Urban excitement meets tranquil green space in the heart of Chicago, and the best parks in The Windy City are just minutes from our boutique hotels. Whether you’re seeking a quiet retreat, a family-friendly adventure, or the chance to be surrounded by nature, there’s a park in Chicago for you. Here are some of our favorite Chicago parks nearby our Club Quarters Hotels:
Grant Park is home to many of Chicago’s iconic attractions, including the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, and the Buckingham Fountain. Grant Park is one of the best parks in Chicago, often called Chicago’s “front yard” due to its lakefront location. This beautiful park features performance venues, art installations, gardens, and even a sports recreation area with baseball diamonds and tennis courts. Grant Park is also the location for the annual music festival, Lollapalooza.
Milton Lee Olive Park is located on Lake Michigan, giving visitors views of the lake and surrounding city. Olive Park remains quiet and tranquil despite its proximity to the popular Navy Pier and Ohio Street Beach, with fountains and interconnected walking paths to showcase the landscape. The park was named in honor of Chicago native and Medal of Honor Recipient Milton Lee Olive III.
Millennium Park encompasses 25 acres and is hailed as the #1 attraction in the Midwest – the famous Cloud Gate sculpture, widely known as The Bean, sits on Grainger Plaza in Millennium Park. This park is also home to Lurie Garden, Wrigley Square, the Boeing Galleries and exhibitions, and the Chase Promenades.
Located in what is locally known as the South Loop, Chicago Women’s Park and Gardens offers a quiet space for the community. In addition to an indoor playground, cafe, and meeting facilities, the park also features three new fitness studios and a kid’s science center that offers summer camps, classes, and field trips. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and provide a space for events throughout the year like movie nights and live music.
Maggie Daley Park is one of the best parks in Chicago – with a climbing wall, mini golf course, picnic groves, tennis courts, and more, this park is a great place to visit during your Chicago stay. You can even rent rollerblades and micro scooters, with protective equipment provided, to enjoy the Skating Ribbon in the park.
Visit Chicago’s expansive shoreline on the Chicago Lakefront Trail! This 18-mile stretch of paved path is flanked by beautiful green space to one side and Lake Michigan to the other. There are parks, beaches, gardens, recreation areas, boardwalks, and nature sanctuaries along its Lakefront Trail. Plus, there are plenty of places to stop along the way to relax and take in the sights.
Northerly Island Park is home to play areas, lakefront Natural Areas, a 5-acre pond, and paths that run from the western to southern ends of the peninsula. This park provides ecosystems for migratory and local birds as well as a variety of local plants. It also features an emerging savanna landscape with over 20,000 trees and shrubs.
One of the best Chicago parks to visit in the spring is the Osaka Garden, also known as the Garden of the Phoenix, to experience the beautiful blooming cherry blossom trees. This unique ornamental garden is located near the Museum of Science + Industry, inside Jackson Park. Stroll the paths, watch the wildlife, and enjoy the art installations in this beautiful park.
The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is a Chicago landmark designed to resemble a river flowing through a Midwestern prairie, complete with a gentle waterfall and native plants. Originally part of a Victorian garden, this pool is a quiet oasis in the midst of Chicago. The Lily Pool is open daily from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm or dusk, whichever is sooner.
The Chicago Riverwalk features recreational space, unbeatable dining, and adventure opportunities along the Chicago River. Visitors can walk or run along the trails that line the Riverwalk, hop on a riverboat cruise, indulge in local cuisine, and take in the sights and history that the Chicago Riverwalk has to offer. The Chicago Riverwalk is home to the largest permanent digital art projection in the world, Art on theMART, which can be seen for free from the jetty section of the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells and Franklin Streets.
Lincoln Park is one of the best Chicago parks – expansive in size and offerings, there’s no wonder this park is popular. Home to the Lincoln Park Zoo, Lincoln Park Conservatory, the Chicago History Museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, numerous playgrounds, sports fields, and even sculptures, Lincoln Park is a treasure trove of the best things to do in Chicago.
This beautiful bird watching area is a great place to visit in Chicago. Montrose Bird Sanctuary provides a temporary home for migratory birds in numbers that earned a section of the sanctuary the name “The Magic Hedge,” because of the oddly high concentration of birds attracted to one specific section of the sanctuary. The area is internationally recognized for birding and features a beautiful view of the skyline in addition to nature spotting.
From Millennium Park’s famed Bean sculpture to the quiet natural landscape of the Montrose Bird Sanctuary, Chicago is a city surprisingly rich in green space to explore. Anything you want is at your fingertips – from booming live music at Lollapalooza to the silence required for birdwatching – when you stay at one of our Club Quarters Hotels – just minutes from the best parks in Chicago.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia Visitors GuideIf you’re planning a trip to The City of Brotherly Love, we’ve created a Philadelphia visitors guide packed with plenty of things to do during your stay.
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