Great Indoor Winter Family Activities in Chicago

Even though it might be cold and windy out in Chicago during the winter you do not have to be out in it all the time. Chicago offers plenty of fun activities for families to enjoy indoors all winter long. Many of Chicago's best museums and venues are focused on children or have whole exhibits dedicated to them.

Anyone can spend an entire day at the Shedd Aquarium without seeing everything or becoming bored. The huge number of exhibits, fish and activities will keep children of all ages occupied and interested. Among the highlights is a new permanent exhibit where the family can literally step into the underwater world of a coral reef. Wild Reef is a floor to ceiling exhibit of a recreated Philippine coral reef with 25 sharks, over 500 fish species and live coral reef that exists and interacts all around you. Currently there are two related exhibits of interest one that is permanent and the other will be visiting till the end of February. Lizards and the Komodo King is a visiting exhibit that kids will love featuring 25 different types of lizards in all different sizes to learn about. The Grand Cayman Iguana Exhibit is also a crowd pleaser featuring the endangered Grand Cayman Iguana that is part of a global breeding effort to save the species, Old favorites not to be missed include the seahorse exhibits and the daily feedings in the main atrium. Check the posted times that divers will be in the tank to feed the fish and answer questions.

The Field Museum is a playground for children of all ages with its wide variety of exhibits that engage the youngest mind but also intrigue mature audiences. The Field Museum has really strived to make all its exhibits family friendly and hands on so that a true appreciation for the material in the exhibits can be experienced. Permanent favorites for families include the Inside Egypt exhibit and Sue, the T-Rex in the main lobby. Currently there is a visiting exhibit of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs which is literally a treasure trove of material. Because of the vast amount of material and endless exhibits I recommend deciding on a couple of exhibits with subject material the kids are interested in and spending time in each of those where they can play around with the displays and activities.

The Museum of Science and Industry offers plenty to do inside during the cold winter months. Everything from Outer Space exploration to coal mining to robotics is housed in one exhibit or another at the Museum. Every display is interactive with real machines so that kids can role play or has simple experiments to help them understand scientific ideas and concepts. Be sure to leave time for an elevator ride down the mine shaft where you will take a ride in a real coal mining train to learn about how the coal in Illinois is mined and brought back to the surface. The U-505 Submarine is also a favorite, it recently underwent some renovations to make it more accessible to everyone. A new exhibit that most kids will love to see is Frogs! A Chorus of Colors, which brings 150 frogs from all over the globe right to Chicago and your family.

For families with daughters who are fans of American Girl the American Girl Place is a great store to spend the better part of the day in. The American Girl Place features a full service cafe where you can have afternoon tea, brunch, or lunch in the cafe that overlooks the old Water Tower. Before or after your visit to the cafe you can catch a show in the theater, followed by a photo shoot in the Studio. The best part of all is three floors of shopping all of American Girls Catalog. Be sure your daughter brings her own American Girl doll along for the visit because she will be able to dine with you in the cafe, sit through the musical and even be pampered in the doll salon.

These are only a few ideas for indoor family activities, be sure to keep an eye out for more Chicago events because the list is always growing.