My fellow Chicagoans, we made it — the winter is over and summer is upon us at long last! I’m excited to say that the bitter blizzards, painful polar vortexes, and whistling winds are long gone. When you really think about it, we’ve earned this warm weather. In fact, we deserve it after spending all winter shoveling out parking spaces and dodging falling icicles.
So, now it’s time to treat ourselves to all of the great things Chicago has to offer! Beaches, festivals, shopping, restaurants — exactly how much fun can you have this summer? The limit does not exist. That’s why I’ve compiled this summer guide to help us get the most out of the season. So, say hello to your new, favorite bookmark: the complete Chicago summer guide.
Beaches
Ahhh, nothing tops going to the beach when it comes to summer! Chicago is known for the dozens of beaches it has in its front yard. Although I recommend avoiding them on all major holidays and Saturday mornings, it’s still amazing to always have this option available to us.
Out of all the Chicago beaches, I must say that 12th Street and Ohio Street are my favorites; these two locations are more relaxed and less crowded than the ever popular Oak Street and North Avenue. If you’re feeling adventurous this summer, venture out to a new spot!
Click here to find a complete list of Chicago Park District Beaches.
Concerts
No fear music lovers, I’ve got you covered! Below, I’ve compiled a list of the major music venues’ schedules to help you stay on top of which shows you’d like to attend this summer. From Taylor Swift to Aretha Franklin to Gipsy Kings, artists, big and small, will be making their way through town soon!
Check out these resources to see if your favorite artists will be hitting up Chicago on their summer tours:
As always, Millennium Park has brought back their free summer concert series, Downtown Sound. Instead of just Music Mondays, though, there are now Music Thursdays too! Click here to see who will be playing in The Jay Pritzker Pavilion this summer.
Festivals
No matter what your interests are, there is a festival out there for you! On my personal list of festivals to hit up this summer are Chicago Ale Fest, Lollapalooza, and Festa Italiana. I’m excited to grab a few friends and explore each of these events while enjoying the beautiful skyline in the background.
Thrillist put together an awesome calendar of all of Chicago’s festivals, here. Now is the time to compose your own list of must-attend street fests!
Fitness
The city has plenty of opportunities for those looking to stay active this summer! Besides just running along the Lake Shore Path or playing beach volleyball at North Avenue, you can get moving and stay fit in several, other ways as well.
If you’re interested in joining a sports league, Chicago Sport & Social Club has tons of options available to you — volleyball, dodgeball, and soccer to name a few. Click here to see what else you can get involved in.
Runners, Chicago always has you covered! RunGuides has created a list of Chicagoland area races for runners of all levels to take part in — check it out, here.
For early risers, Millennium Park is offering free Saturday morning workouts yet again this summer! Head on over to the Great Lawn to participate in Tai Chi, Pilates, and Zumba. Learn more, here.
My personal favorite reference for exciting and adventurous summer activities is Groupon. I love Groupon because I always discover amazing opportunities in the city that I didn’t even know existed. See what new activities you can try by perusing their local Health & Fitness page.
Movies
For those nights when sitting back and enjoying a movie sounds better than heading out to a bar, here is a listing of Chicago movies theaters, show times, and more.
Better yet, Millennium Park is also hosting a free summer film series in addition to concerts and workouts. Spread out your blanket, pop open a bottle of wine, and lay back every Tuesday night at 6:30pm to enjoy a movie in the park. Click here to see the film schedule.
Museums
As Chicagoans, we love to brag about our world-renowned museums. Besides the big dogs — Art Institute, Field Museum, Museum of Science & Industry, so on and so forth — the city has loads of smaller museums to enjoy as well. Don’t forget about the breath-taking outdoor exhibits and conservatories too, like those at The Chicago Botanic Garden and The Morton Arboretum.
Wikipedia actually has an extensive list of Chicago’s museums, here. Check it out to see what museums you’re ready to take on this summer!
As much as we all love museums, they can get expensive; that’s why taking advantage of free days is a necessity! Timeout Chicago looked up the museum’s free days and put them in a single article that you can find, here.
Parking
If there’s a surefire way to spoil a great night out, it’s paying $32 for parking or worse, not finding a parking spot at all. With all of these events happening simultaneously, parking can be an absolute nightmare. However, these apps and websites can help take the frustration out of driving downtown.
Meter Beaters: Created by Mike Mullin, this app is designed to help you find free street parking in Chicago.
SpotHero: Parking has never been easier than with this service. It allows you to find and reserve parking spots all over the city, saving you both time and a headache. You can even filter your spot search by price for those looking to stick to a budget.
ParkChicago: For those frequently in the city, this app allows you to pay for your street parking from the convenience of your phone. Set up an account and get parking today!
Bestparking.com: Although you can’t pay for spots through this resource, it does allow you to find and compare the prices of different lots and garages in the same area. This is a great site to locate the parking options around you, without having to drive around.
Outdoor Bars
With the warm weather, who wants to stay inside?! Winter has kept in long enough. Luckily for us, our city is filled with rooftop bars and awesome patios to enjoy.
You can find Timeout’s list of the best rooftop bars, here; it has some great spots to check out! Thrillist also put together this list of the best outdoor drinking spots by neighborhood. Whether you’re in Lakeview or Wicker Park, see what great patios and beer gardens are near you, here.
Sporting Events
Nothing compares to buying a Chicago style hotdog at a baseball game in the summertime! To me, sitting in the sweltering heat or through a two-hour rain delay is worth seeing my team pull out a win.
Being a diehard White Sox fan, here is our schedule first! Having a Cubs fan as a boyfriend, though, I’m obligated to include their schedule as well. Click here to see Wrigley’s home games.
Baseball isn’t the only sport to enjoy this summer. The Chicago Fire also have games scheduled throughout the season! Take a look at their home schedule, here.
Theatres
For the art socialites of the city, Chicago has countless great shows for you to catch this summer! As always, Theatre in Chicago is your go-to hub for schedules, show listings, and news.
One of the biggest events this summer coming up is the Mustache Crawl in Chicago! Last year over 6,000 people attended, and Blackhawks player Bryan Bickell was able to raise over $17,000 for his foundation. It’s July 18th this year, at 15 awesome Wrigleyville bars. Happy summer, Chicago!! themustachecrawl.com