Chicago gets a bad winter rap. No matter the temperature, the city is alive with things to do that are positively hot, including joyful Christmas celebrations and attractions. Even Christmas Day itself is rife with healthy and creative options sure to be the highlight of your Christmas season.
The Chicago Botanic Gardens
The Chicago Botanic Gardens just may be the most well-reviewed Chicagoland attraction. Locals and visitors rave about this 385-acre, 24-garden wonderland. But don't think a Midwest "garden" is just for summertime. This nonprofit masterpiece is open year-round, including Christmas Day. The gardens are always free to explore, and the hefty parking fee--$20 in 2010--is often waived on Christmas Day as a special gift to visitors. Bring the whole family for a winter wonderland walk.
Bagels and Bikes
The Bagel Restaurant and Deli, with locations in Chicago and Skokie, Illinois, operates one of a unique event. Each Dec. 25, Chicagoans meet at the Waveland Clock Tower on Recreation Drive to bike 12 miles to warm, waiting bagels at the Bagel Restaurant & Deli on Broadway. This family-owned establishment has been serving up homemade bagels and deli sandwiches since 1950. Pick up the pace during your journey and enjoy a little extra, guilt-free. Check with the restaurant to verify annual details.
Get Wild
Dressed up in its holiday finest for the annual Holiday Magic festival, the Brookfield Zoo beckons you to expand your family to include lions and tigers and bears this Christmas. The zoo is open every day of the year, rain, shine or snow, and Christmas Day is no exception. You could easily spend hours marveling at the zoo's latest and largest exhibit ever, the Great Bear Wilderness. In 2010, daily entrance fees were $13.50 for adults and $9.50 for children and seniors.
Millennium Christmas
One young Chicago park has more than its fair share of wonder. The fanciful Cloud Gate sculpture by Anish Kapoor, more commonly referred to as the silver "bean." The Frank Gehry designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion in all its steel-ribbon splendor. Jaume Piensa's interactive fountain, aptly called called the Crown Fountain, as it towers over the parkway--part art, part fountain, part introduction to Chicago's many faces, which appear in succession, randomly, on the digitized fountain wall. Chicago's Millennium Park is a combination of art and architecture set on 24.5 acres in the middle of downtown Chicago. Tour the sights and then don your skates for a Christmas twirl around the Millennium Park Ice Rink. Skate rental fee was $10 in 2009. The park is free and open daily.
Leave the Cooking to Santa
Who says you're too old to believe in Santa Claus? Let your dinner magically appear on Christmas Day simply by heading over to Chicago's mahogany-laden 33 Club restaurant, which describes itself as a place where "modern day energy collides with the elegance of yesteryear." Gifts from this "Santa" aren't free by any means--entrees run from about $16 to $34 as of 2010--but can you really put a price on a stress-free Christmas? A special holiday menu and variety of themed cocktails add nice touches. Calorie conscious? Stick with a prosecco or champagne and halve your entree. Nah, never mind. It's Christmas. Enjoy. New Year's resolutions are just around the corner.
Member Comments