Sure the first few days of winter break will be filled with lots of family get-togethers and maybe even a visit from Santa, but then what?
Yes, there will be time to play with new toys, read new books and just "hang out." But when you've exhausted all your normal go-to activities and you've run out of ideas, we've compiled a list of places you may not have tried yet for you to explore during your time off. It's designed to keep the kids (and you!) from getting too bored and also give you a few things to look forward to in the long winter days!
- 📅 Find a free activity from the Macaroni Kid Event Calendar
- We list free or low-cost local events, library storytimes, free concerts, toddler times, and more, so you can easily find ALL the organized activities happening in one easy to navigate resource!
- 🎄 Enjoy a Festive Dinner at Prancer's Pub
- The Hearth Lounge at Hyatt Lodge, nestled in the scenic wooded area of Oak Brook is transformed into a winter wonderland, featuring fun themed drinks, hot cider, and an exclusive winter menu
- Open until the end of January, so make a reservation quick before they go back to the North Pole!
- 🛷 Grab your sled and find a local sledding hill!
- We rounded up some of the best local destination sled hills to visit this winter for the most exhilarating sledding experience!
- 🍿 Go see a $3 kids movie at Marcus Theatre
- Some classic children's favorites are coming back to theatres for the Winter $3 film series:
- Clifford, Paw Patrol, Super Mario Bros, Charlotte's Web, TMNT, Abominable, Smallfoot and more!
- 📚 Sign up for a Winter Reading Program
- Many libraries around here offer winter reading challenges where you can track your winter reading and win great prizes!
- 🎳 Go Bowling
- Fox Bowl in Wheaton is offering tons of open bowling times, and has newly updated computers that include fun interactive games to keep the kids engaged between turns, or check out the attached arcade!
- Bowlero in Glendale Heights offers weekly specials that include unlimited bowling at certain times, or half-price arcade game days
- 🥾 Hike the winter woods of Lincoln Marsh
- Everyone loves Lincoln Marsh in the summer and spring when the flowers are blooming, but exploring the woods in the winter is a fun way to teach kids about the cycles of the seasons to identify the differences in the landscape and wildlife. Download a winter wonders hike scavenger hunt or check out a Winter Wonders Discovery Pack from the Wheaton Library to take on your adventures!
- 🤸♀️ Visit an Indoor Playground or Trampoline Park
- There are tons of local options, for all age ranges; we've rounded up a full list to find the perfect fit for your family, from open gyms, bounce places, indoor playrooms, trampoline parks, indoor playground, and more!
- 🎮 Play Arcade Games
- Dave & Busters in Addison has half price games every Wednesday!
- Get a few friends together and book an unlimited gaming session at The Game Show in Yorktown Center mall, a vintage style arcade offering foosball, arcade games, air hockey, skee-ball and more!
- Do you have a serious video game aficionado? Make the drive to visit Galloping Ghost in Brookfield, the largest video arcade in the USA and enjoy free play all day for $25 at the door
- ❄️ Play Indoors with Snow!
- We rounded up 5 different ways to incorporate actual snow from OUTSIDE to make a fun sensory experience INSIDE the house!
- ⛳️ Play some golf
- Indoor mini golf options at Enchanted Castle in Lombard and Puttshack in Oak Brook
- Hit the driving range at Top Golf in Naperville, Links & Tees indoor dome at Addison Park District, or X-Golf in Downers Grove
- ⛸ Go Ice Skating
- Many of the local outdoor rinks are weather-proof, so even if its warmer than normal, it won't melt enough for unsafe conditions, making it the perfect time to hit the ice!
- ❤️ Create your own Sensory Bin
- It's easier than you think! We also provided some easy activities to guide your sensory bin play!
- 🪐 Experience a Laser Light Show at the Cernan Earth and Space Center
- Tickets only available for purchase in-person the day of the show, prices range from $3-$10
- They have Big Bird themed show for Pre-K - 1st grade Wednesday mornings, a Taylor Swift laser light show, and everything in between
- 🦒 Visit the animals at the zoo
- Winter is a fun time to visit the zoo: less crowds, and a chance to see some animals that you may miss in the hot summer months
- Cosley Zoo is open rain or shine 9A-4P daily, free for Wheaton residents, $10 for non-resident adults, kids are always free!
- Brookfield Zoo is open 365 days a year, and is free on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays between January 2 – February 29, 2024
- 🌳 Spend an Hour in Småland at Bolingbrook IKEA
- A magical forest full of play and fun! A special play area for the world's most precious children. Småland is a free play area for the convenience of customers who come to IKEA with their children.
- Open Monday-Sunday, 10-6 PM (just recently reopened due to COVID, not currently open at Schaumburg location)
- 📚 Play in a Free Library Children's Area
- No library card needed! You can visit any local library and explore their toys, interactive features, read new books, and play with new friends!
- 🏊♀️ Splash Around in an Indoor Pool
- Leave the sunblock at home. We have a complete list of the best indoor pools, splash pads, and water parks so you can enjoy a day at the pool without going outside!
- 🏏Try Pickleball
- The new Pickled in Wheaton is offering winter youth camps for ages 7-13, or book some open play time!
- 🔥 Have Dinner & a Show at Benihana
- If you haven't been to a hibachi restaurant before with your kids, now is the time! They will love watching the food cooked right in front of them, but more importantly, the dragon juice or milkshakes to go along with their Kabuki Kids meals
- 🥾 Go for a Winter Hike
- Getting to explore your favorite hiking spots in the winter is an amazing opportunity to teach kids about the wonders of the season, the local ecosystem, and the animals around us
- If you're new to winter hiking with kids, we compiled some helpful tips for you, and some benefits that you may not have known about getting outside when it's cold!
- 🐛 Explore a nature center
- After your hike, head indoors to explore and learn in a nature center filled with exhibits, live animals, and lots of educational but fun toys to play with that incorporate nature into play
- Unfortunately Willowbrook Wildlife Center is still closed for renovations, but here are some of our other nearby favorites:
- Fullerburg Woods in Oak Brook
- Little Red Schoolhouse in Willow Springs
- Vera Meineke Nature Center at Bison’s Bluff in Schaumburg
- Knoch Knolls Nature Center in Naperville
- Wildwood Nature Center in Park Ridge
- Red Oak Nature Center in Batavia
- Hidden Oaks in Bolingbrook
This should get you started, but we'll keep adding to the list daily! Got some great ideas we should add to the list?? Send it to mackidwheaton@macaronikid.com and we'll give you credit!
Macaroni Kid Wheaton is a free weekly newsletter and website focused on fun family events and information in the Wheaton area and Western Suburbs in and around Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Lisle, Lombard, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton, and Winfield. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week, and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, event and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
