Chicago outings that 5–10 year olds genuinely love
Once kids hit kindergarten the bar changes: exhibits you can work, a submarine you can walk through, a dune you can climb to the top of, an old train you can ride all day. Every place here scores a full 5 for ages 5–10, from the Museum Campus to the canyons to the railway museum.
Downtown, start with MSI, where the submarine, the coal mine and the tornado fill a whole day; the dinosaurs at the Field and the belugas at the Shedd each deserve their own day, so never pair two big museums. In the west suburbs, Cantigny's real tanks are there to be climbed, Brookfield Zoo has dolphins and giraffes, and admission to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union includes unlimited rides on old trains. For the outdoors, the canyons and waterfalls of Starved Rock, the big dunes in Indiana, and the long paved loops at Waterfall Glen and Busse Woods for bikes are days every Chicago kid should have.
- 43 places
- 24 free
- 38 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
43 places
Drive times from Naperville
Naperville Riverwalk
5.0Naperville · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free on weekends at the Municipal Center (400 S Eagle St) and the Central Parking Facility; use the Van Buren garage when downtown is tight
Centennial Beach quarry swimming beach
5.0Naperville · 5 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free Centennial Beach lot (500 W Jackson Ave); when it fills on weekend afternoons, use the Riverwalk garage
Naper Settlement outdoor history village
5.0Naperville · 5 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free museum lot (Webster St / Porter Ave)
Knoch Knolls Nature Center and trails
5.0Naperville · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot (320 Knoch Knolls Rd)
Naperville 95th Street Library kids' area
5.0Naperville · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot (3015 Cedar Glen Dr)
Fountaindale Public Library kids' area
5.0Bolingbrook · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot (300 W Briarcliff Rd)
Morton Arboretum and Children's Garden
5.0Lisle · 15 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Parking included with admission; the big visitor center lot has a line after 10am on fall weekends
Cantigny Park gardens and tank park
5.0Wheaton · 15 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: About $5–15 per car depending on the day (check the website); admission free
Cosley Zoo
5.0Wheaton · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free zoo lot (1356 N Gary Ave)
Sonny Acres Farm fall festival
5.0West Chicago · 20 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free farm lot (29W310 North Ave)
Brookfield Zoo Chicago
5.0Brookfield · 25 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Zoo lot about $17 per car; 5-minute walk from the Metra BNSF Hollywood (Zoo Stop) station
Bengtson's Pumpkin Farm
5.0Homer Glen · 25 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Large free farm lot (13341 W 151st St), with a line after 11am on weekends
Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center
5.0Willow Springs · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot (9800 Willow Springs Rd)
Fox River Trolley Museum
5.0South Elgin · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free museum lot (365 S LaFox St)
Trailside Museum of Natural History
5.0River Forest · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free museum lot (738 Thatcher Ave)
Oak Park Public Library kids' area
5.0Oak Park · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Library garage under the building (first 2 hours free, check the website); 5-minute walk from the Green Line Oak Park station
Spring Valley Nature Center and trails
5.0Schaumburg · 40 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot (1111 E Schaumburg Rd)
Busse Woods elk and lake loop
5.0Elk Grove Village · 40 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Small lot for the elk pasture at Higgins Rd and Arlington Heights Rd; other entrances along Higgins Rd and Golf Rd
Schaumburg Township District Library kids' area
5.0Schaumburg · 40 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot (130 S Roselle Rd)
Goebbert's Farm pumpkin farm
5.0South Barrington · 40 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Large free farm lot (40 W Higgins Rd)
The 606 elevated trail
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Street parking (metered around Damen / Western Ave); 8-minute walk from the Blue Line Damen station
Maggie Daley Park play garden
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Millennium Park garage (Columbus Dr entrance, about $25–30 on weekends); 5-minute walk from Metra at Millennium Station; L to Washington/Wabash
Millennium Park and Crown Fountain
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Millennium Park or Grant Park garage (about $25–30 on weekends); Metra to Millennium Station is right under the park; L to Washington/Wabash
57th Street Beach and Promontory Point
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free parking on the east side of the MSI and along Science Dr, then take the underpass to the lake; 15-minute walk from the Metra Electric 55th-56th-57th station
Riding the L around the Loop
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Metra to Union Station, then a 10-minute walk to Quincy; Loop garages are $15–30 on weekends if you drive
Chicago Water Taxi
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Michigan Ave dock is below the Wrigley Building; from Metra at Union Station you can board directly at the Ogilvie / Union dock
Shedd Aquarium
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Soldier Field garage (about $25–30); 10-minute walk from the Metra Museum Campus/11th St station; bus 146
Museum of Science and Industry
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Museum underground garage about $22; 10-minute walk from the Metra Electric 55th-56th-57th station; bus 6 / 10
Field Museum
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Soldier Field garage (about $25–30); 10-minute walk from the Metra Museum Campus/11th St station; bus 146
North Avenue Beach
5.0Chicago · 50 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: North Ave beach lot (about $20–30 on summer weekends, full after 10am); bus 151 / 72 to LaSalle & North
Navy Pier Centennial Wheel and carousel
5.0Chicago · 50 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Two Navy Pier garages ($30–40 on weekends, very expensive); bus 124 direct from Union Station / Ogilvie
Lincoln Park Zoo
5.0Chicago · 50 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Zoo lot about $20–35 (by the hour); Stockton Dr meters; bus 151 / 156
Kuipers Family Farm orchard and pumpkin farm
5.0Maple Park · 50 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free farm lot (1N318 Watson Rd)
Emily Oaks Nature Center
5.0Skokie · 55 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot (4650 Brummel St)
River Trail Nature Center
5.0Northbrook · 55 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot (3120 Milwaukee Ave)
Skokie Public Library kids' area
5.0Skokie · 55 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot (5215 Oakton St)
Montrose Beach and dunes
5.0Chicago · 55 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Lots of free parking along Montrose Harbor, usually available even on weekend afternoons
Evanston Public Library kids' area
5.0Evanston · 60 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Library garage under the building (Church St entrance, recently free for the first stretch, check the website); 5-minute walk from the Purple Line Davis station
Lighthouse Beach
5.0Evanston · 65 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Small lot beside the Grosse Point Lighthouse and street parking on Sheridan Rd, hard to find after 10am on weekends
Illinois Railway Museum
5.0Union · 65 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Large free museum lot (7000 Olson Rd)
Starved Rock State Park canyons
5.0Oglesby · 75 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Large free visitor center lot; expect a line to get in after 10am on spring weekends
Indiana Dunes National Park West Beach
5.0Portage · 80 min drive
5 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: West Beach lot about $6 per car (charged in summer, check the website), with a line to get in after 10am
Illinois Beach State Park
5.0Zion · 85 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free state park lots; the south unit swimming beach lot is closest
💡 Good to know
- Big-museum tickets add up: Illinois residents get free days at every museum each year, posted on their sites and gone fast; library cards can also check out museum passes.
- Starved Rock and the Indiana Dunes are 75 minutes or more each way; leave early, pack all food and drink, and expect full lots by 10am on spring and fall weekends.