. The Shedd Aquarium has some great children’s play areas, frequent shows in their Oceanarium and animals from baby belugas to zebra sharks.
We recommend buying and reserving your tickets ahead of time. Then, before you head inside the newly reopened entrance, be sure to enjoy the spectacular view of the Chicago skyline across the lake. We have more of our best tips for visiting Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium with kids in: Top 5 Tips for Visiting Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium
Ready for more animals? You can venture outside Chicago’s Loop to the Lincoln Park Zoo (admission is free!) or the spectacular Brookfield Zoo Chicago. The latter is outside the city, but it is consistently listed among the top zoos in the country and has one of our favorite children’s play areas.
Kids Can Dig for Dinosaurs and Shoot for the Stars in Chicago
The Shedd Aquarium has two fantastic neighbors on the Museum Campus: The Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium.
The Field Museum is a natural history museum. Dinosaur lovers are sure to enjoy the great beasts they can find here. We love the Evolving Planet exhibit, as it actually immerses you in the setting of prehistoric Chicagoland and takes you all the way to an engaging (even slightly scary) hall featuring the museums most famous inhabitant: Sue the T. Rex.
Of course, dinosaurs are not the only things to see at Chicago’s Field Museum. There is a recreated Egyptian tomb, rooms of gems, a Māori Meeting House and much more. We like to bring our kids to the space set aside just for them: the Crown Family PlayLab, where they can touch and explore everything.
The Adler Planetarium also has a space just for kids. It is called Planet Explorers. Plus, there’s a broad array of “Sky Shows” with some geared just towards kids and a variety of exhibits. Plus the building itself and the building’s location are both truly stunning.
Admire World Class Art in Chicago
Speaking of stunning, you can head north along the Lake Michigan shoreline to find a world class art museum in the Art Institute of Chicago. If you are visiting with older kids, maybe you will wish to recreate Ferris Bueller’s visit (there is a tour for that), but for kids of all ages, we really recommend starting with the Ryan Learning Center.
We wrote all about the Ryan Learning Center and our best tips for visiting the Art Institute of Chicago with kids in Fun for Kids at the Art Institute of Chicago. While visiting a fabulous art museum might seem like an intimidating proposition for young families, we find that the Ryan Learning Center helps make the while place feel “kid sized.” Plus, kids are free at the this excellent museum.
Play at the Park by the Lake
Just outside the Art Institute of Chicago, find Maggie Daley Park. This is a (free) epic playground with an even more epic setting. You do not need much advance planning to visit Maggie Daley Park, just show up and start exploring. Our quick tip for parents is that sight lines at this park can get a little tricky with multiple small children. Maggie Daley Park is lushly landscaped and the play areas are nicely spread-out. This makes it a pleasant place to visit, but perhaps speak to your kids ahead of time about not leaving a particular play area until everyone is ready.
In addition to the playground, you can strap on some skates for the ice skating ribbon in the winter or splash in the nearby Crown Fountain on warm days. If you have not seen the Crown Fountain, you may wonder why we recommend visiting with your children, but we have not met a kid yet who was not delighted by the spitting faces. Plus, Cloud Gate aka “The Bean” is just next door.
See Chicago From Above and Below
One of the most popular attractions for visitors to Chicago is the Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise tour. It is about ninety minutes in length and gets rave reviews.
However, if you prefer to choose your own adventure (and opt for something shorter and cheaper) take a ride on one of Chicago’s wonderful forms of public transportation. See Chicago from above on the ‘L’ train or from below on a water taxi. If your kids are like ours, they will love the chance to ride on a train, boat or “accordion bus” and you can take your kids all around the Loop in Chicago.
Thank you for reading our suggestions of fun things to do with kids near the Chicago Loop.
Be sure to check-out our tips on some of these attractions in our articles: Fun for Kids at the Art Institute of Chicago, Top 5 Tips for Visiting Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and Wildly Fun Tips for the Play Zoo at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. For one more spectacular place to visit with kids in Chicago, see Why The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is Great for Kids. Thanks again for reading, and please considering subscribing to our newsletter below.
