Planning a Chicago vacation with kids may seem like a lot, but it’s really not that difficult. Chicago Kids has many activities to keep them busy throughout the year, especially in the summer. All you have to do is choose the ones you want your kids to participate in, and then plan which days you want to see which attractions.
It’s easy Chicago is full of fun things for kids to do, these attractions are all over downtown. They are often centralized in several areas, when I take the kids downtown we choose which area we want to focus on for a day and then decide on the attractions. For example, if we want to see the museums, we go to the museum district and plan a day or two to see the museums that interest them. Or if your kids aren’t into museums, check out Chicago Navy Pier below.
You have so many to choose from:
1. Chicago Country Museum: Bringing history to life for everyone, you can see anything from fascinating history and adventures around the world to the huge T-Rex Sue, which is the most complete T-Rex in the world. This one is awesome if you haven’t seen it.
2. Shedd Aquarium, the mysteries that live underwater come to life, see octopuses, sharks, beautiful schools of fish, dolphins, all around you. It feels like you are in another world, just amazing!
3. Adler Planetarium, space exploration and development brought to life. It is so fascinating to see the vast space around us. This museum holds a special place for many children who love to see exactly where we are and how we fit into the universe. It makes you feel like you are in space exploring with the first astronauts!
4. Chicago Art MuseumKnown as the Art Institute of Chicago, this museum is so huge it’s impressive with amazing art from any era you can imagine. This is definitely one of the world-renowned art museums in the world, certainly in the top five. Prepare to be swept away by art from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. Discover the development of various types of art and their history. There is an interactive area that children love where they can develop their imaginations.
5. Museum of Science and Industry, there is much here that helps us understand where we came from scientifically to the present and even the future. There are trains, airplanes, agricultural machinery, uncovering our DNA, some German submarines; interacting with the development of the Internet and the development of the space program, just to name a few of the fantastic exhibits that fascinate Chicago kids.
5. Or head north to Chicago Navy Pier, a win-win for the whole family. There’s food, lots of food, a children’s museum packed with activities for kids, from nature or understanding safety with an ambulance they can ride in, to a place for them to play and climb a rope wall, a water room (Always a favorite with the kids which I took to this amazing museum). Navy Pier also has an arcade, a futuristic Rock N Roll McDonalds; boat rides a ferris wheel and much more! This can easily be a full day of activities and fun for Chicago kids.
6. Or take them to the beach, take a lunch and enjoy an afternoon, you can relax a bit and they can play to their heart’s content. I know when I was a kid I couldn’t wait to go to the beach, it was one of the most amazing parts of a vacation for me.
