If you are sticking around the Chicagoland area for Spring Break this year, there’s SO much going on in the city during this time! So if you’re planning a staycation and feel overwhelmed, here’s The Chicago Good Life approved guide! Our great city has it all – gardens, zoos, professional children’s theatre, world-class museums, and tons of kid-centric play spaces! Let me know if this was helpful and if you’ve found anything else worth checking out! 

Gardens and Outdoors

• Chicago has tons of great green space! My favorite kid-friendly parks to visit are these:
  • Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park
  • Palmisano Park in Bridgeport – you can fish here!
  • Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown
  • Maggie Daley Park in Lincoln Park – so much to do here! Kids personal favorite playground
  • Welles Park in Lincoln Square – beautiful walking paths along the North Branch of the river
  • Village Nature Center in North Park – great for bird watching
  • Indian Boundary Park in West Ridge

• India Blooms, The Orchid Show at Chicago Botanic Garden (Feb 8-Mar 23) – If you haven’t been, the Chicago Botanic Garden is beautiful and an easy drive!

• Spring Flower Show: Spectrum of Spring at Lincoln Park Conservatory (Feb 12-May 11)

• Animal Encounter with the Natural Naturalist at the Nature Museum (Mar 27)—Meet Kim, the Natural Naturalist, and her team of animal ambassadors, which includes a hedgehog, a ball python, and a Patagonian cavy. This one-hour program is great for the whole family but best for ages 5 and up! Enjoy the museum at no additional cost before and after the event!

Music and Performances

• The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System at Marriott Theatre (Feb 21-Mar 29) – I can’t recommend this theater more! Tickets are also under $20. It’s fantastic and would make a great day trip to catch a matinee and lunch. See my reel from their last show here! Tickets are selling fast!

Museums and Exhibits

• National Mexican Art Museum in Pilsen is free and always having events for kids! You can visit he museum, there’s a playground directly next door then spend the day exploring. You can see some Pilsen spots I recommend here.

• The Field Museum has some great events during Spring Break! You can kick off your break with Dozin’ with the Dino’s on March 21. Illinois Free Wednesday is on March 26 and Meet a Scientist: Using Science to Support Animal Wellbeing is Friday, March 28.

• Niyah and the Multiverse at the Adler Planetarium – Follow Niyah, a Chicago pre-teen, on an Afrofuturist journey through the multiverse. She explores space, time, and the multiverse with the help of a special mask and encounters her future self as an astrophysicist.

• The Shedd Aquarium is open late March 23-29! The Wonder of Water exhibit remodel has been completed and you might catch a glimpse of the new beluga whale baby!

• Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier – The Zoom Room is back! My kids loved this interactive exhibit featuring tons of racecar toys, ramps, and slides.

• The Griffin Museum of Science & Industry – My kids enjoyed the James Bond exhibit!

Play spaces and Experiences

• Share Our Spare – From March 24-28, Share Our Spare will be offering special spring break volunteer sessions for kids (6+), teens, and young adults.

• See a movie at the Alamo Theatre in Wrigley! They offer many family friendly showings and the theater is really nice (somewhat new!)

• Play ping pong at Ace Bounce! It’s so much fun. This is great for older kids (teens!) and kids are allowed before 6pm. Great time to go – Fridays they open at 3pm and 12pm on Saturdays.

• Flyover Chicago at Navy Pier – I am OBSESSED with this Flyover experience at Navy Pier! It’s so fun! I would always check their website because they are always offering deals! Once you do Flyover, directly across from it is the Children’s Museum! You could spend all day here.

• Stay and Play Game Cafe – My family loves playing games here! It’s less than $15 dollars and they have hundreds of board games for all ages!

• Museum of Illusions – always a hit, even with older kids!

• Sky Zone in Evanston—This ninja course and jump place is an indoor playground near the movie theatre downtown. You could make a day of it—play, eat, and catch a flick!

• Altitude – you can’t go wrong with getting a long jump session in to tire out your kiddos. 

• Whirlyball – I love Whirlyball because they also have bowling and dining! Great for older kids.

• Diversey Bowl – Tuesday and Thursday they have $3 deals!

• Kings Bowl – We visited over winter break after we went ice skating and then had lunch and played games. It was a fun day! Not cheap, but we all enjoyed it, including the adults 🙂

Your Spring Break in the Windy City is bound to be packed with great experiences and fond memories! Please keep us in the loop and share your favorite discoveries with us! I hope you find this guide helpful and have a fantastic spring break! If you’re also looking for some hotels with indoor pools for a staycation, see that guide here!

Christine