Looking for things to do over winter break? Well, Chicago has it all. Chicago has endless activities over the holidays right downtown. The 111th annual lighting of Chicago’s Christmas tree took place Nov 22 but doesn’t leave until Jan. 8, leaving plenty of time to go see the 53-foot Colorado Blue Spruce tree at Millennium Park.
If you’re not tired of the Christmas lights, go head over to Lincoln Park Zoo where they host lights all over the zoo to walk around during the night time. Right outside the city, the Chicago Botanic Garden allows visitors to view the scenic paths around the garden featuring lights of all different decorations. Lastly, Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum gives an immersive experience of a one-mile path that offers spectacular views with a fire pit section where families can hang out afterward.
If you’re looking for a holiday market, the Christkindlmarket takes the gold medal. The German-themed Christmas market takes place from the middle of November to the late days of December. The Christkindlmarket happens as 50 West Washington Street in Chicago. If you want to branch out go to the Randolph Street Holiday market where over a hundred vendors sell anything you could think of. An admission of ten dollars is required but it is well worth the visit and it takes place at West Randolph Street. The Navy Pier also provides the Holiday Artisan Market where the “Light Up the Lake” event takes place.
On the north side of Chicago, Wrigley Field arranges a Winterland at Gallagher Way from Dec. 6 to Dec. 22. Wrigley Field has a tree lighting ceremony there and has different events each day to fill up your winter with excitement. Around Wrigley Field, there are many Christmas-themed restaurants and food markets. These places have decorations all over the place and have Christmas-themed-labeled items to add to the fun.
Lastly, it’s time to lace up your skates and go over to Millennium Park for some ice skating fun. This Chicago tradition allows you to skate around “The Bean” and into Maggie Daley Park which offers enjoyment for your family and friends. All around, Chicago hosts ice skating rinks leaving no excuse to not give it a try.
If you want to look more into the things you can do in Chicago, choosechicago.com gives plenty of ideas for what opportunities there are.
