Green City Market, Lincoln Park The largest farmers market in Chicago, Green City Market is held Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7am 1pm during the outdoor season and 8am-1pm on Saturdays during the winter. Vendors include Ellis Farms, Nordic Creamery and Mint Creek Farm. Plus, there are chef demos, workshops and more. The market opens in Lincoln Park for the outdoor season on May 2, 2015. Bike the Drive, Sunday May 24 2015 Have you ever dreamed of cruising down Lake Shore Drive on your bicycle? Bike the Drive makes that dream a reality for one day this year, closing down the popular lakefront thoroughfare to cars early on a Sunday morning. Participants can bike from Bryn Mawr Ave to the Museum of Science industry (and back) during the five hours of car-free riding. Wrigley Field, Wrigleyville, Sunday May 17 2015 - Sunday September 27 2015 The first 1,000 ticketed kids under 15 will be able to run the bases at any Sunday home game at Wrigley Field. Six Flags Great American, Gurnee, IL May 2 marks the return of theme park season at Six Flags Great America and a celebration of 40 years of thrills. To commemorate it's birthday, the park will feature the restoration of three original kiddie rides: Tots Livery Surrey Carriage, Red Baron Airplanes and Lady Bugs. The Carousel Plaza and Hometown Square also get upgrades to bring back a nostalgic feel to the park. North Park Village Nature Center A 46-acre nature preserve and an education center, this Chicago Park District facility has plenty for kids and adults with hands-on discovery tables and interactive displays. They also offer workshops and camps throughout the year. Treehouses at The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL In 1922, salt company magnate Joy Morton established this tree haven on 175 acres. Today it spans 1,700 acres of woodlands, gardens, wetlands and other natural areas. The backyard gardener or landscape professional can sign up for classes or learn about nature in a 27,000-volume library featuring 5,000 rare books, 62 rare magazine titles and 1,500 pre-20th-century nursery catalogs. Do Division Street Fest, Division St between Damen Ave and Leavitt St, Ukrainian Village, Friday May 29 2015 - Sunday May 31 2015 In its ninth year, Do Division, the street shindig booked by Empty Bottle and House Call Entertainment, holds down the last weekend in May, really kicking off the summer festival season. Shopping is merely one diversion. The vendors' wares along Division Street are rivaled only by the excess of street-side eye candy other pretty, young things who bring their sartorial A-game. This year, the music lineup includes UK psych-rockers Temples, noisy weirdo Tobacco and soulful, dapper rocker Nick Waterhouse. Also on tap: The Dodos, Peanut Butter Wolf, Crocodiles and more.
Rent Bikes at Navy Pier Cycle north or south the views are gorgeous either way. You can rent bikes from Bike and Roll at Navy Pier starting on Memorial Day. Chicago Fire Fighters Run for the Kids 5K It s a healthful, charitable way to feed your kid s fire fighter obsession. Your little fire fighter fan will love this one. Race proceeds benefit Ignite the Spirit Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families of the Chicago Fire Department who are facing hardships. Runners and walkers of all ages can support our local heroes and take in views of Lake Michigan and the skyline before crossing the finish line near Soldier Field. If you want to participate without kids, there is a supervised children s activity area. After the run, little ones get a chance to run in the Junior Jog, which has distances tailored to the ages of the participants. Sunday, July 19, 6:30 p.m. Soldier Field 1410 Museum Campus Dr. Museum Campus $10 for kids 12 and younger in the Junior Jog or 5K; $35-$40 for adults Online: ignitethespirit.org Life Time Kids Tri Chicago Kids ready to tackle the big three can do it at this supportive, safe event. The kickoff event of the Transamerica Chicago Triathlon weekend is open to kids 7-11 years old. They can swim, bike and run like the grownups, but for shorter distances. The swim takes place in Lake Michigan at Chicago s Montrose Avenue Beach and includes a shallow-water start, parallel to the beach. The bike and run take place on closed park roadways and running paths along the lakefront. Saturday, August 29, 8:45 am Foster Avenue Beach Foster Avenue and Lake Shore Dr. North Side $50-$55 per child. Participants must purchase USA Triathlon coverage for $10 in order to compete. Online: chicagotriathlon.com
Chicago Park District Parks, The Best Playgrounds in Chicago Swings, slides, climbing structures, mazes: The best outdoor playgrounds in Chicago let kids explore and use up that seemingly never-ending energy. (Chicago's unpredictable climate has also given rise to topnotch indoor playgrounds, thank god.) Our little ones tested out these top spots, from old-school (completely made of wood) to modern masterpieces to ones that have attached splash pads for when the mercury rises. With so many free, warm-weather options, who needs summer camp? 1. 31 st Beach, Bronzeville This South Side beach features amazing views of the Chicago skyline in addition to a harbor for small boats. A nearby park includes a picnic area and a public fishing dock. Amenities: concessions, restrooms, lockers, life guard first aid station, playground. The Seuss-like playground is wavy and curvy with lots of things to climb on: monkey bars, slides, net-like things. Kids love the rail slide, in which you slide down on/between two rails. 2. Adams Playground, Lincoln Park When the weather warms up, kids head to this park's water playground. The fieldhouse holds summer classes for both kids and adults. There is a well-shaded playground that kids can explore on their own as well as a sandbox and picnic area. 3. Montgomery Ward Park, River North The playground at this park, also known as Erie Park, is only four years old, and you can tell. Everything is in great shape, including the plentiful swings, hugely popular Green Mountain for climbing, plastic climbing structures, twirly slides and patio tables. The whole park is beautiful and scenic. Makes us happy to be city parents. 4. Indian Boundry Park, Rogers Park This beautiful park offers a spray park, playground and tennis courts. The playground has an "old school" vibe: The structure is completely made of wood and the grounds are filled with wood chips. There are swings, tunnels, bridges, slides and more. No plastic here. The park was recently updated with an outdoor nature play center. 5. Kilbourn Park, Northwest Side An organic greenhouse, popular afterschool children's program and fitness center are only a few of the Roscoe Village park's many facilities. Children can check out the first ever public fruit tree orchard and try their hand at organic gardening. There is also a Nike turf field for playing soccer.
6. Lucy Flower Playlot, Logan Square This West Bucktown/Logan Square park received a much needed update in summer 2014 and is now considered a hidden gem in the neighborhood. The park has a sandbox, play structure over a soft surface, picnic tables and a small water feature. Bonus: The surrounding trees add nice shade to the small park area. There is also a community garden. 7. Maggie Daley Park, Loop Visitors can take a spin on the park's quarter-mile skating ribbon, which wraps around a 40-foot climbing wall on the northern end of the 20-acre plot. The Play Garden, featuring enourmous slides and whimsical climbing structures, is also open. The play structure is like none other with a giant pirate ship play structure, kaleidescope, and mirrored maze. In the summer a climbing wall will open up and the skating ribbon will covert into a path for walkers, joggers and rollerskaters. 8. Mary Bartelme Park, West Loop The children s play area at this West Loop park is ADA accessible, which allows for inventive, non-linear play without traditional play equipment, though it does have swings, structures, slides and a lot of cool things to run around on. In the rest of the park, dogs can enjoy a uniquely sunken dog park that is complete with a continuously filling, over-sized dog bowl, ramps, ledges, steps, and artificial canine grass to provide an exercise area. The viewing hill is up to six feet high and provides a stunning view of the entire park with a backdrop of the Chicago skyline. 9. Mt. Greenwood Park, Southwest Side This park offers baseball fields, a gymnasium, playground, swimming pool and tennis courts. The colorful playground is spacious and modern, with swings, slides, climbing structures and more. 10. Noah s Playground for Everyone, Evanston While this lakeside Evanston playground was designed with the input of therapists to allow children with physical limitations and sensory issues to have a playground they could enjoy, it was also meant for typical kids. The goal is for everyone to play there, says Julie Cutter, who (along with her husband, David) helped raise the money to build it in their son s memory. Highlights include a wheelchairaccessible climbing structure, seated swings and a Braille map. The parking lot, water fountains, picnic tables and restrooms are equally accessible, making this a playground that truly lives up to its name. 11. Oz Park, Lincoln Park
Located right behind Lincoln Park High School, Oz Park is just what you think: a park dedicated to The Wizard of Oz. Sculptures of the popular characters are scattered around the huge park. The small-ish playground has a fun wooden castle/maze structure filled with windows to look through, things to climb, bridges to run across, etc. There is also a plastic tire swing that bigger kids seem to like. The playground even has equipment for the littlest ones who can barely walk with a separate slide, rocking animals and a wooden train to climb on 12. Park574, Garfield Park This colorful playlot boasts fun for all ages. Big kids will love the zipline, 22-foot slide and pummel horses, while little ones will appreciate the rubbery surface, raised play structures and various things to climb on. Adults aren't left out, either: There's a walking path complete with fitness circuit equipment. When warm weather hits, there is also a natural stone water-spray area. 13. South Lakeview Park, West Lakeview Commonly known as the "Blue Park" because of its large, blue, kid-friendly surface, this park is beloved by most Lakeview parents. The playground has three large play structures, plus swings, benches, picnics table and more. There is also a basketball court and a gazebo. The large lot is fenced in, so kids can run around safely.