Chicagoland locals and visitors alike can spend a great day in Oak Park, Illinois. Just off the western edge of Chicago, Oak Park is a charming mix of vibrant urban life and small town charm. You can find history and art at the homes of both Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway. Add verdant parks, tasty food and easy walk-ability, and you may find yourself wanting to spend more than a day in Oak Park. There is so much to do, so we will need to spread our recommendations out over several articles. Today, we are focusing on free and low-cost family fun in Oak Park, Illinois.
How to Get to Oak Park
Oak Park is a suburb of its direct neighbor, Chicago, but we really think it has a personality all its own. The nice thing about Oak Park’s proximity to its older and bigger sibling is that there are lots of public transportation options.
Oak Park is served by the blue and green “L” train lines as well as the Metra. Add an extensive network of buses, and you should have an easy time accessing Oak Park by public transportation. To plot out your own route, we suggest using your favorite mapping application and selecting a public transportation plan. You can also visit the public transportation websites for Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to look at L routes (find those at www.transitchicago.com). For Metra trains, go to www.metra.com, and the suburban bus system is called PACE www.pacebus.com.
You can also get to Oak Park, Illinois by car. The village is located off of the Eisenhower Expressway, I-290. Just make sure you carefully read any signs around the area where you park. Oak Park has earned the nickname No Park for good reason. This is a popular place, and parking can be tricky and sometimes expensive. Oak Park also has several public parking garages you may wish to use. You can find information about those garages and parking in general here.
Free Fun in Oak Park
Oak Park is a great place to walk around. Most anywhere you go is scenic and even historic. You can have some free fun by just going for a walk and keeping your eyes open to admire the…
Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio, and the Unity Temple he designed, are probably the most famous attractions in Oak Park. If your family is interested in touring any of these, we think that is great! You can find the tour information at www.flwright.org/tour.
However, those tours come with a cost and require focus that may be difficult for younger children. For those reasons, they do not quite fit this article about free family fun in Oak Park. We do have an alternative suggestion. You can admire quite a bit of the influential architect’s work just by taking a stroll through the streets of Oak Park. Really, just look at this extensive list showcasing Frank Lloyd Wright’s influence around Oak Park and the wider Chicago area here. Chose a few and check them out. Or grab a book from your local library on Frank Lloyd Wright.
Please remember that most of these buildings are private residences, so please leave the folks who live there alone. And please, watch where you step! We cannot tell you the number of people we have seen absentmindedly step into the streets while admiring these buildings.
Rehm Park Trains Plus More Fun
One of our favorite totally free spots in Oak Park is Rehm Park. This is a large and lovely park with some fun play structures. However, the real show-stoppers are the hand powered trains!
A narrow metal railroad track circles the park, and on this track are “trains” that kids can power by turning a hand crank. These delightful little kid-powered vehicles have been at the park since 1960, and they are still as popular as ever. And get this: they are free to use! You just have to be sure to check the schedule as they only come out of their shed on certain days and times. You can get the current hours at pdop.org/recreationdestinations/trains.
Oak Park Conservatory
We like to pair a visit to Rehm Park with a stop at Oak Park Conservatory. The beautiful glass building is just across the street. The Oak Park Conservatory has a Mediterranean Room, a Desert Room and a Tropical Room featuring plants from these different biomes plus koi and even some resident parrots! Our kids love the discovery garden in the fenced outdoor space on the east side of the building, where they interact with the water features and other equipment. They also like borrowing a little explorer backpack from the information desk.
The Oak Park Conservatory is free, but they do welcome donations. You can find out more about the conservatory, including their hours, here: oakparkconservatory.org.
Trailside Museum of Natural History
River Forest sits just west of Oak Park, and the communities are linked in many ways. For example they share the eponymous Oak Park River Forest High School. It is for this reason we feel like we can take the liberty to put the Trailside Museum of Natural History on this list.
This quirky little nature center in housed in a 19th century mansion and is part of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. In fact, the Trailside Museum of Natural History was the Forest Preserves first nature education facility for the public. It is free to visit, and kids and adults can explore a variety of interactive exhibits inside and then step outside for beautiful trails through the forest preserve.
You can find more information about it at: https://fpdcc.com/places/locations/trailside-museum-natural-history. That link will take you to the location and hours but also lists a variety of events.
Low-Cost Family Fun in Oak Park
We are going to round-out this list with a few lost-cost options for family fun in Oak Park. The first of these is free to visit, but we are placing it on this low-cost list, because it is a market. You will probably end up buying something delicious at the…
Oak Park Farmers Market
The farmers market in Oak Park is one of the area’s best. It is large and lively, and one of our favorite places to grab everything from mushrooms to salsa to plants. The market runs on Saturday morning from, roughly, mid-March to the end of October and it takes place in the Pilgrim Church parking lot on Lake Street.
Pilgrim Church also sells the market’s famous. We recommend grabbing one (or more) and enjoying it while listening to local musicians play. In many ways, you will be right in the heart of the Oak Park community.
You can find days, hours and other helpful information here: https://www.oak-park.us/Community/Events-and-Activities/Oak-Park-Farmers-Market
Lake Theatre
Also on Lake Street in Oak Park is the Lake Theatre. This gorgeous theater manages to maintain its stunning vintage appeal while also offering all the comforts of a modern theater. It is part of the local Classic Cinemas collection of movie theaters. Classic Cinemas prices tend to be better than other chains, but the real family deals come in the summer. On Wednesday mornings during summer break, Classic Cinemas—including Lake Theatre—offer family movie tickets for $2.
The website for the Lake Theatre is here: https://www.classiccinemas.com. Check that website for those summer movie deals but also for other fun events. True to its heritage, Lake Theatre often shows classic films.
Johnnie’s Beef
Speaking of classics: forget the deep dish pizza. Do you want to try a true Chicagoland specialty? Head over to Johnnie’s Beef for an Italian beef sandwich. You may have seen it on The Bear or heard about it from a Chicago area local: the Italian beef is a true—and messy—Chicago delight. And, many believe the best ones are found at Johnnie’s Beef in Elmwood Park, just across North Avenue from Oak Park (7500 W North Ave).
For a glimpse into the special legacy of this place, check-out this photo essay.
Festivals and Fun Events in Oak Park
We are going to finish this list with a recommendation that you keep an eye on any local festivals and events happening in Oak Park. This is a vibrant community, and there always seems to be something happening. We have enjoyed Home for the Holidays, Thursday Night Out, and more. These events are typically free to walk around, but the delicious food and beverages on offer will cost you.
These festivals and events are numerous, to get a starting point , see this list.
Thank you for reading this article on free and low-cost fun for families in Oak Park, Illinois.
We hope you have found it helpful and that you get a chance to pay Oak Park a visit. We have lots of suggestions for fun in the Chicago area here from 5 Fun Things for Kids To Do Near the Chicago Loop to Get Your Kicks at This Route 66 Tribute Playground. Please spend some time browsing around, and please so consider subscribing to our free newsletter to get our latest articles right in your inbox. Thanks again for reading.
