{"id":27173,"date":"2013-06-20T13:51:04","date_gmt":"2013-06-20T18:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=27173"},"modified":"2018-03-29T13:50:44","modified_gmt":"2018-03-29T18:50:44","slug":"what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do with kids in: Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ohio

Chicago has miles of pretty beaches. Photo: iStockphoto<\/p><\/div>\n

Our series of fam-friendly summer travel guides<\/em><\/p>\n

Locals like to say that if it were summer year-round in Chicago<\/a>, the whole world would live here.\u00a0 Take your brood and see for yourselves why the Windy City is the place to be in summertime.<\/p>\n

See the sights via water taxi <\/b><\/p>\n

The best way to see the famed Chicago skyline during summertime isn’t via some pricey tour, it\u2019s by Chicago Water Taxi<\/a>, which travels among five points on the Chicago River transporting commuters and savvy tourists from spring through fall. Fares start at $3.<\/p>\n

Hit a street fest<\/b><\/p>\n

Summertime is street fest season in this town, and there are plenty of family-friendly options to choose from, including: Taste of Chicago (July 10-14), an eating fest that features food from many city restaurants, plus concerts and an amusement area; and Sheffield Garden Walk and Festival (July 20-21), which includes garden tours, live music and a kids\u2019 area with a petting zoo, rides and storytelling;<\/p>\n

For more festivals, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cool off with an Italian lemonade<\/b><\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s quintessential frozen treat requires a straw and<\/i> a spoon (think slushie ices)\u2014and comes in flavors ranging from classic lemon to cantaloupe. Queue up with the locals at Mario\u2019s Italian Lemonade<\/b> (1068 W Taylor St, no phone, no website), a tiny stand in Little Italy.<\/p>\n

Get creative at the Museum of Contemporary Art<\/b><\/p>\n

The MCA gives all ages a chance to take in some art<\/a>, thanks to weekly Summer Studios, where families can collaborate on free art projects together, and monthly Stroller Tours, where parents with tots get guided exhibit tours.<\/p>\n

Watch a movie under the stars (for free!)<\/b><\/p>\n

The Chicago Park District kicked off its 13th<\/sup> annual free Movies in the Park<\/a> series in June, with close to 200 releases\u2014from classics such as E.T., the Extra Terrestrial<\/i> to new faves like Life of Pi<\/i>\u2014screened on 150 parks throughout the city.<\/p>\n

Plan a beach day<\/b><\/p>\n

Chicago has 26 miles of public beaches\u2014many with the added bonus of city skyline views. Depending on which you visit, you can rent a kayak, jet ski, paddleboard or bicycle, play volleyball, frolic in a spray pool or just kick back with your toes in the sand. For a click list of beaches and amenities, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Catch a baseball game<\/b><\/p>\n

The North Side (Cubs<\/a>) versus South Side (White Sox<\/a>) rivalry is alive and well in Chicago. Pick a side and visit a ballpark. The Cubs\u2019 home, WrigleyField, offers a baseball lovers a chance to visit one of the game\u2019s most iconic parks; the newer U.S. Cellular Field, where the Sox play, has more bells and whistles, including post-game fireworks shows and a kids\u2019 FUNdamentals area with batting cages, a practice pitching area and other activities.<\/p>\n

See The Jungle Book<\/em> on stage<\/b><\/p>\n

The most talked about stage show in Chicago this summer is Tony-winning director Mary Zimmerman\u2019s reimagining of the classic animated film<\/a>. The show, backed by Disney, is expected to be a lavish musical with Bollywood influences, and is rumored to be a pre-Broadway run. It plays through August 11.<\/p>\n

Ready to start planning? Get great deals on your <\/i>Chicago vacation<\/a><\/i> with Orbitz.<\/i>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our ongoing series of fam-friendly travel guides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":27176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[304,287,2228],"class_list":["post-27173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-travel","tag-beach","tag-family","tag-hotels"],"acf":{"api_active":null,"api_title":null,"api_excerpt":null,"api_featured_image":null,"api_lob":null},"posts_api_cpm_point":[{"name":"","description":"","thumbnail":"","address":"Chicago, IL, USA","latitude":"41.8781136","longitude":"-87.62979819999998","icon":"\/images\/icons\/marker.png"}],"yoast_head":"\nWhat to do with kids in: Chicago | Orbitz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What to do with kids in: Chicago | Orbitz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our ongoing series of fam-friendly travel guides.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orbitz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Orbitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-06-20T18:51:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-03-29T18:50:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Judy Sutton Taylor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@orbitz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@orbitz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Judy Sutton Taylor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Judy Sutton Taylor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/99258f7a592f35d9a842aa198266a53a\"},\"headline\":\"What to do with kids in: Chicago\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-06-20T18:51:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-29T18:50:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/\"},\"wordCount\":549,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"beach\",\"family\",\"Hotels\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Family time\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/\",\"name\":\"What to do with kids in: Chicago | Orbitz\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-06-20T18:51:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-29T18:50:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/99258f7a592f35d9a842aa198266a53a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":375,\"caption\":\"Chicago has miles of pretty beaches. Photo: iStockphoto\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What to do with kids in: Chicago\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Orbitz\",\"description\":\"Travel Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/99258f7a592f35d9a842aa198266a53a\",\"name\":\"Judy Sutton Taylor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/orbitz-logo2-150x150.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/orbitz-logo2-150x150.png\",\"caption\":\"Judy Sutton Taylor\"},\"description\":\"Judy is a journalist, travel lover and mom in Chicago. Find her on Twitter at @jsuttontaylor.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/author\/jsuttontaylor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What to do with kids in: Chicago | Orbitz","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What to do with kids in: Chicago | Orbitz","og_description":"Our ongoing series of fam-friendly travel guides.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/","og_site_name":"Orbitz","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Orbitz\/","article_published_time":"2013-06-20T18:51:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-03-29T18:50:44+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg","width":500,"height":375,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Judy Sutton Taylor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@orbitz","twitter_site":"@orbitz","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Judy Sutton Taylor","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/"},"author":{"name":"Judy Sutton Taylor","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/99258f7a592f35d9a842aa198266a53a"},"headline":"What to do with kids in: Chicago","datePublished":"2013-06-20T18:51:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-03-29T18:50:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/"},"wordCount":549,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg","keywords":["beach","family","Hotels"],"articleSection":["Family time"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/","name":"What to do with kids in: Chicago | Orbitz","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg","datePublished":"2013-06-20T18:51:04+00:00","dateModified":"2018-03-29T18:50:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/99258f7a592f35d9a842aa198266a53a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg","width":500,"height":375,"caption":"Chicago has miles of pretty beaches. Photo: iStockphoto"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-to-do-with-kids-in-chicago\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What to do with kids in: Chicago"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/","name":"Orbitz","description":"Travel Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/99258f7a592f35d9a842aa198266a53a","name":"Judy Sutton Taylor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/orbitz-logo2-150x150.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/orbitz-logo2-150x150.png","caption":"Judy Sutton Taylor"},"description":"Judy is a journalist, travel lover and mom in Chicago. Find her on Twitter at @jsuttontaylor.","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/author\/jsuttontaylor\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chicagobeach500.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}