The best things to do in Chicago with kids

The museums kids love most

A submarine and a coal mine, belugas, SUE the T. rex and a planetarium dome. Book timed tickets, and give the Museum of Science and Industry most of a day.

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   Museum of Science and Industry

   Hyde ParkScience museumEssentials list

   Tour the captured U-505 submarine, ride down into the replica coal mine and watch chicks hatch. Plan most of a day, and know some exhibits carry an extra ticket. Catch a film in the five-story domed theater.

   (773) 684-1414griffinmsi.org

   Map
2. S

   Shedd Aquarium

   Museum CampusAquariumEssentials list

   Belugas, sea otters and a walk-around Caribbean reef, with Lake Michigan filling the Oceanarium's back windows. Reserve a timed entry online; weekday mornings are quietest.

   (312) 939-2438sheddaquarium.org

   Map
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   Field Museum

   Museum CampusNatural history museumEssentials list

   SUE, the most complete T. rex yet found, anchors a natural-history museum begun with the 1893 World's Fair collections; Máximo, a cast of a 122-foot titanosaur, now fills the main hall. Open 9 to 5; buy timed tickets ahead, as weekends sell out.

   (312) 922-9410fieldmuseum.org

   Map
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   Adler Planetarium

   Museum CampusPlanetariumEssentials list

   America's first planetarium (1930), with dome shows inside and the city's widest skyline view from the lawn out front. Open late on Wednesdays, 4 to 10 p.m.

   (312) 922-7827adlerplanetarium.org

   Map

Free, and outdoors

The zoo is free every day of the year, the play garden at Maggie Daley Park has a ship and a lighthouse, and in summer kids wade into Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.

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   Lincoln Park Zoo

   Lincoln ParkFree zooEssentials list

   Free, open all 365 days and running since 1868. Gates open at 8 a.m. and the animal houses at 10; families head for the Farm-in-the-Zoo. Parking costs, so bike or bus in. In winter, ZooLights dates sell out.

   (312) 742-2000lpzoo.org

   Map
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   Maggie Daley Park

   LoopPlay & climbing parkLocal Favorites list

   Next to Millennium Park: climbing walls, a play garden with a ship and a lighthouse, and a looping skate path that's iced over in winter. Free to wander.

   (312) 742-3918chicagoparkdistrict.com

   Map
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   Millennium Park

   LoopPark & Cloud GateEssentials list

   Free and open daily from 6 a.m.: walk under Cloud Gate (the Bean), wade into Crown Fountain in summer, and catch free concerts at Frank Gehry's Pritzker Pavilion.

   (312) 742-1168chicago.gov

   Map
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   North Avenue Beach

   Lincoln ParkCity beachLocal Favorites list

   The city's busiest beach: volleyball, the ship-shaped beach house and the skyline at your back. Lifeguards are on from late May through Labor Day; bike in on the Lakefront Trail.

   (312) 742-3224chicagoparkdistrict.com

   Map
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   Garfield Park Conservatory

   East Garfield ParkConservatoryEssentials list

   A huge Victorian-style glasshouse of palms, ferns and desert plants on the West Side, plus outdoor gardens in summer. Free with a timed-entry reservation; the Green Line stops a block away. It's a warm escape in winter.

   (773) 638-1766chicagoparkdistrict.com

   Map

Up high and out on the lake

The Centennial Wheel and the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier, a glass box 103 floors up, and a Cubs game at Wrigley.

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   Navy Pier

   StreetervilleLakefront pierEssentials list

   Ride the Centennial Wheel, board a lake or architecture cruise from the docks and stay for summer fireworks. It's tourist-heavy; walk out to the end of the pier for the best views. Check the calendar for free fireworks through the year.

   (800) 595-7437navypier.org

   Map
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   Willis Tower Skydeck

   LoopObservation deckEssentials list

   Up 103 floors in the Willis (Sears) Tower, step into The Ledge, a glass box hung out over Wacker Drive. Book a timed ticket and aim for a clear evening near sunset. Check tonight's antenna color on its site.

   (312) 875-9447theskydeck.com

   Map
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   Wrigley Field

   WrigleyvilleHistoric ballparkEssentials list

   The Cubs' home since 1914, with ivy on the outfield walls, a center-field scoreboard still changed by hand, and rooftop seats across Waveland and Sheffield. No game on? Take a guided ballpark tour, then a beer in Wrigleyville.

   (800) 843-2827mlb.com

   Map

Where to eat with kids

A carhop drive-in, a century-old sundae parlor, doughnut holes handed out in the breakfast line, deep dish, and five flavors on one cone.

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   Superdawg Drive-In

   Norwood ParkDrive-in hot dogs$Local Favorites list

   A carhop drive-in since 1948 at Milwaukee and Devon, under the two hot-dog figures on the roof. The Superdawg comes boxed with crinkle fries and a pickled tomato. Or try the Whoopskidawg, its char-broiled Polish.

   (773) 763-0660superdawg.com

   Map
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   Margie's Candies

   BucktownIce-cream parlorEssentials list

   Family-owned since 1921, with chocolates still dipped in-house and sundaes big enough to share, hot fudge on the side. The Bucktown original keeps its old booths; a second shop is in Ravenswood.

   (773) 384-1035margiescandies.com

   Map
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   Lou Mitchell's

   West LoopClassic dinerEssentials list

   A diner on Jackson since 1923, at the old start of Route 66, handing doughnut holes and Milk Duds to the line. Breakfast and lunch Wednesday to Sunday until 2; closed Monday and Tuesday.

   (312) 939-3111loumitchells.com

   Map
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   Pequod's Pizza

   Lincoln ParkDeep-dish pizzaEssentials list

   Pan pizza ringed with cheese baked dark and crunchy against the pan, the edge regulars fight over. It's a sports bar on Clybourn, a long-standing favorite of the city's chefs, and the kitchen runs until 2 a.m. most nights (midnight on Sunday).

   (773) 327-1512pequodspizza.com

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   The Original Rainbow Cone

   BeverlyIce-cream parlor$Ice Cream list

   Beverly's stand since 1926, which turned 100 in 2026: five flavors sliced onto one cone, chocolate at the base up to orange sherbet, with Palmer House (vanilla, cherries, walnuts) in the middle. A $5 weekday deal runs until 3 p.m.

   (773) 238-9833rainbowcone.com

   Map

In winter

All four museums are indoors, and Garfield Park Conservatory stays warm all winter. The skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park opens in mid-November, and from late November ZooLights fills Lincoln Park Zoo in the evenings. Dates for the season: Christmas lights in Chicago.

Tips for families

• Book timed tickets for the museums and the Skydeck ahead, especially on weekends and school breaks.
• The three Museum Campus museums are a short walk apart: two in a day is easy, three is a lot.
• Parking at Lincoln Park Zoo costs; the bus or a bike is easier.

Want more?

More for the trip: free things to do in Chicago, the best ice cream in Chicago and 3 days in Chicago. For what's on the week you visit: things to do in Chicago this weekend.

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