Ahh, remember the days of Spring Break in Mexico and Destin, FL? Carefree, sleep ’til noon, then have a drink and nachos by the swim up bar at the pool…and not even gain 1 lb.?! Yeah, Spring Break may look a little different when you have kids in tow, but I’m sharing some family-friendly activities around Chicago so you can still have a *raging* Spring Break…and of course, I didn’t forget about a #MomsNightOut!
Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago
We are members and BIG fans of KCM. You may remember that we hosted our big birthday party(ies) there in January. I wrote up a whole blog post here. Aside from birthday parties, we love to go play at the museum on a pretty regular basis.
They are open 7 days a week, with limited hours on Sunday and Monday. With all of the different exhibits, my kids can be entertained for hours! In fact, we don’t usually make it to everything, which leaves us with plenty to explore the next time we visit. With a cafe and eating area, KCM is a great place to make a morning outing that ends in lunch or an afternoon outing that starts with lunch.
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
We recently spent a morning at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park, and my kids had a blast. They have rotating exhibits year-round, and right now they have a cool TreeHouses exhibit, that my kids really enjoyed.
Our favorite part had to be the famous butterfly room, a 75-degree, natural-light room with hundreds of butterflies flying around. It’s the perfect way to feel like you’re in a warmer climate for Spring Break, too!
Museum of Science and Industry
We’re actually members at MSI Chicago, and we LOVE it. It’s kind of far into downtown, so it definitely makes for a solid, half-day outing. Since we’re members we don’t feel guilty if we don’t see everything each time we go, but if you just go one time, you can definitely make it into a full-day event. There are so many things to see, and you can find something new every time.
Our must-see exhibit picks:
- miniature train city
- Idea Factory — amazing for kids 6 months-7 years
- whisper hall
We discover new things every time we go, but these are always on our to-see lists. ** Pro-tip: Go to the Idea Factory first and reserve a time slot. Once you’re in the exhibit, you can stay for as long as you like, but they only allow a certain number of people to enter at specific times. You can go see other exhibits while you wait for your time. The train and farm exhibits are close by and are good to do while you wait.
Goldfish Swim School
If you aren’t headed to the beach this Spring Break, your kids can still go swimming! We’ve been happily swimming at Goldfish Swim School – Evanston since Miri was 6 months old. You can always sign up for lessons, but they offer special Jump Start Clinics at specific times throughout the year, and Spring Break is one of them. Basically, it’s an intensive, week-long swim clinic, and you get a month’s worth of swim lessons over the course of one week. Hence the name “Jump Start”.
I think this could be a great idea for families who want their kids to learn to swim before summer, and it’s a solid activity to do every day of spring break. Definitely worth checking out!
Drinks at the Signature Room
You totally thought I was going to forget about GNO/PNO, didn’t you?! Think again! Sure, there are plenty of cute and trendy places to get drinks throughout Chicagoland, but if you really want the Chicago experience, you’ve gotta try the Signature Room on the 96th Floor of the John Hancock Building.
With amazing views of the city AND the fact that it’s right in the middle of all the downtown action, it’s the perfect way to play tourist in your own city. And if you’re visiting Chicago, it’s a must-do tourist attraction.
After I moved to Chicago shortly before we got married (4 years on Friday, 3/8!) my husband took me to the Signature Room for drinks. We had such a nice time, and I think we’ll be heading down there again to celebrate our anniversary this week!
Other activities/places to try:
Funtopia — better for older kids
Play place at Northbrook Court — seriously amazing! And free!
IKEA — seriously, it’s so entertaining
Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier
I hope you found some ideas to help you and your family rage locally this Spring Break. We love our city, and it’s so fun to share it with others. If you have ideas of fun activities and places to visit around Chicagoland, I’d love to hear them. Maybe I will do a Pt. 2 with reader suggestions! Please comment below!
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When are we going to for drinks at the sig room???
Girl, you name the time!!
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