Chicago is often called The Windy City and is famous for its rich and vivid history of gangsters. However, it is quite a harmonious city for recreation with children and the whole family. It is safe enough in the tourist areas. The city has a large number of museums, places for walking, parks and various venues. The most interesting of them you will find on chicagoka.
Six Flags Great America
This is a classic amusement park for the whole family. It is located in Gurnee, a 45-minute drive from Chicago. The park territory is divided into thematic zones, where you can find interesting attractions to suit all tastes. Near the entrance is the world’s second-largest two-tier carousel. It is only a meter lower than another attraction located in a similar park in California. An extremely tall and high-speed roller coaster Goliath is one of the most popular among visitors. There are even rides for the little ones.
Cheerful parades and shows for guests are often held here. Another great advantage of Six Flags Great America is its location near the water park. Therefore, for one trip, you can visit two parks at once.
Brookfield Zoo
This zoo was opened in the Chicago suburbs back in 1934. This is the first zoo in America to refuse to keep animals in cages. Here the animals have a certain freedom and are separated from each other by fences and pits. You can see more than 400 species of different birds, animals and reptiles in Brookfield Zoo.
Young biologists will be interested in visiting the covered tropical pavilion and taking part in feeding the penguins. There are always a variety of activities for visitors so no one will be bored in this place.
LEGOLAND
Visiting this park will give you the opportunity to spend time with children and remember your childhood. LEGOLAND is located 48 kilometers from Chicago. It is important to take into account the peculiar rules of this place. Adults can only visit LEGOLAND accompanied by children under 17, otherwise, they are not allowed on the territory of the park. There are many interesting locations here, like Miniland, where you can walk around. Organizers spent 1.5 million pieces of Lego to construct reduced copies of Chicago’s landmarks. There are a lot of interactive entertainments with famous characters from various series of children’s construction toys.
The Forge: Lemont Quarries is a large adventure park
The modern amusement park is a 30-minute drive from Chicago. The rope park and ziplines are the major attractions designed for people with different levels of training. There is a children’s zone designed for participants aged 3 to 13. Team games are also often organized here, in which the whole family can participate. There are many places for cycling, horseback riding and hiking trails for walking. You can also play the capture the flag game, compete on swords and even try out axe throwing.
Indiana Dunes National Park
This is a national park where you can spend the whole day in the fresh air. It is located near Lake Michigan, and it takes about 50 minutes to get there. The park is magical in every season. In summer, one can relax on clean and safe beaches by the water. There are areas for swimming, fishing and boating. The lake is surrounded by large sand dunes. There is also a forest-park area through which tourist routes are laid. Their length is up to 80 kilometers. Besides walking, you can also ride bicycles and horses. By the way, for those who like to get away from the city, there is a camping site, which is open from April to the end of October. During the year, more than 500 amusing trips are organized in this park.
Chicago History Museum
Museum expositions allow the youngest visitors to learn the history of the city. There are eight permanent exhibitions here. Chicago: Crossroads of America and Sensing Chicago are the most interesting ones for children. You can trace the city’s development from ancient times to the present by visiting the first exhibition. The second one is based on 5 well-known human senses. This installation invites you to use all senses to learn more about Chicago. In addition, many exhibits are interactive that allows you to touch them. Moreover, the film The Great Chicago Adventure is shown at the museum.
Skydeck Chicago
This observation deck is located on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower and is the highest in the country. Here you can get a bird’s-eye view of Chicago. When the weather is good, the field of vision is up to 80 kilometers. But the best part is the opportunity to look at the city from large glass boxes extending beyond the building. Being in them, the feeling of flight is guaranteed.
Navy Pier
This is one of the best family-visiting places in Chicago. It offers all kinds of fun for kids, for instance, large rides, movie theaters, street food, a big Ferris wheel and even a historic carousel from 1920. The most favorite children’s sweet shop with a variety of candies is located here.
Maggie Daley Park
This park includes a huge kindergarten divided into 6 playgrounds, which is a godsend for parents. There is also an enchanted forest, a sea harbor, a mountain crater, etc. The park has a place for active games and also interactive entertainment. It even has a mini-golf course and a rock-climbing wall. In winter, a skating rink in the form of a ribbon is created here, which visitors like so much.
Museum of Science and Industry
This place can rightfully become one of the most favorite for children. More than 35,000 exhibits are collected here, and most of them are interactive. The scale of some locations will make one speechless. There is a copy of a coal mine, where you can go down and ride on trolleys and see how coal is mined. Another grandiose artifact is a German submarine that has been preserved since the Second World War. The Mirror Maze exposition is also quite popular among young visitors. Here, children can observe small chickens emerging from an egg in an incubator. One of the installations is dedicated to various natural phenomena, where you can create lightning, tornadoes, avalanches and tsunamis.
Chicago Children’s Museum
It is located at Navy Pier which was discussed above. Little visitors can interact with all the exhibits, engage in creativity and even conduct experiments in this museum. Chicago Children’s Museum is designed to interest a child of any age. There are areas for active games and even a location where small visitors can feel like adults, for example, to go shopping or drive public transport. In the section with dinosaurs, children can transform into real archaeologists by digging up a giant dinosaur skeleton. There are also locations for construction and experiments.
Lincoln Park
The park stretches for 11 kilometers along Lake Michigan. It also has many fascinating locations. For example, you can admire the flowers in the greenhouse or relax on the beach. Every August, this particular place becomes a site for the famous Chicago Air and Water Show. There are golf, baseball and basketball courses, tennis courts and more. Therefore, Lincoln Park is the best place for outdoor activities.