Summer is a great time in Chicago, and there are a lot of great activities you can do…and many are free. Most people are on a budget, so I’ll go through some free or relatively affordable things you can do to entertain yourself. Facebook is a great way of finding events that are going on in the city. You also get notifications of events that your friends are interested in. People ask how I find the activities I do, and that’s my secret.
You can get the list of all the movies in the park, and pick and choose which ones you want to go to. I prefer Millennium Park since you are in the heart of downtown with amazing views of the city. There is also a list of free concerts that are held there. I recommend going when Lyric and Broadway in Chicago host because you can get a taste of the music, since going to the theater can be pricey (but worth it). The Symphony concerts are also a treat. I try to go to at least a few concerts and movies there every summer. I was lucky enough to get seats at Purple Rain, since it was so packed security stopped letting people in. There is nothing like singing Purple Rain with thousands of Prince fans…
This year I went to see the theater in the park. The Chicago Shakespeare Theater toured the parks and put on performances. I got to see As You Like It in Ping Tom Park in Chinatown. Bring a blanket or chair, and you can have a picnic while enjoying Shakespeare on a beautiful summer day. The company even gave out Shakespeare shaped fans to help with the sun/heat. I also went to Evanston to see a Shakespeare inspired play performed by a small theater group there. I enjoyed the shows, and think they are a great way to spend the afternoon. Ping Tom Park is a good place to take a stroll, and I went walking around Chinatown to explore and get some iced tea after the play. Chicago has so many great neighborhoods that you can easily explore.
The Forrest Preserve hosts many events that are outside the city and require driving. I did go for an event at Trailside Museum in River Forrest where artists painted at the pond there; then put up their paintings from the event for sale. The Little Red School hosts events where you can look for bats, while learning all about them. If you are a fan of astronomy, there are some stargazing events as well. All the Cook County Forest Preserves have a whole calendar of events that are free. I did not regret checking those out…
I enjoyed the telescope viewing at Northerly Island the most. They were able to use high powered telescopes from the Adler Planetarium. The astronomers had them lined up, and you could see the surface of the moon, Mars, and Saturn…I geeked out when I saw the rings around Saturn. The park district had marshmallows that you could toast as well. That night was a good one for seeing bats flying around. I got to see one up close as well at the park district. Yes, I am probably nerdy for spending a Saturday night looking through telescopes, watching bats, and toasting marshmallows, but it was a blast!
Millennium Park hosts yoga and different workouts, like pilates and zumba, on Saturday mornings for those that are early risers, and love their exercise. I prefer yoga, and there are different parks across the city that host it outdoors as well. I enjoyed the free session before Fire Jam at Foster Beach which is once a month until October. Fire Jam is allot of fun as well. My friends and I bring food to share and enjoyed the show…some of the artists can do amazing things with fire. You’ll feel great after doing yoga for an hour, then you can eat and chill with your friends at the beach…a recipe for a great evening.
P.S. I am on Instagram as @wayfaringgal…follow me for more ideas and adventures!!!