Chicago is easiest with little kids if you pick one area per day. Lincoln Park has the free zoo and the Nature Museum side by side, and Navy Pier has the Children’s Museum.
The places we go back to all year. Where to eat with a toddler, where to burn off energy when it rains, where to splash, what’s worth the admission, and where to spend a night without going far.
Places where a dropped fork is no big deal and nobody minds a little noise.
The zoo’s café, with Chicago-style hot dogs, fries and snacks. It’s open seasonally, so check the hours before you count on it.
Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef in a big, busy dining room.
Deep-dish pizza in River North.
The zoo’s year-round café, with burgers and ice cream and seats indoors and out.
For rainy mornings, cold afternoons and anyone who needs to run in circles for an hour. For toddler classes and every indoor playground we’ve checked, with prices and sock rules, see indoor play in Chicago.
A small nature museum next to Lincoln Park Zoo, with a butterfly haven.
Chicago Public Library’s central branch. The library runs free baby and toddler story times at branches across the city.
Pools, fountains, zoos and theme parks: the big all-day outings.
A free zoo in Lincoln Park, open every day of the year.
A big suburban zoo west of the city. Plan on most of a day.
A huge tree garden in the western suburbs with a Children’s Garden open 10am to 5pm. Ticket prices change by date and are $2 cheaper online.
Museums, animals and farm days that hold a little one’s attention.
Three floors of hands-on play for kids up to about 10, right on Navy Pier.
A children’s museum in the north suburbs built for kids up to about 8, with a new storybook exhibit this fall.
A hands-on museum in Naperville with building and water play.
The big natural history museum on Museum Campus, home of SUE the T. rex.
A night away without a long drive.
A 80,000-square-foot indoor water park kept at 84 degrees, included with your room.
A rustic lodge with cabins, built by Civilian Conservation Corps crews in the 1930s.
These don’t change week to week. Last checked . Hours and prices change, so check the place’s own site before you go. Know a spot we missed? Tell us at hello@littlesweekly.com.
Where a family can go in Chicago without paying for admission. For free days, free events and this week’s free outings, see every free thing to do in Chicago. For regular free days, Museums on Us and EBT discounts in 2027, see free museum days in Chicago.
Free or cheap for babies and toddlers, and easy with a stroller.
Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave.Chicago Children’s MuseumUnder 1 free.Kids $21 Illinois residents, $25 non-residentsUnder 1Indoor
Lincoln Park, 2400 N. Cannon Dr.Lincoln Park ZooFree, with easy stroller paths.Free
Lincoln Park, 2430 N. Cannon Dr.Peggy Notebaert Nature MuseumSmall enough for a toddler.Kids $8 Illinois residentsAdults $15 Illinois residentsIndoorBrookfield, 31st St. and Golfview Ave.Brookfield Zoo Chicago2 and under free.Kids $20.95Adults $29.952 and under
The LoopHarold Washington Library CenterBaby and toddler story times.FreeIndoorGlenview, 2100 Patriot Blvd.Kohl Children’s MuseumUnder 12 months free.Kids $20Under 12 monthsIndoorNaperville, 301 N. Washington St.DuPage Children’s MuseumUnder 1 free.$22 eachUnder 1IndoorRecurring and free. Times change by branch, so check the calendar. For every weekly storytime by day and branch, see library storytimes in Chicago.
Weekday morningsFree baby and toddler story times at branches from Rogers Park to the South Side.
Schedule ↗Baby storytimes, places where babies get in free, and where to change and feed. For rainy days, see indoor play places; for zero-cost ideas, see free things to do.
Tuesdays at 10:30am · Blackstone LibrarySongs, rhymes and books with your baby.
Storytime calendar ↗Wednesdays at 11am · Gage Park LibraryA bilingual English and Spanish story time for babies.
Storytime calendar ↗Wednesdays at 11:15am · Jefferson Park LibraryA story time for babies and toddlers with a grown-up.
Storytime calendar ↗
2 and under
Admission page ↗Under 1
Admission page ↗Under 12 months
Admission page ↗Under 1
Admission page ↗Santa visits and Christmas lights only run part of the year, so they have their own pages with this season’s dates and prices. For holiday and indoor rinks with season dates, prices and skate aids, see ice skating with kids in Chicago.
The guide is the evergreen list. Here’s what’s happening in Chicago right now.
Yes. It’s built for young kids, and babies under 1 get in free. It’s closed on Tuesdays.
Yes. It’s free and open every day. Gates open at 8am and the buildings at 10am.
Kohl Children’s Museum in Glenview lets babies under 12 months in free, and DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville lets babies under 1 in free.
Go indoors: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Harold Washington Library Center. They’re all under one roof, and most work for a short visit around nap time.
Chicago Public Library: Weekday mornings. Library storytimes don’t need a ticket, but times change by branch, so check the calendar first. See library storytimes, and this week’s dated sessions are on the Chicago weekly list.
Every one of the 15 places is somewhere we’d take a baby, toddler or preschooler, with a note on who it suits and when to skip it. Prices, hours and menus come from each place’s own site, and 5 of them have checked admission or menu prices. The guide was last checked Oct 26, 2026. How we choose and check.
2 and under; kids 3–11: $20.95; adults: $29.95. We checked this on its official site on Oct 26, 2026. Prices change, so confirm before you go.
Under 1; kids 1 and up: $21 Illinois residents, $25 non-residents. We checked this on its official site on Oct 26, 2026. Prices change, so confirm before you go.
One short email every Thursday evening with the five things we’d leave the house for in Chicago.
