Fun activities in Chicago

hmcty

Wed, Jan 18 2017, 11:46 am

I will be in Chicago for a few days with my kids 7,6 and 2 and looking for fun activities to do with them close to the frum community. Also anything fun for adults?

mha3484

Wed, Jan 18 2017, 11:49 am

Whats your budget and will you have a car?

Wed, Jan 18 2017, 12:47 pm

Kohl museum is great!

Fox

Wed, Jan 18 2017, 1:14 pm

Is it a bad sign that the OP asked over an hour ago and we're still having trouble thinking of fun things to do in Chicago? Very Happy

Nah! Though I do sometimes think that Chicago is the kind of place where you might want to live but wouldn't want to visit.

As MHA said, a lot will depend on whether you have access to a car.

In the immortal words of Mr. Ed, "It's been a long time since I was a pony," but here are some of the things I used to do with my kids and/or things my DDs do with their babysittees.

* Little Beans Cafe in Evanston is just a couple of miles from WRP/PP and is popular. They have an indoor playground to occupy the kids while mom drinks coffee.

* PetSmart in Evanston has the usual displays of small animals but also has cats from the nearby Humane Society on display along with dogs who are residing in the doggie hotel. We used to be able to kill a whole afternoon at PetSmart!

* JumpZone in Niles is 15-20 minutes away by car and has age-appropriate inflatables as well as trampoline areas.

* If you don't mind going outside the immediate area, Chinatown is a great trip. Although it's a 20-40 minute drive from WRP/PP depending on traffic and time of day, the 7- and 6-year-old will love it. There's plenty of parking, and the area is stroller-friendly. There are tons of little shops and architectural details that make it seem like you're really in China. Also, the local residents feel very positively toward Jews and will often make a fuss over the kids.

Of course, there are all the usual places -- the Lincoln Park Zoo (which is free); the Shedd Aquarium; the Notebaert Nature Museum (more fun than it sounds). If the weather is halfway decent, Chicago has more acreage of parks per capita than any city in North America. When I was really pressed for entertainment, I used to load up some snacks and just head out with my litter in search of new playgrounds and parks.

Hatzlacha!

hmcty

Wed, Jan 18 2017, 1:14 pm

We will have a car. Don't want to spend so much but open to different ideas with different costs. Thank you fox for those great ideas

mha3484

Wed, Jan 18 2017, 1:21 pm

If you want to stay in the suburbs Little beans and Kohls museum are a lot of fun and not too far or too expensive.

If you want to go downtown, The Chicago Children's Museum and Navy Pier are great. We have a really great science museum, aquarium and planitarium also. You can go ice skating at millenium park. Are you coming to visit family? If so, residents can get passes from the library.

happy mommy6

Wed, Jan 18 2017, 1:21 pm

When r u coming?
There free days in the museum of science and Industry which is a full day and has things for all ages, children's museum at navy pier also has free night.
Jelly belly factory has free tours and is 45 min away