Biking Trails • Hiking Trails
Streeterville
Outdoor Activities in Central
THE 10 BEST Outdoor Activities in Central (Chicago)
Outdoor Activities in Central
Category types
Outdoor Activities
Awards
Travellers' Choice Awards winners (including the "Best of the Best" title) are among the top 10% of listings on Tripadvisor, according to the reviews and opinions of travellers across the globe.
Traveller rating
Neighbourhoods
Good for
74 results sorted by traveller favourites
- Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location.
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Points of Interest & Landmarks • Scenic Drives
South Loop
Boat Tours
Downtown / The Loop
•
Temporarily closed
City Tours • Bike Tours
Streeterville
Boat Tours • Sightseeing Tours
Streeterville
Boat Tours • Day Trips
Downtown / The Loop
Boat Tours • Water Sports
Downtown / The Loop
Ghost & Vampire Tours • Bike Tours
Gold Coast
Equipment Hire
Downtown / The Loop
Golf Courses • Game & Entertainment Centres
Downtown / The Loop
Segway Tours • Bike Tours
Downtown / The Loop
Equipment Hire
Streeterville
Boat Hire • Kayaking & Canoeing
Near North Side
Sightseeing Tours • Horse-Drawn Carriage Tours
Magnificent Mile
Sports Camps & Clinics
Gold Coast
Boat Tours • Boat Hire
Downtown / The Loop
What travellers are saying
- StephenCrossDublin, Ireland31,546 contributionsBeautiful area to walk / run / jog or dog walk. The boats are great and pass close to the shore so it’s always a vibrant and exciting place.Written 22 September 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- TV 🌊Bethlehem, PA85 contributionsI didn’t expect this at all in the middle of Chicago. I’m still blown away. The water and the city was such a vibe.
Must stop when you’re in Chicago. It was the highlight of my trip.
Chairs are $20 for the day and we’ll worth it. I stayed at The Drake which is just a stones throw away so could easily head to my room to use the restroom.
The Whispers restaurant on the beach has good food and drinks.Written 22 July 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Jamie C3 contributionsClean beach with great views of the city. Pretty crowded on a hot day, but we still found a spot in the shade. You may want to get there early for a beach umbrella.Written 4 September 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Eirnin M3 contributionsI had a great time and felt very relaxed here! After reading soooo many reviews of local beaches, I settled on this one because it was described as THE gay beach in the area. Someone online described the southern end as "raunchy," so I headed straight there, but there was certainly nothing straight about that end of the beach. It was relatively quiet on a weekday afternoon, but still a decent number of queer people hanging out in groups, couples, or by themselves. A lot of people wore relatively tiny swimsuits, and someone was playing popular queer club music via a speaker, but that's as "raunchy" as it got. That end of the beach is definitely an adults-only zone though, which I very much appreciated, because I don't like being around loud children at the beach. The north end seemed to have more families with children. The south end was also luckily pretty close to the building with bathrooms, concessions, and the bar/cafe. I spent a while relaxing in a comfortable chair in the shade at the bar and watching the ocean, it was great. The men's bathroom was unfortunately pretty nasty, but that's not a huge surprise at a public beach.Written 2 August 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Taylor BChicago, IL8,478 contributionsA national survey reveals that newly designated Jean Baptiste Pointe du Du Sable Lake Shore Drive, named for Chicago's first non-indigenous settler, is the most beautiful street in Chicago but ranks only No. 41 nationally. No. 1? Acorn Street in Boston. But Lake Shore Drive got its props when Ferris Bueller drove into the city in the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Du Sable Lake Shore Drive, which was completed in 1937, is an expressway that extends for 15.83 miles along the shoreline of Lake Michigan from Hollywood Avenue (5700 North) on the north side of the city to Marquette Drive and Jeffrey Drive (6600 South) on the south side of the city, from the Edgewater community to the South Shore community. It offers scenic views of the waterfront, beaches, parks, towers, high-rises and the Chicago skyline. Along the way, drivers pass the Museum of Science and Industry, Soldier Field, the Museum campus, Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier, Lake Point Tower and Oak Street Beach. Old-timers, like me, recall the S curve near Randolph Street that created a traffic bottleneck until the 1980s reconstruction smoothed it out.Written 7 August 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Rob HRotterdam, The Netherlands248 contributionsI think best place to see the Chicago skyline. I was there in the morning and had a beautiful blue sky. After I came out of the Adler Planetarium the weather changed but even that got a good photo.Written 20 June 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Sonya FStratford, Canada7 contributionsAshley provided us with an informative and interesting tour of Chicago's architecture. A relaxing way to get to know the city. Highly recommended!Written 1 September 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- A-L-G787Sault Ste. Marie, Canada126 contributionsWe took our 4month old on this tour and it was great! We sat outside and were bundled up cause it did get a little chilly outside but there was also seating inside if needed. There is a bar and a washroom with a change table inside as well.
Our tour guide, Alice, was very knowledgeable and clearly passionate and we enjoyed listening to her speak. She really made the tour so informative and enjoyable, we were not bored! We went on a Wednesday and bought tickets right at the booth no problem but I heard on weekends that it’s better to buy in advance. We were able to bring our stroller aboard and left it inside. We did have to pay for our 4month old whereas I know other tours children under a certain age are free. If you are taking a stroller or can’t take stairs, get there earlier to find the ramp down cause where the stand is on the road, it’s only stairs.Written 5 December 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Shannon P1 contributionI took my mom and a family friend our for her birthday July 1st. We enjoyed. Easy location to find and convenient parking. The parking area needs a lot of work but great location. The tour Guide was great and it was a perfect day for the tour.
Tours and Boats - Architecture Tour - Chicago
River City Marina
900 South Wells Street, Chicago, IL, 60607Written 5 July 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Shaun L1 contributionA group of us took the tour through Lincoln park and some of Chicago's neighbourhoods. Our tour guide Daisy was great. Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Highly recommend this bike tour!Written 9 June 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- James D1 contributionThe views were incredible. The tour guide gave so much information and was very engaging. Would highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Chicago.Written 23 November 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Brooke S1 contributionSuch a great experience! Our tour guide David was so incredibly knowledgeable about all things Chicago. Also, a great speaker and extremely funny as well. Made it for a really enjoyable trip. I highly recommend booking this tour with this company.Written 27 October 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Traveler185278214381 contributionThe title says it all. I had a relaxing and entertaining experience with this awesome crew. Informative, friendly and during the more beautiful moments the tour guide knew what needed to be said and when to just let us experience the tour. Didn’t bring cash or I would have tipped them and will go again when I come back to Chicago! 💕 My and my two girlfriends loved this tour.Written 28 October 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- St301019York, UK153 contributionsThis was such a fun kayak trip. Our guide was a total comedian and I learnt so much about Chicago, its history and the buildings. I felt very safe and would do this tour again in a heartbeat.Written 12 October 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- BigThomasNetherlands17 contributionsAlways love these kind of tours and took them all over the world. Mike was very knowledgeable and shared a ton of details. Which makes the city's history really come to life and is an excellent start for exploring more.
Really advice you to take the tour.Written 17 November 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
