Things to do with kids in downtown Chicago
Downtown Chicago is surprisingly good with kids: the city's best playground, a free fountain plaza, a riverside promenade, a library and a cultural center all within ten minutes' walk of Millennium Park, the three Museum Campus museums to the south and Navy Pier to the east.
The classic day: Metra to Millennium Station, straight into the Maggie Daley playground and Crown Fountain, down to the Riverwalk to watch a bridge lift, a lap of the Loop on the L from the old Quincy station, and the water taxi to Chinatown for dim sum in the afternoon. In rain, the children's library at Harold Washington or the Cultural Center; for animals and dinosaurs, the Shedd and the Field on the Museum Campus; the children's museum and the wheel at Navy Pier are another full day. In winter, swap in the Christkindlmarket, the skating ribbon and the Macy's windows.
- 16 places
- 9 free
- 16 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
16 places
Drive times from The Loop
Maggie Daley Park play garden
5.0Chicago · 5 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
Riding the L around the Loop
5.0Chicago · 5 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 · 5 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
Chicago Riverwalk
4.0Chicago · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Millennium Park or Grant Park garage (about $20–30 on weekends); 10-minute walk from Metra at Union Station; 5-minute walk from the L at State/Lake
Millennium Park and Crown Fountain
4.0Chicago · 5 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
Harold Washington Library children's library
4.0Chicago · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Nearby garages (Van Buren / State St, about $15–25 on weekends); the L's Harold Washington Library station is at the door; 5-minute walk from Metra at LaSalle St
Chicago Cultural Center
3.0Chicago · 5 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Millennium Park garage; Metra to Millennium Station across the street; L to Washington/Wabash
Shedd Aquarium
5.0Chicago · 10 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Soldier Field garage (about $25–30); 10-minute walk from the Metra Museum Campus/11th St station; bus 146
Oz Park (Wizard of Oz playground)
5.0Chicago · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Metered street parking (Webster / Lincoln Ave); 10-minute walk from the Brown Line Armitage station
Lincoln Park Zoo
5.0Chicago · 10 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Zoo lot about $20–35 (by the hour); Stockton Dr meters; bus 151 / 156
Chicago Children's Museum
5.0Chicago · 10 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Navy Pier garage (museum discount, still about $20+); bus 124 direct from Union Station / Ogilvie
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
5.0Chicago · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Museum lot (about $20); Stockton Dr street parking; bus 151 / 156
Field Museum
4.0Chicago · 10 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Soldier Field garage (about $25–30); 10-minute walk from the Metra Museum Campus/11th St station; bus 146
North Avenue Beach
4.0Chicago · 10 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
4.0Chicago · 10 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 Conservatory
4.0Chicago · 10 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Zoo lot (about $20–35) or Stockton Dr street parking; bus 151 / 156
💡 Good to know
- Don't drive downtown: the $7 Metra weekend pass with kids free reaches everything here on foot or by one bus from Millennium or Union Station; if you must, the Millennium Park garage runs $25–30 on weekends.