Chicago Riverwalk

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Chicago Riverwalk

Photo: Marie Miller 224 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🥾 Hike · Chicago

1.5 hours · Free · No reservation needed

age fit
0–1 yr
★ 4.0
1–3 yrs
★ 4.0
3–5 yrs
★ 4.0
5–10 yrs
★ 4.0
  • 🚗
    About 45 min drive
    From Naperville · 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
  • 🍼
    Stroller-friendly
    Flat surfaces — bring the stroller
  • 🌳
    Little shade
    Great on sunny days · Good on cool days · Wind-OK
  • ⏱️
    Typical visit: 1.5 hours
    Best seasons: Spring · Summer · Fall

A 1.25-mile walkway on the lower level of the Chicago River from Lake Shore Dr to Lake St, switching rooms at every bridge: the big steps of the River Theater, the little fountains at Water Plaza in summer, docks lined with water taxis and tour boats. Watching a bridge go up is a seven-year-old's favorite.

💡 Tips
Hold little ones' hands where the river edge has no railing. Summer weekend afternoons are packed; before 10am is most comfortable. Bring a change of clothes for the Water Plaza fountains. You can hop on a water taxi afterward.

What this place offers

✓riverside
✓boat watching
✓fountain
✓steps
✓free
✓stroller friendly
✓ice cream

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This weekend's weather in Chicago

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

☀️
Sat 10/17
Sunny · 35–57°F · 4% rain
☀️
Sun 10/18
Sunny · 48–63°F · 0% rain

Location

Chicago, Illinois

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