Things to Do in Chicago in the Summer

If you are driving through Illinois, you need to spend a day in Chicago. Nothing compares to the Windy city. Of course you could spend a week and not get everything done that you desire. Here are a few ideas of things to do if you are on a limited amount of time.

1. Food in Chicago

Chicago loves food and is known for pizza and hotdogs, so you should make sure you get one of those items when in town. The problem is, there are so many choices. Deep dish pizza is a must and the best places for you to go for that are Gino’s East or Lou Malnati’s Pizza. You won’t be disappointed with either of those places. Don’t worry about the calories, because you can walk them off doing other favorite Chicago activities.

2. Navy Pier and Millenium Park

There are two places where both tourists and hometown people enjoy hanging out in Chicago. They are Millennium Park and Navy Pier.

At Navy Pier you can ride a tall Ferris Wheel, take a boat tour on Lake Michigan, eat at a lot of fun restaurants or if it is a Wednesday or Saturday night you can catch fireworks.

At Millennium Park you can catch a live performance, walk around the paths and look at the sculptures or get your picture taken in front of the famous Chicago Bean.

3. Chicago Cubs and White Sox

Chicago has many great sports teams, but in the summer you will want to try to go and see the Cubs or White Sox play baseball.

If you go to the Cubs game you can spend a lot of time walking around Wrigleyville, near the stadium. There are a lot of great restaurants and on game day plenty of street entertainment.

The White Sox play in a neighborhood that doesn’t have a lot to offer, but if you are on that side of town you will want to spend some time shopping and walking around Chinatown.

4. Shopping in Chicago

Finally, a day in Chicago wouldn’t be complete without some shopping. There are many malls and stores along State Street and Michigan Avenue. There is every shop imaginable along these two streets.

This is just a brief summary of things that can be done in Chicago on a summer day. Parking is expensive so you will want to leave your car parked for the day and take public transportation between sites. There are plenty of cabs, buses and trains. There is even a free trolley that runs between a lot of the tourist hot spots.

So don’t just drive through Illinois, stop by the Windy City and enjoy what it has to offer. You won’t be disappointed.