Keep the Kids Entertained During the Dog Days of Summer
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Keep the Kids Entertained During the Dog Days of Summer

Keeping kids healthy, happy, engaged and entertained during those hot, humid dog days of summer is a breeze with so much summer fun under the sun. Send them splashing in scads of pools and beaches, taking a swing at mini-golf and bouncing through recreation hubs like an entirely inflatable park. Of course, all that activity deserves some ice cream! Discover these sensational spots and more when you enjoy the rest of Summer on Chicago’s North Shore.

 

Northbrook Sports Center, Northbrook
Northbrook Sports Center, Northbrook

Get Wet and Wild
Suit everybody up for a day in the water! Young and young-at-heart swimmers slosh from toddler-friendly wading pools, mondo drop slides, lap lanes and so much more. Leap off diving boards or sprawl in deck chairs at Centennial Family Aquatic Center (Wilmette) with its popular tube slide, the “sprayground” at Devonshire Aquatic Center (Skokie) and Splash Landings Indoor Aquatic Center’s (Glenview) Splash Blasters. Add water basketball at Wheeling Family Aquatic Center (Wheeling) or the climbing wall at Northbrook Sports Center Pool (Northbrook) to get extra sporty.
 

Skokie Water Playground, Skokie
Skokie Water Playground, Skokie

Dive In for More Summer Fun
A fountain of swimming amenities continues across the North Shore. Skokie Water Playground (Skokie) will drench you with 300 gallons of water from a big red bucket. Two giant flume water slides await at Flick Outdoor Aquatic Center’s (Glenview) five-pool center. Lap pools abound including at Meadowhill Aquatic Center (Northbrook) and Roosevelt Outdoor Aquatic Center (Glenview). Wheeling Indoor Pool (Wheeling) boasts a mini lazy river, as well as interactive water play structures like Lions Park Pool (Prospect Heights) where children under three are free with their adult.
 

Evanston Beaches
Evanston Beaches

Sandy Beaches are Beachy Keen
Squelch all those toes in the sand and frolic in sparkly Lake Michigan. Evanston beaches are the ultimate spot for the perfect summer day. Swimming, boating and tennis facilities dot prime biking and jogging paths and multiple picnic spots. Locations cover Evanston’s lakeshore from end to end starting with Lighthouse Beach up north, then Clark Street Beach and Dempster/Greenwood Street Beach near popular shopping districts, and Lee Street Beach and South Boulevard Beach closer to Chicago (daily passes can be purchased for each). Scout out all the options on Chicago’s North Shore when you Explore Our Beaches and Pools.
 

Skokie Sports Park, Skokie
Skokie Sports Park, Skokie

Top Sporty Spot for Golfers
Small or tall, taking a swing at the Skokie Sports Park (Skokie) is always a blast. This beautiful location is one of the top 100 rated golf ranges in the U.S., stacked with 40 stations on two levels with an automatic tee-up system. The driving range features a fiber-built hitting system, lights for evening practice and heated stalls if a chill nips the air. For more discerning golfers who prefer cool critters and monuments like the Eiffel Tower as obstacles, the miniature golf course delights. Hit with some different moves in their batting cages, too.
 

Novelty Golf & Games/Bunny Hutch, Lincolnwood
Novelty Golf & Games/Bunny Hutch, Lincolnwood

Hop Over to the Bunny Hutch
Colorful and quirky, Novelty Golf & Games/Bunny Hutch (Lincolnwood) is a treasure trove of family-friendly activities with an 18-hole miniature golf course, batting cages and phenomenal arcade games between 80s and 90s classics (Centipede, House of the Dead), 2000s pinball and modern racing games. The batting cages have bats and helmets (or bring your own) for Little League, Major League and Softball speeds. Strollers are welcome because it’s truly for all ages (two and up)! Grab a bite at the snack bar or enjoy their large picnic area.
 

Historic Wagner Farm, Glenview
Historic Wagner Farm, Glenview

Down on Wagner’s Farm
One of the last working dairy farms in Cook County, Historic Wagner Farm (Glenview) is open to all for to explore American agriculture and rural life of the early 20th century. The littles can see how bread was made in a wood stove, take a hayride, milk a cow and collect eggs. Step inside a two-story silo and a 1930s grocery story while discovering interactive exhibits in the Heritage Center. Activities include digging in a sandbox, swinging on a tire and learning through play in the Ag Adventure area. Kids can help tend animals or the kitchen garden.
 

Funtopia, Glenview
Funtopia, Glenview

Funtopia 
Funtopia Adventure Park
(Glenview) is everything its name says and so much more. The large, active entertainment facility combines sports and play with oodles of attractions, such as indoor climbing walls, a rope course, a caving system and more. Moving is all about finding the perfect activity for each kid: they can conquer the heights of the Fun Walls, balance through the Ropes Course elements, explore the Caving System, or play in the Jungle Gym. Great activities for rainy days or family fun, Funtopia hosts birthday party packages, too.
 

C&W Market and Ice Cream Parlor, Evanston
C&W Market and Ice Cream Parlor, Evanston

Ice Cream Daydreams
After (during?) all that fun in the sun, top it off with the best of all summer treats: Ice Cream. That candy-colored entrance at Nut & Candy (Skokie) obviously leads to an amazingly delicious variety of treats; but go for gelato flavors like Cotton Candy and Birthday Cake. Wowing patrons for 80+ years, Homer’s Ice Cream (Wilmette) shines with 60+ flavors of homemade ice creams, yogurts, sherberts and sorbets. C&W Market and Ice Cream Parlor (Evanston) celebrates old-fashioned charm with hand-dipped homemade ice cream cones or dolled up in a Weaver Banana Split or Cora Fudge and Caramel Sundae. At friendly and delicious Fatpour Tap Works (Lincolnwood), top off your meal of tempting American fare with the gelato in creamy vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or pistachio.

 

This entry was posted in Attractions, Outdoors, Sports, and tagged Beaches, Chicago Lakefront, Chicago North Shore, Chicago's North Shore, Downtown Evanston, Evanston Beaches, Evanston, Glenview, Illinois, Kid-friendly, Lake Michigan, Lakefront, North Shore Chicago, North Shore, Northbrook, Skokie, Summer On Chicago's North Shore, Summer, Things To Do On The North Shore, Things To Do, Westfield Old Orchard, Wheeling, Wilmette, .

Finest French Fries Across the North Shore > < Your Summer of Sound Continues

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