Summer is flying by. I really can’t believe 4th of July is already over, it needs to slow down! I wanted to update my Chicago Summer Bucketlist (you can see the original post here.) and share some things we have been up to around the city. We’ve done a few things, but we have so, so much more to do! Many of the things listed are family friendly and a few for the adults only.

Summer in the Windy City is the absolute best and I know there are an endless amount of things to do. If there are any festivals or places I am missing, add them in the comments below and I will include them! Summertime Chi is like no other, so enjoy every moment.

√- everything we’ve done so far

Bars and Restaurants with Patios:

1. Park and Field
2. Noyane- A perfect spot for a burger and cocktail. I LOVED their burger topped with kimchi and pork belly. See it here.  √
3. Parson’s Chicken and Fish– I took Noah a lot when he was younger. Huge patio with lots and lots of space. And you can’t go without getting the hushpuppies and frozen negronis. √  
4.  Genes Sausage Shop- Apparently a fantastic rooftop and kid friendly. I want to make sure we go before the season ends.
5. Al Patron –My favorite tacos in the city, BYOB, huge patio, always lots of kids, cash only. We went for Mother’s Day and it’s all I wanted :). √
6. Sportsman’s Club
7. The Dawson – They recently renovated their patio and made it bigger. We had a mini date night here and enjoyed a few hours of child free fun (Manny had bourbon cocktails and I had a mocktail). It’s maybe one of my favorite patios to sit outside and drink a cocktail. √
8. Somerset
9. Blue Door Kitchen -Went for my birthday this year and loved it!. Their brunch menu is delicious items like eggs benedict and chicken & waffles. √
10. Kaiser Tiger
11. Cindy’s at the Chicago Athletic Association  Touristy, but the view is worth it √
12. Summer House Santa Monica  √
13. RM Champagne Great date night spot in the West Loop √
14. Bernie’s – Love their happy hour and rooftop. They have a Lamb Hashwi that is AMAZING. You have to try it when you dine here. See it on my feed √
15. Barcocina (Noah’s been for brunch a few times) √

Things to Do:

1. Gallagher Park -So many activities for the family like green city market, yoga, kids sing alongside, etc.
2. Montrose Beach– I like this beach because it’s less crowded and parking is so much easier. There’s a bird conservatory, Montrose Point as well. Noah loves it. √
3. Garfield Park Conservatory– They don’t serve food, but pack a picnic and there’s a huge patio and lawn you can eat at. Perfect for families and lots of free activities for kids. √
4. Chicago Water Taxi We just did this recently and took the taxi up and down the Chicago River. IT WAS SO SO SO MUCH FUN! Noah was free and adults are $6 each, just make sure to buy your tickets online. We then ended up in Chinatown and grabbed some dumplings at Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings. It was one of the best days of the summer. All the photos above are from our adventure from that day. √ 
5.  Movies in the park- One of my favorite things to do in the summer. You can make it a date or bring the whole family.
6. Kayaking on the Chicago River –Not kid friendly, but it would be a really fun day date! I’ve always wanted to try it, but it may have to wait until baby girl comes next summer. 🙂
7. Maggie Daley Park – It can get really, really crowded in the summer, but kids love it and it’s a pretty well laid about park. √
8. Ravinia
9. Concerts in Millenium Park –Grab food and drinks at the Gage or Remingtons before the concert and make an whole evening out of it.  Manny and I did this for our anniversary last year and it was nice to do something different than dinner. Remington’s also has premade picnic baskets you can pick up before you head to the park. Wine, utensils, cups and chocolate for dessert! √
10. Lincoln Park Zoo-Wednesday’s are sing alongs for kids. √
11. Architectural Boat Tour
12. Windy City Smokeout – I am so bummed I can’t make it this year, it’s one of the best festivas of the summer.
13. Sheffield Garden Walk -Huge area for kids, even with a petting zoo and bouncy houses. Live music, food trucks and a huge beer garden (there’s a charge) are some of the things to do.
14. Roscoe Village Burger Fest- My personal favorite fest and have brought Noah for the past two years. Lots of families! This burger is from last year 
15. Taste of Chicago -Best time to go is for lunch during the week and hit the food trucks!

Hopefully, this list helps you enjoy your summer and everything Chicago has to offer! And as always, thanks for following me. You can sign up for weekly blog posts here and follow my adventures on Instagram.

Until next time,

Christine