Chicago is a popular weekend destination for families, and the city has more than enough things to do over a two-to-four-day visit. Moreover, most of the city’s most popular tourist activities are exceptionally kid-friendly and fun for families.
Here is a round-up of the most popular things to do on a Chicago vacation and tips for enjoying them all with kids, tweens and teens.
You’ll also like what local families like to do in Chicago.
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Chicago Hotels: Try the Surprisingly Friendly Loews Hotel
I enjoyed my stay at the Loews Hotel Chicago, one of several downtown options. It’s asleek city hotel, but the vibe is urban smart, not intimidatingly hip. The friendly staff and good amenities made me feel like an adult while also making me feel like kids aren’t intruding.
The hotel is a short walk to sprawling Millennium Park, the river with its pedestrian esplanade and Michigan Avenue as well as to the Navy Pier and children’s museum. It also has practical things nearby, like a Target, a Walgreen, a movie theater and even bowling.
My standard room was a good size for a city hotel. A family with one child or two small kids will be comfortable. The large bathroom had a large glassed-in shower but no bathtub. If a tub is important, you can ask for a room that has one.
Some rooms on the higher floors have nice views of the river or the city.
The Loews has cribs and rollaway beds available for free. There is also a family closet with toys, strollers, high chairs, picture books and other items. You can call ahead to ask if they have something you’ll need.
The pool is a lap pool, which made me wondered if kids would be welcome in it. But there were water toys for kids on the deck and the staff assured me that kids could be in the pool with the lap-swimmers.
There is a roomy outdoor bar and patio lounge on the same floor as the pool. During the day it was quiet but it gets busier toward evening in the nice weather. It’s a great space to hang out, eat and play board games with older kids and teens. During the day you can enjoy a coffee and let younger run around a bit without you feeling like you’re bothering people.
Breakfast isn’t included with the room, but it’s available and there’s a Starbuck’s in the lobby. Hotel restaurants are getting better and Loew’s ETA Restaurant & Bar is a good example of this. The gastropub has good cocktails and as well as snacks, appetizers and pizzas that are ideal for sharing.
Older kids will like chicken-noodle soup and falafel sliders off the main menu. And I appreciated seeing grills chicken and several vegetables on the kids’ menu.
8 Top Chicago Things To Do With Kids Of All Ages
The Second City Comedy Improv
With kids? No. But with teens, absolutely! Second City allows teens aged 13YO and up to see its sketch comedy shows.
Some of the language will be a little colorful, but Teen Traveler and her dad didn’t think anything was inappropriate when they went to a Saturday evening late show on a weekend visit. And she thought the troupe was pretty hilarious.
It’s hard to find things to do with teens in the evening on city getaways. So they enjoyed heading here after dinner for some comedy accompanied by tea, soda and cookies (there are plenty of adult drinks, too, of course).
Weeknight shows are generally at 8:00 pm, and Sunday night shows are usually at 7:00 pm. On Friday and Saturday you can choose either a 7:00 pm, and 10:00 pm curtain.
You can also eat at the in-house 1959 Kitchen & Bar before or after a show. The menu has changed since I was last there, but I can say the menu of shareable pub snacks is reliable and the draft-beer list is mostly local Chicago brews.
Architecture Riverboat Tours
Guided architecture tours by boat along the Chicago River have become enormously popular.
You might wonder how kid-friendly they are, but Teen Traveler enjoyed it and said she would absolutely recommend it to her friends.
First, being on the river is nice and you get some great city photos. Second, every building has a story behind it and the architecture experts who give the tours know how to tell them in a way that engages all ages.
Young children could get bored, but this is a good bet with kids aged 10 and up.
The Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd is one of the best aquariums I’ve been to, and I have visited quite a few. If you have limited time, this is the must-do kids activity for me.
Exhibits cover the Amazon, coral reefs and local lake and river ecosystems.
I loved the Pacific Northwest part of the aquarium. As I walked in I felt like I was heading deep into a Northwest pine forest.
The trail leads to the Oceanarium, home to Pacific sea creatures, including adorable beluga whales, white-sided dolphins, sea lions and sea otters. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows make you feel like the aquarium is an extension of Lake Michigan outside.
Downstairs, where you can see the same giant tanks from below. You’ll also find the Polar Play Zone, with touch tanks and play activities for the 6-and-under set.
The aquarium has 4D movies that cost an additional fee. I saw the BBC production Coastal Predators, which was beautifully done, just educational enough and not scary. I think it’s most worth the extra fee with kids aged 8YO and up.
Weekdays bring school classes and families with small children; weekends and school breaks bring families and tourists. It’s always busy; I recommend an early start so you can leave when the crowds get too large.
Tip: The Soundings Café is surprisingly good. Kids reliably like the macaroni & cheese, baked quesadilla and turkey sloppy Joe sliders. Parents can order freshly made sandwiches, wraps, and meal-sized salads that aren’t all lettuce, plus decent burgers.
Pass by the coffee counter to order at the main counter and your meal is delivered to your table. Don’t eat right after the noon Oceanarium show; it’s peak lunchtime.
The Field Museum
The Field is the city’s natural history museum. It’s huge, but some things will interest you and your kids more than others. There’s no need to see everything and you’ll probably enjoy your visit more if you don’t try.
I always love seeing mummies, but my tween finds them creepy. The Egypt exhibit that houses them is fun anyway because it features a market that highlights typical jobs and roles in Ancient Egypt that have modern counterparts.
Head to the Playlab for drop-in activities with kids aged 2YO-6YO. Kids older than that can visit the Science Hub for hands-on activities and talks with scientists.
One of the unique things about the Field is that a lot of laboratories are near the exhibits, behind glass, so you can watch the staff work. Some groups hang up signs to explain what they’re working on. STEM-loving kids are usually pretty curious about it all.
Like many museums today, the Field Museum always has tempting exhibits that require an additional ticket. Buying all-access tickets allows you to save some money on them.
Adler Planetarium
More than other planetariums I’ve been to, the Adler feels like it was designed with kids in mind.
Planet Explorers is a big interactive space for 3YO-8YO. It’s included with admission, but you need a timed ticket to use it. The pre-school set will like a Sesame Street movie where Big Bird teaches Elmo about the night sky.
All the movies, including one World One Sky require an extra ticket or an all-access ticket. But the movies and sky shows are usually the best part of any planetarium visits for me, so try to budget for one..
Check out the Community Design Lab for more advanced hands-on projects, like turning your iPhone into a telescope, and the Space Visualization Lab for the opportunity to talk with staff scientists.
Chicago-native and astronaut James Lovell left the planetarium a trove of personal artifacts from his several space missions, including the aborted mission of Apollo 13. It offers a unique point of view on our early space missions, including that of the astronauts’ families waiting and watching back on earth.
Once a month, the Doane at Dark event allows guests access to the planetarium’s Doane telescope for nighttime stargazing. It’s free and weather-dependent, but fun if you can catch it.
Tip: The Shedd, The Field Museum and the Planetarium are all next to each other along Lake Michigan, so it can be tempting to try to do them all in one day. Don’t.
The Shedd has enough to see and do to consume the better part of a day. So does the Field Museum. The Adler is a half-day excursion. If you have older kids with some stamina, you can probably see the Adler and either the Shedd or the Field Museum with lunch in between. But you’ll have to make some decisions about what to do and what to skip.
Museum of Science and Industry
The Museum of Science & Industry is enormous with a diverse collection of fun, interactive exhibits for school-age kids and tweens. It’s probably the best science museum I’ve been to (tied with the Franklin Institute) and is another can’t-miss kids activity for your first Chicago visit.
Most of the best things to do require an upgraded admission pass and several require timed tickets. Also, it’s a busy place where everything is hands-on so, again, an early start really helps.
Some cool things that don’t cost extra: The Science of Storms, the automated Toymaker 3000 assembly line, the sprawling and detailed Chicago-to-Seattle model train (good with preschoolers), and the Idea Factory for kids under 10YO.
Parents who grew up in the 1970s will want to visit All About You to check out the Twinkie that still hasn’t degraded after being unwrapped since 2009.
The exhibit that they have had forever and that Chicago children never get tired of is the walk through an American coal mine. If you choose one add-on, choose this one.
No matter which activities your kids pursue, this is an all-day outing and one that’s sure to leave them exhausted.
Art Institute of Chicago
Ferrris Bueller’s Day Off is still a popular movie with teenagers. If you’re visiting the city with a teen, this alone could be the thing that makes the Art Institute appealing. I say, work with what you’ve got, because The Art Institute is a world-class art museum and well worth a visit.
If you know you have a limited amount of time before your kids, or even teens, start to get bored, prioritize the Impressionists and American Art. They’re familiar, relatable and impressive collections. Then see what temporary exhibits are being shown. These can be terrific opportunities to see art from other museums and other parts of the world.
If you have school-age kids, bring your family in via the Modern Art entrance, opposite Millennium Park, and head to the Ryan Learning Center. Here you can create your own tour with the digital JourneyMaker.
There are also hands-on activities and craft sessions that are meant to appeal to all ages, but this is largely the domain of the 12YO and younger set.
Choose a theme like Superheroes, Time Travelers, or Wild Creatures. Then choose a handful of works that fit the theme and print out your custom itinerary. It’s a good way to focus your visit and explore a few pieces of art in-depth.
A guided tour can also be an excellent way to see the best of a big art museum like this in the right amount of time with kids.
Note: The casual, family-friendly downstairs café has an outdoor garden, great for kids who want to move around while you finish your lunch. The Modern Bar on the second floor is a nice spot for an afternoon cookie and coffee.
Bonus: After the museum, head over to Millennium Park to let your kids run free for a bit.
SkyDeck Chicago
This viewing platform atop the Willis Tower is on most people’s Chicago bucket list.
My experience is that kids love observation decks. For about ten minutes. Then they will ask how long you can “just look at buildings for” and strongly suggest leaving. Just tell younger kids to be patient while you take in the skyline and the lake and get your photos.
The glass-enclosed ledges that let you step out over the city are popular for candid family photos. Your tweens and teens will be in selfie heaven here and will leave you alone for a while to orient yourself and admire the views.
The entrance has interactive screens and a short movie that offer facts and trivia about the Willis Tower and Chicago pop culture and history. It’s mildly entertaining and helps to pass the time if lines are long.
Tip: If you’re scared to step out onto the glass-bottomed viewing decks, like I was, take a photo in front of a green screen on your way out. No one will know the difference!
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*CityPass and Choose Chicago sponsored my visit to the city. I promised no specific coverage. My opinions are always our own.
Photos: Loews photos courtesy of the hotel. All others by Eileen Gunn©.