7 Things to Do in Chicago with Kids

When your family is traveling to Chicago, a good place to begin is Lincoln Park. This 6-mile stretch of green space alongside Lake Michigan is where local families go for beaches, bike rides, outdoor play and picnics.

This is where you’ll also find Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the country’s oldest, with more than 200 species and beautiful gardens. Be sure to see the center for African Apes, one of America’s most innovative habitats for great apes.

At Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, also in the park, kids will be enchanted by Butterfly Haven, home to 1,000 free-flying butterflies in a giant greenhouse with tropical trees, colorful birds and pools. The Nature Play Space connects younger children to nature in creative ways.

Kids will also want to see Sue, the world’s largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, residing at Field Museum of Natural History. Permanent exhibits on ancient Egypt always fascinate young visitors, too.

For older kids and teens, Museum of Science and Industry is filled with hundreds of immersive and hands-on experiences exploring the world of practical science and technology. You’ll also find an OMNIMAX theater here.

Adler Planetarium offers shows exploring the night sky, moon and solar system, as well as permanent displays on space exploration, life on other planets, meteors and even astrology.

You’ll find the aquarium, planetarium and Field Museum in Grant Park, where you’ll also want to see the Art Deco Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain. Each hour until 11 p.m., its 200 nozzles shoot columns and arcs of water in an impressive show; in the evening, colored lights make a spectacular display.