Chicagoland Indoor Fun

I decided to post this list after several people have inquired. This is a list I compliled after a bit of research and using the holiday 2007 edition of Chicago Parent's Going Places magazine. It is such a great resource for finding cool things to do to stay warm. Some of these I have been to but others I haven't tried, yet. I am working my way through the list with some friends as we try to keep our toddlers busy and kep from going stir carzy ourselves. If you have been to any of these places and have anything to add, I welcome your comments.


MUSEUMS AND CHILDREN'S MUSEUMS:
Chicago Children's Museum: downtown Chicago; free the first Monday of every month (otherwise $8/person)
Kohl's Children's Museum: Glenview; cool Clifford exhibit until May, tons of cool play areas, very toddler friendly (vet clinic, dolly day care, a mini-Dominick's grocery store, a mini Pottbelly's sandwich shop. etc...) It is more play-oriented than the Dupage museum and feels a little more spread out. See my previous post about our recent trip for some cute pics. We really loved this one!!
Dupage Children's Museum: Naperville; very learning oriented. Lots of fun blocks and building play areas. Other highlights include the bubbles, the water area and the HUGE tinkertoys! We visit fairly regularly...Lucas loves to build!
Art Works Children's Museum: Ingleside; kids get to create art with a variety of items and play with instruments and puppets.
Field Museum: downtown; free in February, has a cool Family Play lab for little ones. We can't wait to check out their current dino exhibit.
Shedd Aquarium: downtown; main exhibits free on Mondays and Tuesdays in Jan and Feb. Lucas LOVED the Wild Reef exhibit with sharks and stingrays. He also loved the Lizards (lizard and shark areas are an extra cost). The baby whale and other oceanarium exhibits are very cool too.
Dinosaur Discovery Museum: Kenosha, WI; kids dig for dino bones on Saturday afternoons, free admission; kinda far but sounds super cool. We are hopefully going to trek up there one of these weekends.

INDOOR PLAY AREAS:
Creative Kids Art Learning Studio: Roselle; the floor is a chalkboard and the kids can paint the walls and other fun art projects. Kinda expensive- $10 per kid for 2hours studio time.

Jumps"N Jiggles and Carousel: Elmhurst; indoor carousel, lego room, ball play area. Geared towards toddlersand preschoolers. Only $3per person.

Little Village Playplace: Arlington Heights; Construction workshop, child-size grocery store, fire dept, etc... For ages 1-7 $8/kid, adults free. See my friend Cath's great review (and cute pic) on Chicago Mom's Blog. It was a blast!

Pretend Playground: Mundelein; imaginative play areas $7/kid (adults free with paid kid). We haven't been to this one yet, but the website looks fun so we hope to try it out soon although it is a little far for us.

Room2Play: Chicago; indoor city backdrop with kid size pretend zoo, coffee shop, post office, etc...$12/kid


INDOOR WATERPARKS:
CoCo Key Water Resort: Arlington Heights; Indoor waterpark, Free for kids 2 and under, Monday-Thursday adults are $16 (normally $28)

Mayan Adventure Indoor WaterPark: Elmhurst; Lazy river, tube slides, etc... $15 Mon-Thursday

OakBrook Park Distric Family Aquatics Center: indoor pool and water slide, seperate toddler play area, $10 adults, kids 2 and under free

Pelican Harbor Aquatic Park: Bolingbrook; $8 adults, kids 2 and under free

Splash Landings: Glenview; $5.75 per person

The Waterworks: Schaumburg; $9 adults, $7kids


So again, this is just my list- places I have found that look fun and entertaining without too much drain on the pocketbook. Go to ChicagoParent.com for even more possibilities and a full list of all kid-friendly activities in the greater Chicagoland area. I hope this is helpful and inspiring to those of you who are looking for ways to stay busy until spring. I have a whole other list of outdoor fun that I can post later.... maybe when the temp. stays above 30 for at least three days in a row. :) For now, stay warm and have fun.