We received free tickets tot he Children’s Museum.
However, our thoughts and opinions are genuine
I think it’s a great idea to be a tourist in your own town. Living right outside of Chicago you might think that I would spend a lot of time in the city. In reality, my kids wouldn’t know the difference between the Millenial Park from The Navy Pier. However, recently had a play date in the city that was both budget friendly and fun for the kids and adults.
The easiest way to get from suburbs to the city is by a Metra, and it makes a great start for the day. Kids love the Metra experience and since kids ride free and I find this way to travel exceedingly relaxing and budget friendly.
While the Ferris wheel on the Navy Pier might be the landmark you see from far away, the first thing you see approaching he Navy Pier is the Chicago Children’s Museum. I have always wanted to take kids to the Children’s Museum of the Navy Pier, but somehow never actually got around to doing it until today.
Founded in 1982 Chicago Children’s Museum, the then-named Express-Ways Children’s Museum by a coalition led by the Junior League of Chicago in response to program cutbacks in the city’s public schools. It is hard to believe that at first, the museum opened in two hallways of the Chicago Public Library, now the Chicago Cultural Center, with Getting to Know Hue, the museum’s inaugural exhibit on color, light, music, and literature.
Being an incredible place for young imagination to run wild, Chicago Children’s Museum is a place where families are encouraged to create, explore, and discover together through play.
You are never too old to build a Fort, and the FORTS is the Fort Central with fun constructions in every corner, and it always has room for another one. Work here never stops as little adventurers stack loads of pillows and prop blanket to create their one-of-a-kind fort.
The Kovler Family CLIMBING SCHOONER is the climbing course that lets kids five and up to try their climbing skills. As an adult I was so jealous of this fun – kids here get to scale three stories of ship-shape rigging all the way from the cargo hold to the crow’s nest.
THE THIRD FLOOR is full of creative fun activities with something fun to do for everyone. Kids found splashing in the Waterways incredibly gratifying (and what kids doesn’t like playing with a giant water table?)
Digging for the dinosaur bones was my personal favorite since kids stayed in place for ten minutes in the Dinosaur Exhibition. 
The Treehouse trails kept us occupied with so many activities climbing, burrow, and pretend in this enchanted forest setting.
After all the activities everyone was starving. The budget friendly way is to pack your own lunch, we decided to explore Navy Pier’s dining options. Whenever the weather gets cold, you would appreciate the indoor connection from the Children’s Museum to the food court.
While Navy Pier offers many attractions, I suggest spending a few hours exploring the Navy Pier itself, checking out the views from the Pier and discovering things in the plain sight.
And don’t forget to take plenty of pictures!
An excellent way to get back to the Union Station is by water, and it sure was an excellent conclusion to the play date – both kids and adults loved the scenic water taxi route to the Metra station.
Plus, you get the best view of the city from the water
Are you ready for your Chicago play date? Click here to start planning your day of play!
What a cute play date! I love getting the kids outside and exploring for play dates- when they are budget friendly options that is always so much better! It can get expensive going to movies and things like that, so this sounds like a great option.
We try to keep our playdates simple by going to each others’ homes or to the park. This is not always possible in the winter, though. We try to go to children’s museums, but that can become pricey with multiple kids.
This looks like a great children’s museum. We enjoy visiting the one in Denver for playdates as well. It is great for all ages and the kids always have fun. If we ever visit Chicago I will be visiting here with the kids.
Your children are absolutely adorable! This was such a good read. I appreciate features like this as it gives me ideas as to what to do with my family. My six year old would love digging for dinosaur bones. I have to check out this museum!
What a fun day! My kids loved the Childrens Museum when they were younger. It was always so much fun taking a friend or two along.
It’s been some time since I last went to Chicago. I have two boys who will love this place and it’s awesome that you don’t have to spend too much for them to have fun! I’m sure they’ll have a great time playing and exploring everything that the place has to offer.
I haven’t been to Chicago, but if I were to visit there with my nephews, this would be the kind of adventure I’d like them to have. 😀 What an itinerary! It’s surely a fun play date. Thanks for sharing!