Trains, boats and the big wheel with kids around Chicago

Chicago is the railroad capital of the country, and for a train-loving kid it has everything: bi-level Metra commuter trains, the L curving between skyscrapers, century-old trolleys, the largest railway museum in America, and a water taxi down the river.

The simplest day starts at the Naperville station: a $7 weekend pass with kids free, the upper deck to Union Station, a walk to the old Quincy station for a lap of the Loop on the L, then the water taxi from under the Michigan Avenue bridge to Chinatown for dim sum. For old equipment, the Fox River Trolley in South Elgin runs 4 miles along the river, and admission to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union includes unlimited rides on streetcars and old trains, with barns full of retired L cars to climb aboard. The Centennial Wheel and carousel at Navy Pier count as riding too.

• 6 places
• 6 stroller-friendly
• closest is 5 min away