The "Windy City" offers a plethora of activity options for toddlers both inside and outside. Whether you're looking for something for your young child that's educational, physically active or simply safe, you can find it in Chicago.
Museums
Does your child like dinosaurs, dolphins or deciduous trees? No matter which, you can find exhibits on each at Chicago's wide variety of family-friendly museums, many of which have designated areas for toddlers.
The Museum of Science and Industry offers The Idea Factory exhibit, which has a number of hands-on educational activities for children revolving around four basic shapes.
In addition to a number of young child-oriented exhibitions, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Center offers natural science classes for that age group, too.
In addition to more fish than you can probably see in a day, the Shedd Aquarium also has a Polar Play Zone for children and the impressive Fantasea aquatic show. Every Tuesday the museum has "Tots on Tuesdays," which features special activities for toddlers.
Zoos
The free Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the oldest in the United States and is located on the city's north side along the shore of Lake Michigan. In addition to a long list of species on display indoors and outdoors, the zoo has a special children's area with the Pritzker Family Children's Zoo.
Pritzker Family Children's Zoo includes an indoor simulation of the upper canopy of a rain forest and an outdoor "A Walk in the Woods" area featuring bears and wolves.
Navy Pier
The city's top tourist attraction, Navy Pier, offers the Amazing Chicago's Funhouse Maze in which toddlers try to walk their way through the 4,000-square-foot maze with their parents. The maze includes a mirror portion, a spinning tunnel and an area covering the Great Chicago Fire.
The Chicago Children's Museum is a part of Navy Pier and offers a number of interactive, educational exhibits specifically for the toddler age group such as the BIG Backyard's critters, the Dinosaur Expedition's excavation pit and the Inventing Lab's creations.
Especially educational areas are Kids on the Fly, which shows how airports work in a hands-on way, and Kids Town gives toddlers their own kid-sized version of Chicago to explore.
Navy Pier also offers pedal-powered carts that are perfect for giving mom and dad a workout while exploring the city with the children safely strapped in seats.
Playgrounds
A convenient, free option for entertaining toddlers is the playgrounds of Chicago's many parks, scattered throughout the city. In fact, 205 of the parks have playgrounds, so if there's a park near wherever you are staying, more likely than not it features a playground. These typically include slides, swings and jungle gyms.
Millenium Park
Millennium Park's art installations, all free to view, are very child-friendly. Some toddlers will find walking around the Cloud Gate and Jay Pritzker Pavilion with the free Greeter Tours available midday interesting. Lurie Garden also has guided tours in the evening.
Tots, along with most other young children, will enjoy splashing in the Crown Fountain on a warm day.
Although you'll likely have to hold hands throughout, you can take your tot ice skating at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink during the winter months.
