Chicago is one of the best big cities for families to explore with kids. The Windy City offers many places to go with family-friendly atmospheres—when you go downtown you’ll see lots of families walking around with children. If you are planning to visit Chicago soon with your family, you’ll want to plan activities that help your kids have fun on their vacation. Here’s a list of fun and exciting things to do with kids to help you plan your trip to Chicago.

Play at Maggie Daley Park

Maggie Daley Park has one of the best, and most unique, playgrounds in Chicago, with a giant pirate ship play structure, giant slides, rope bridges, and other features. During the wintertime, the park has an Ice Skating Ribbon where you can rent ice skates and follow a path twice the length of a lap around a traditional ice rink. The rink is open until March 13th this year. Your kids will have the time of their lives, playing on a one-of-a-kind playground and ice skating for hours.

Explore Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo is 35 acres and one of the oldest zoos in North America. While exploring Lincoln Park Zoo, you and your kids will be able to see 200 unique species from around the world, including lions, giraffes, seals, zebras, gorillas, reptiles, polar bears, birds, and many more types of animals. If you are worried about the cold or inclement weather, there are indoor, heated parts of the zoo where you can see the animals. It’s a free, family-oriented wildlife experience in the heart of the city.

Eat deep dish pizza

Kids of all ages will love taking a break from their activities during the day or night to try a classic Chicago food—a deep dish pizza. There are a variety of places where you can order deep dish pizza downtown, including Giordano's, Lou Malnati's, Uno Pizzeria, Gino’s East, and more. Deep dish pizza can be very satisfying and filling, giving your family energy for the rest of your planned activities.

Visit Shedd Aquarium

What’s more fun for a kid than seeing beluga whales, rockhopper penguins, and alligators? Explore the world’s oceans, lakes, rivers, and reefs at Shedd Aquarium. Kids can touch sea stars, watch penguins gulp fish, see trained sharks in action, and come face-to-face with a beluga whale. Your family will be able to truly discover the wonders of the aquatic animal world at Shedd Aquarium.

Go to Navy Pier

Navy Pier provides thrilling attractions for families of all ages. Your kids will love riding the iconic ferris wheel and seeing the sights of Lake Michigan. Navy Pier has numerous restaurants and souvenir booths, so your kids will be able to eat and shop to their heart’s content. On Tuesdays throughout March and April, families with young children can experience a live music series called Stroller Grooves at noon in the Mural Corner in the Fifth Third Bank Family Pavilion. Navy Pier is one place in Chicago where your kids will be able to run around and have fun while visiting.

Experience the Chicago Children’s Museum

The Chicago Children’s Museum is sure to keep your kids entertained for hours at a time. Make sure to schedule enough time to see the Museum while visiting Navy Pier, since it is located on the Pier. Some of the exhibits at the Chicago Children’s Museum include the Cloud Buster, a structure with multiple levels of 37 climbable feet made of steel, wood, wire, rope, acrylic, fiberglass, and artificial turf. Or, visitors can experience the Zoom Room exhibit, where kids can send toy cars hurtling down a multilevel racecourse with more than 40 tracks of every length, height, and angle. It’s easy to see how the Chicago Children’s Museum could be one of the highlights of your family’s trip to the city.

Planning your trip to Chicago

Whether you choose to visit the city now or in the future, your family will have a fun and exciting time. If you are visiting the city soon, then make sure to book a place to stay during your trip. Consider booking a hotel located in the heart of the city, close to many of these places. Now you’re ready for your upcoming trip to Chicago filled with adventures and spectacular sights. Need a place to stay when visiting Chicago? Book your reservation here.