School’s Out

Chicago’s Riverwalk is a labyrinth of life in the heart of downtown. The 1.25-mile-long path, which was expanded in 2016, offers unique city views and plenty of family-friendly activities. It’s perhaps best enjoyed on the river itself, which is where today’s guide sets off. You’ll start with a scenic and educational boat tour, then cool off with homemade gelato and a refreshing water fountain.

This guide has you travelling 30 miles from the city and spending the day jumping off 90 foot climbing walls, ziplining across a lake, and traversing a ropes course suspended high in the air. Afterwards, you'll take it easy by exploring a nearby historic downtown village for drinks and eats in one of the oldest communities in Illinois.

This guide is what summer memories are made of. It starts with catching a ballgame, staying after with your kids to run the bases, and it ends a at a classic Chicago diner serving deep-dish pizzas, Italian lemonade, and a famous breaded steak sandwich.

This week's guide takes you to Garfield Park in search of a bit of inspiration. The first stop is to one of the oldest and largest conservatories in the country, where you'll wander through 4.5 acres of indoor gardens and let the vast rooms of tropical plants and small ponds help you de-stress. Afterward, you'll visit a restaurant with a socially conscious mission of supporting men and women to overcome poverty and homelessness. Here are the highlights. 

Young kids in daycare learn to make friends. But my guess is you're learning to do the same with other parents too. With that in mind, we've planned a casual playdate with your new parent friends. You'll pick up Cambodian fried chicken sandwiches and then take it down the street to a tap room that kind of looks like a daycare on Saturday afternoons.

We visit the past and peer into the future all in one guide. You'll make your way to Evanston to visit Northwestern University. It starts with a tour of an art and history museum, and then you'll follow up with an astronomy lesson inside an open-air observatory. Between those stops, you'll grab a bite to eat at a chicken joint popular with students and locals alike. Here are the details. *Logistics note - This guide, in its entirety, is only good for Friday night as the observatory is only open to the public on Friday evenings.

Do you know what's better than roasting s'mores around an open campfire? Watching your kid's eyes light up when they experience that for the first time. For this guide, we've got you hanging out at the only sanctioned firepits along Lake Michigan. But before that, you'll have pancakes, steak, and eggs at a beloved diner nearby in Hyde Park.

When the week has been long, and the family is in need of quality time to recharge, the answer to your woes are cute animals and crepes. This guide has you taking the kids to Lakeview, where you'll spend time in a bunny cuddle session and then finish off the day munching on sweet and savory crepes.

Are the kids climbing all over the walls at your house? Okay, let's give your home a break. For this guide, you'll take the kids to Uptown and visit a former bank whose second floor is now a bouldering gym. Afterward, you'll take advantage of one of the most significant benefits of raising kids in Chicago: having easy access to food cultures from all over the world. You'll have a post-gym meal at a Vietnamese restaurant where you'll introduce your kids to something other than pho. Here are the details.

There's been a big flurry of development along the Chicago River, and we're taking the family to visit a few outdoor spots taking advantage of their proximity along the North Branch of the river. It starts with an incredible breakfast biscuit sandwich, followed by a short walk along the river, and then you'll head to a family-friendly brewery and get on the water.

We've got some quality family time in store with burgers and elevated bar food at a family-friendly, residential corner bar. Afterward, you'll visit the second floor of a building that was left vacant for decades but has found new life as a vintage bowling alley that welcomes families during the day.