Where to take kids around Chicago when it's 90 degrees
July and August in Chicago are hot and humid, and even the parking lot is miserable at noon. This list has only three kinds of places: water you can get into, real shade, and air conditioning, in order of drive time from Naperville.
Water is the direct answer: the quarry pool at Centennial Beach, the spray areas at Wolf's Crossing and Indian Boundary Park, Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, and the lake beaches once the water warms up in July. The lakefront runs a few degrees cooler than the suburbs, so do Montrose or North Avenue in the morning. For a walk, pick old woods: the Morton Arboretum, Waterfall Glen, Fullersburg Woods and Little Red Schoolhouse. When it's too much, watch penguins at the Shedd or cool off at MSI or a children's museum, and come back out after 4pm.
- 39 places
- 25 free
- 33 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
39 places
Drive times from Naperville
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
Metra train ride downtown (BNSF line)
5.0Naperville · 5 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free weekend parking at the Naperville station lot (permit required weekdays); same at Route 59
DuPage Children's Museum
5.0Naperville · 5 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot (301 N Washington St); when full, use the Metra station's weekend lot
Knoch Knolls Nature Center and trails
5.0Naperville · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot (320 Knoch Knolls Rd)
Wolf's Crossing Community Park playground and splash pad
5.0Naperville · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free park lot (3252 Wolf's Crossing Rd)
Naperville 95th Street Library kids' area
5.0Naperville · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot (3015 Cedar Glen Dr)
Fountaindale Public Library kids' area
5.0Bolingbrook · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot (300 W Briarcliff Rd)
Morton Arboretum and Children's Garden
5.0Lisle · 15 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Parking included with admission; the big visitor center lot has a line after 10am on fall weekends
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)
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
Wonder Works Children's Museum
5.0Oak Park · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Small lot out front and street parking on North Ave
Schaumburg Township District Library kids' area
5.0Schaumburg · 40 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot (130 S Roselle Rd)
Garfield Park Conservatory
5.0Chicago · 40 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free conservatory lot (Central Park Ave); the Green Line Conservatory-Central Park Drive station is at the door
Shedd Aquarium
5.0Chicago · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Soldier Field garage (about $25–30); 10-minute walk from the Metra Museum Campus/11th St station; bus 146
Chicago Children's Museum
5.0Chicago · 50 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Navy Pier garage (museum discount, still about $20+); bus 124 direct from Union Station / Ogilvie
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
5.0Chicago · 50 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Museum lot (about $20); Stockton Dr street parking; bus 151 / 156
Emily Oaks Nature Center
5.0Skokie · 55 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot (4650 Brummel St)
River Trail Nature Center
5.0Northbrook · 55 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot (3120 Milwaukee Ave)
Skokie Public Library kids' area
5.0Skokie · 55 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot (5215 Oakton St)
Montrose Beach and dunes
5.0Chicago · 55 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Lots of free parking along Montrose Harbor, usually available even on weekend afternoons
Kohl Children's Museum
5.0Glenview · 55 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot (2100 Patriot Blvd)
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
Fullersburg Woods Nature Center and Graue Mill
4.0Oak Brook · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free nature center lot (3609 Spring Rd)
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago
4.0Schaumburg · 40 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free parking at Streets of Woodfield
Jackson Park Wooded Island and Japanese garden
4.0Chicago · 45 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free parking on the east side of the MSI and along Hayes Dr; 15-minute walk from the Green Line / Metra Electric 55th-56th-57th station
Millennium Park and Crown Fountain
4.0Chicago · 45 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Millennium Park or Grant Park garage (about $25–30 on weekends); Metra to Millennium Station is right under the park; L to Washington/Wabash
Harold Washington Library children's library
4.0Chicago · 45 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Nearby garages (Van Buren / State St, about $15–25 on weekends); the L's Harold Washington Library station is at the door; 5-minute walk from Metra at LaSalle St
57th Street Beach and Promontory Point
4.0Chicago · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free parking on the east side of the MSI and along Science Dr, then take the underpass to the lake; 15-minute walk from the Metra Electric 55th-56th-57th station
Museum of Science and Industry
4.0Chicago · 45 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Museum underground garage about $22; 10-minute walk from the Metra Electric 55th-56th-57th station; bus 6 / 10
Field Museum
4.0Chicago · 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
4.0Chicago · 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
Lincoln Park Conservatory
4.0Chicago · 50 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Zoo lot (about $20–35) or Stockton Dr street parking; bus 151 / 156
Indiana Dunes National Park West Beach
4.0Portage · 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
4.0Zion · 85 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free state park lots; the south unit swimming beach lot is closest
Waterfall Glen waterfall and woodland trails
3.0Darien · 20 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Bluff Rd lot is closest to the falls; the main Northgate Rd lot is off Cass Ave
Chicago Cultural Center
3.0Chicago · 45 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Millennium Park garage; Metra to Millennium Station across the street; L to Washington/Wabash
Starved Rock State Park canyons
3.0Oglesby · 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
💡 Good to know
- The humidity is worse than the number: be outside before 10am and after 5pm, indoors in between, and carry more water and sunscreen than you think.
- Spray-area hours and seasons are on each park district's site; beach lifeguards work late May to Labor Day, and beaches clear when there's a thunderstorm warning.