The Best Outdoor Activities in and Around Chicago

Lawn seating for this stunning outdoor concert venue is free, and the venue often hosts a mix of live music, from indie rock to Pacific Afro-Colombian. Designed by Frank Gehry, it is one of the world’s most state-of-the-art outdoor music pavilions. And you never have to worry about being too far from the stage with this truly immersive experience. If none of the music suits your taste, why not head down anyway, where you could take part in an outdoor yoga class or check out one of the many outdoor film screenings.

If art is your thing, then you’ll definitely need to check out Yoko Ono’s Skylanding, which is made up of 12 large steel lotus petals rising up from the ground in the Garden of the Phoenix. The sculpture was designed by the famous activist and artist as a symbol of peace and is on the site of a pavilion built by the Japanese government for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Another reason to visit is that the park is also the home of the beautiful Osaka Japanese Garden.

Chicago’s beaches can become crowded, particularly the closer you get to the Loop. So why not head Uptown where you can lay on the sand and feel the sun on your skin. There are plenty of amenities, and if you do get sick of sitting around enjoying all that sunshine, you can hire a volleyball court or rent a kayak.

Officially titled Cloud Gate by Indian-born British artist Sir Anish Kapoor, ‘The Bean’ is the centerpiece on the plaza at Millennium Park and is a must-see on any itinerary for Chicago. It was unveiled at the opening of the park in 2004 and has become a symbol of the city, and one of Chicago’s most photographed landmarks. It’s one of the best ways to capture the city’s skyline while still remaining in the picture at the same time. The shiny artwork is polished once in the morning and again in the evening. There’s also a crew who wipe it clean up to seven times a day to ensure there are no fingerprints left behind.