The Windy City is best known for its skyscrapers and deep-dish pies, but Chicago is also home to plenty of attractions where you can create special family vacation memories. Here are some of the best family-friendly things to do in Chicago.
Navy Pier (Image: awyu322 used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
The kids will find plenty to enjoy on Chicago’s Navy Pier. Overlooking the blue waters of Lake Michigan, the pier is home to family-friendly attractions like the Chicago Children’s Museum and Amazing Chicago’s Funhouse Maze. The entire family will also enjoy the rides and entertainment waiting at Pier Park, including a Ferris wheel and miniature golf course.
Cloud Gate at Millenium Park (Image: rmlowe)
This vast outdoor green space in the middle of the Windy City is the perfect spot to spend an afternoon outdoors with the family. Take the kids to see Cloud Gate, known locally as “The Bean,” and record a video or two as they play with their reflections in the sculpture and splash about in the Crown Fountain.
Field Museum (Image: Andrea Contratto used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
The kids will stop in their tracks as they come face to face with Sue, the world’s largest and most complete T-Rex skeleton and Field Museum resident. A host of other dinosaur exhibits, from a brachiosaurus to a stegosaurus, will also wow the kids. The little ones can even get hands-on at the Crown Family PlayLab.
View from John Hancock Observatory (Image: anneh632 used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
The entire family won’t believe the view from the top of the John Hancock Observatory, which overlooks Chicago and Lake Michigan from more than 1,000 feet in the air.
Lincoln Park Zoo (Image: pelican used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
Families always enjoy a day at the zoo, and Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo will keep the family entertained with animals from around the world, including African apes and polar bears from the Arctic. Parents also love that this zoo is free to visit all year long.
Dolphin show at Shedd Aquarium (Image: Smart Destinations used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
Take your little ones for an aquatic adventure at Shedd Aquarium, where sea creatures like stingrays, eels and sea turtles make their homes. The kids will enjoy watching divers as they feed the fish in the 90,000-gallon Caribbean Reef or getting up close and personal with the belugas in their habitat.
Hershey’s Chicago (Image: phobo)
If your little ones have a sweet tooth, they’ll go nuts for the Hershey’s Chicago store. Have a family photo printed on a personalized bar of Hershey’s chocolate, stock up on giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and don’t miss the singing baker in the Bake Shoppe.
(Main image: ironypoisoning used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
