Top 5 Places to go in Chicago with Kids

Chicago has a main street that includes all the shopping, museums, food, and nature, including my top 5 places to go in Chicago with kids. Seriously, this city is so easy to navigate, if you stay on Michigan Avenue. And if there are any tired feet, there are taxis everywhere. Chicago is an absolutely amazing city with kids. With the fabulous Millenium Park and Lake Michigan right off the main shopping and cultural street of Michigan Avenue, the city is easy to navigate with everything all in one pedestrian friendly street.I went to Northwestern University, just a few miles north of the city, and my parents both lived in the city before moving east (South Carolina), then settling west (Seattle). Our girls have visited Chicago once a year since they were just a few months old for an annual family reunion of sorts. It’s a familiar city that we enjoy coming back to year after year.

My favorite part is how easily accessible the museums and shopping are, all on one street, Michigan Avenue. The girls have become familiar with the city and have their favorite places. We are creatures of habit and love to visit the same places every time we visit. Here is our top 5 list of places we can’t wait to see each year. And this year we have an unbelievable new favorite must see where we spent many days of our October holiday.

1. Maggie Daley Playground

This is the most amazing playground we have ever seen. It reminds me most of the Princess of Wales playground in London, but it’s brand new, with views of the entire Chicago skyline. Located inside the enormous Millenium Park. The playground is really well laid out, with age categories listed before each section of the playground such as ages 2-5 or ages 5-12. There is a water area, so bring a swimsuit or a change of clothes for the kids. We spent a few days here during our week in Chicago in October.

We loved having breakfast at Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe right across the street from the playground entrance. Perfectly large space and kid friendly menu and crayons. From the playground it’s easy to reach Lake Michigan, Buckingham Fountain, The Art Institute of Chicago (amazing), and The Bean (Cloud Gate by Frank Gehry). And the life saver, there is a Panera and Starbucks right across the street from The Bean for when the kids have played too long and are starving for lunch.

2. Parks and Lakefront

There is so much to see and do in Millenium Park and Grant Park. Between Michigan Avenue and Lake Michigan is a long strip of gorgeous park from the south Michigan Avenue museums and Soldier Field all the way up to where all the good shopping is up further north. From Buckingham Fountain to Crown Fountain to “The Bean” it’s nothing but gorgeous pedestrian walkways and gorgeous landscapes and skylines.

I remember when I started university in Chicago and saw Lake Michigan for the first time. It is so big and so beautiful I called my parents. It really looks like the ocean. And in the summer the water is absolutely gorgeously blue. The beaches all along Chicago up the north shore are well worth a stop with kids. So bring the swimsuits!

3. Museums and Shedd Aquarium

We always go to Shedd Aquarium when we visit Chicago. Supposedly my parents got engaged in the parking lot between Shedd and Adler Planetarium. Buy your tickets online as the line can be brutal. There is an amazing view of Lake Michigan from the water shows. The shows make me sob like a baby each and every year. They rescue animals and put the montage to music and then the recovered animal comes out on stage. Ugh. The sweet sea lion. It’s such a great aquarium.

Oh the museums. We go to the Art Institute each year. They have an incredible permanent collection. From Georgia O’Keeffe to Monet, Picasso, to American Gothic, A Sunday Afternoon, and my favorite Paris Street; Rainy Day. We all go for lunch in the café, browse through the book shop, then head through the museum and find those paintings we saw in the book shop.

Other fantastic museums are the Field Museum of Natural History and Museum of Science and Industry. My 7 year old daughter went to the Science and Industry on this trip and loved it. Her favorite was the submarine from the war as she tells me. She went with her cousin and came back chatting away about the whole experince.

4. Shopping

Oh the shopping on Michigan Avenue, also known as the Magnificent Mile. We each have our favorite stores to visit when we arrive. My girls go straight for the American Girl and Lego stores inside Water Tower Place. I tend to find Anthropologie, Garrett’s, and Walgreens (I live far from these cool drug stores and stock up on everything when I’m there). Michigan Avenue has many places to stop and eat if the kids are hungry. Some of our favorite places are Eataly, Uno’s, and Garrett’s (this is popcorn, but Oprah’s popcorn, so go and get “the mix.”).

When we are at “The Bean” or Maggie Daley Playground it’s easy to cross Michigan Avenue to Panera and Starbucks for lunch. My Mom’s favorite place to eat is take away from Wow Bao on the bottom floor of Water Tower Place near American Girl at the entrance. We take the food upstairs by the food court to sit. My favorite place for a nice dinner is anywhere on Rush Street, just off Michigan Avenue. I spent my 21st birthday at Carmine’s on Rush. Such yummy places and perfectly child friendly.

5. Lincoln Park Zoo

My Mom took us to the zoo last year. She told us some sweet stories of how her Dad used to take her to this park a lot when they were young. It’s a gorgeous outdoor zoo that feels like I’m just wandering through a park instead of a zoo. And this zoo is free. What!? I know how much our annual zoo membership is so free is amazing!
Where we eat:

Breakfast

Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe– The girls and I had a wonderfully kid friendly breakfast here before walking across the street to Maggie Daley Playground. Perfectly located on the corner of Randolph and Michigan Avenue and straight across from the most amazing playground. definitely the easiest place to have breakfast before hours and hours at the playground.

Yolk– We had a great breakfast here before the football game in October. It is right across from Soldier field. It’s a huge place with yummy food for everyone. I got the kale scramble, my youngest got the s’mores pancakes, my older daughter got a scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, and my husband ordered the Benedict. Yum.

Lunch

Eataly– We met a girlfriend here for lunch. There are many places to sit down and eat in here. Or grocery shop. We ate downstairs for coffee, gelato and a Nutella crêpe, then headed upstairs for pizza and caprese salad.

Panera– Obviously a chain, but well located, directly across the street from “The Bean” in Millenium Park. There is a Starbucks right next door as well as a Pete’s Coffee. Such a lifesaver when spending all day in the park. They have great kid friendly lunch options. We were so tired one night with our jet lag that we ordered everything to go and took a cab back to our South Loop hotel and ate there.

Uno’s– Historically the best pizza in Chicago. Located right across the street from Eataly and just off Michigan Avenue. We went when I was really little and wrote our names on the wall somewhere in there. It was the thing to do.

Snack

Garrett’s– Popcorn take away that was on Oprah. Ask for the mix. It’s cheddar and caramel popcorn. Buy more than one bag, at least. I sometimes send these as Christmas presents to friends and family in their cute tins. There are locations all around Chicago.

Wow Bao– Water Tower Place- Super quick food and my Mom’s favorite.

Dinner

Carmine’s on Rush– I love Rush Street. This restraint is fantastic as are many on Rush.

Uno’s– Historically the best pizza in Chicago. Located right across the street from Eataly and just off Michigan Avenue. We went when I was really little and wrote our names on the wall somewhere in there. It was the thing to do.

Oh, Chicago. I went to college here, got my first job, went to a few weddings, and introduced my husband to my family in this town. Goodness, so many memories.

Do you have a favorite place to go that I missed? I would love to see your favorites in the comments.