Amid the frenzy of the city, downtown Chicago offers prominent green spaces for visitors and locals alike to enjoy. These parks provide a meaningfu...
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...
Few things symbolize summer like ice cream and boating, and Chicago offers myriad options to embrace them both. The Chicago River cuts through the ...
We're catching big air and big eats for this guide. We start the day in Chicago's Southeast side at a former industrial site that's been converted ...
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 i...
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 planne...
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 ...
We're hitting the road for a weekend trip to Wisconsin. It starts with a 2.5-hour drive to Madison, Wisconsin, which we're using as our home base f...
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 traversi...
Imagine Chicago with mountains in the distance. Nobody would ever leave. While we don't have mountains, there are still places to hike to get some ...
During the summer, Rogers Park can feel like a mini-beach town if you know the right spots to visit. We've got an afternoon beach trip planned for ...
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...
We're taking advantage of living next to a giant freshwater lake and have you taking the family on a fishing 101 expedition. You'll get outfitted w...
It's Wednesday, and you realize you're out of fresh produce. Instead of waiting for the weekend, this guide has you and the family visiting Ravensw...
Start your day at a sustainable farm, picking up fresh produce and sipping local coffee. Then, step into a neighboring nature preserve for an easy ...
This guide has you visiting West Ridge, a quiet residential North Side neighborhood that's home to a vibrant South Asian, Jewish, and Eastern Europ...
Visiting the Indiana Dunes National Park is usually a summertime affair. When there's fresh snow on the ground, however, it's an entirely different...
Getting a slice of pie is the answer to a lot of situations. Kids being exceptionally well-behaved? Reward the family with pie. Kids running roughs...
As kids, do you remember those mornings after a big snowstorm when you'd peer out the window and your ten-year-old brain would analyze road conditi...
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 to...
This guide has you taking the family on a trip out to the suburbs for an annual holiday tradition. You'll head to Lisle, Illinois to visit the Mort...
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 ...
Do you recall your first live theater show? Maybe it was on a school field trip to watch The Nutcracker, or perhaps it was a big Broadway productio...
Pack the car because you're going on a day trip to Southwest Michigan. It's close to a 2-hour drive, and if you're going during the right time of y...
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...
We're getting the kids out of the house for an early morning hiking on the Northwest Side of Chicago. You'll walk through a beautiful nature pr...
For this guide, take the family to Bridgeport to fly kites and have a picnic at a giant rock quarry turned park. But first, you'll have everyone st...
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 thei...
There is no shortage of outdoor markets when summer rolls around. For today's guide, we'll visit a wonderful farmer's market in Woodlawn, just sout...
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 visi...
This guide has the family walking through fields of wildflowers and exploring an island nature preserve on the South Side. But before that, you'll ...
This guide has us venturing out of the city and into the suburbs. You'll make your way to Long Grove, IL, about a 40-minute drive northwest of Chic...
This guide takes you on a mini-Swedish adventure in Andersonville that works as a leisurely Sunday morning outing. This is a historically Swedish n...
This guide has you going deep inside a forest preserve where you'll camp along the shores of a small lake, do a bit of hiking, and hang by a campfi...
Amid the frenzy of the city, downtown Chicago offers prominent green spaces for visitors and locals alike to enjoy. These parks provide a meaningful getaway with the family and an opportunity to see the city in a new way — quite literally — with toda…
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 wher…
Few things symbolize summer like ice cream and boating, and Chicago offers myriad options to embrace them both. The Chicago River cuts through the city’s urban sprawl with 156 miles of water, and today the whole family will get busy exploring it. You…
We're catching big air and big eats for this guide. We start the day in Chicago's Southeast side at a former industrial site that's been converted into a 200+ acre nature area. We'll be wandering trails and spending time riding bikes over dirt jumps…
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 tropic…
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…
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…
We're hitting the road for a weekend trip to Wisconsin. It starts with a 2.5-hour drive to Madison, Wisconsin, which we're using as our home base for the weekend. After getting settled on day 1 of your trip, you'll drive less than an hour away for so…
These are our running list of places around Chicago. Some are personal favorites and some are spots we've been meaning to check out. They aren't meant to be definitive ranks or exhaustive by any means. If something looks interesting, save it to your personal list.
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