Top Things to Do in Chicago with Kids: 2022 Weekend Trip

Chicago with Kids

We went to Chicago for a weekend last summer and we had so much fun! Here are our top things to do in Chicago for a weekend with kids like me.

Willis Tower is at the heart of downtown Chicago and has one of the best views of the city of Chicago. It has 110 stories and is one of the tallest buildings in North America.

After presenting our tickets, we entered the new interactive Chicago experience.  It is a fun way to learn about Chicago on the way up to the ledge. It has exhibits on Chicago’s history, architecture, food, and famous landmarks.

Be prepared to take a lot of photos and videos here because the exhibits are very cool.

After the Chicago experience, we went up on a fast but fun elevator ride.

On the 103rd floor, we finally saw the beautiful Chicago skyline. Be prepared to wait a bit here because the lines are long.

I got a bit scared when I first stepped on the Ledge because the floor was also glass. I just tried not to look down for the rest of the time.

The Skydeck photo team will take a photo first using their camera. They took a really good photo of us! After this, you can take as many photos and videos as you want within the time allowed.

Next, we have the Navy Pier!

The Navy Pier is one of Chicago’s top attractions, where you will find the Centennial Wheel, a carousel, and other fairground rides. It stretches into Lake Michigan and offers cruises and great waterfront views.

One of the best places for kids at the Navy Pier is the Chicago Children’s Museum. 

It offers an interactive and educational play space for kids aged 4 to 8 years old.

In front of the Children’s Museum, you can find the iconic statue ‘FLYBOY’ created by Hebru Brantley. It is 16 feet tall – that’s really tall!

The museum has a lot of exciting exhibits like the Cloud Buster, Play It Safe, Boats, Michael’s Museum, Kid’s Town, Tinkering Lab, Dinosaur Expedition, Art Studio, Storyhub, and Treehouse trails. They have a playspace for very small kids and babies too. I really enjoyed the art activity in the Art Studio.

We spent over 3 hours in here and it went by so fast!

Next, we have Millenium Park. It is one of the biggest free attractions

in Chicago city. We went here at night and it was cool to see the reflections of the city lights on Cloud Gate.

Cloud Gate, also known as the Bean, is a public sculpture made by talented British artist Anish Kapoor.

You can go to the Cloud Gate early in the morning if you don’t want many people in your photos. We went there at night and there were still crowds.

You can also see the Crown Fountain near Cloud Gate.

You can also visit other kid-friendly places like the Maggie Daley Park, Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and Lincoln Zoo.

If sightseeing is making you hungry, then it’s time to eat!

If you love pizza, you should definitely try Giordano’s pizza. Giordano’s is an American pizzeria chain that specializes in Chicago-style stuffed pizza.

We ordered their Chicago Deep Dish classic, which was huge and cheesy. A small-sized pizza was already big enough for 4 of us.

It takes 45 minutes to prepare their deep-dish pizza so make sure you are not yet very hungry when you arrive at the restaurant.

We ordered appetizers so we didn’t get very hungry while waiting.

If you are a hotdog and chocolate cake lover you should definitely try Portillo’s.

They have yummy Chicago-style hotdogs, Italian Beef Sandwiches, and Chicken tenders for kids!

I really loved their chocolate cake!

They also have a Chocolate cake shake, which contains one whole slice of their chocolate cake. That is super chocolatey!

Another great place for yummy Chicago-style hotdogs is Superdawg. What a name!

My dad really liked their hotdog sandwiches and my mom liked their super shrimp. My brother and I liked their chicken tenders too. They also have diced ice cream cones and super sundaes.

I have to say that hotdog looks really scary.