The way of life in Chicago, which is governed by the motto “the City in the Garden”, enables the city to offer abundant chances for outdoor enjoyment. This is because Chicago outdoors is a land that is filled with lakefront parks, which are among the best sources of outdoor activities. The city, which is edged by the Lake Michigan on its eastern side, does not only have parks but also hiking trails and bike paths, miles of pristine beaches and a number of harbors along the lake’s shores. At these harbors, the outdoor Chicago activities that you can enjoy are boat tours and dinner cruises.
The Navy Pier is also among the greatest places in the city where you can enjoy the best of Lake Michigan and much of outdoor Chicago. Here, there are numerous opportunities for live music enjoyment, dining right outdoors and grand events the whole year round. Should you want to experience the crown jewel of the city, then you should head on to the Millennium Park that first opened its gates to the public in the year 2004. This park provides a pavilion of world-class quality that is a favorite venue for outdoor concerts, which are among the Chicago outdoor activities that you can get plenty of. There are also fountains and attractive sculptures in this park that are just a short distance away from the skyline of the city.
Among the great components of the Chicago outdoors are the city’s beaches. There are 26 miles of these clean and sandy beaches that provide scenic views of Lake Michigan, which is the fifth biggest fresh water source in the world, as well as of the famous skyline of the city. These beaches are open starting Memorial Day during the later part of May until Labor Day in the early part of September and could be used for swimming for free. For almost everyone, swimming is one of the outdoor activities in Chicago that are quite popular during summertime.
The Lincoln Park and the Lincoln Park Zoo are also among the best areas in outdoor Chicago that everyone should not miss. The park has some 1,200 acres of sprawling and lush landscapes where there are tennis courts, bike paths, beaches, a lagoon where paddleboats can be rented and the conservatory gardens, among many others. Other great Chicago outdoor activities can be found at the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is the biggest zoo in the world that can be visited for free. Here you can find giraffes, elephants, rhinos and other native wildlife from Africa. There is also a center here where there are chimpanzees and apes that could not be found in any other place in the country.
Because there are so many opportunities for outdoor enjoyment in the Chicago outdoors, the city is really a great place for those who love to commune with nature. As the outdoor activities in Chicago are numerous at best, every nature and outdoor lover will surely love it here.