Chicago Leisure

Possibly because winters can be so brutal, locals are serious about their summers. With the wide blue lake and the plentiful green parks, the city turns into one big grown-up playground during the warmer months.

Cycling and Rollerblading

Chicagos Lake Michigan is home to about 22 miles of paths, which have been made wider for cyclists and roller skaters. The paths are popular and busy at the weekends and bicycles and rollerblades can be rented at shops close to the lake and in the city.

Beaches

Public beaches can be found along the shores of Lake Michigan all the way up north into the suburbs and Wisconsin, and southeast through Indiana and into Michigan. North Avenue Beach is popular with volleyball players and has added a Venice Beach-style outdoor gym. Ohio Street Beach is an intimate strip of sand in little Olive Park, just north of Navy Pier, which for some reason remains largely ignored despite its central location.

Skating

The McCormick-Tribune Ice Rink at Millennium Park is the citys foremost ice-skating venue. The location has you skating in the shadows of grand skyscrapers and within view of the lake. The rink is open daily from 09:00 to 21:00, November through March. Admission is free and skate rentals are available. Many other skating surfaces throughout the city can be found along the lakefront and in neighbourhood parks.

Baseball

Baseball is one of Chicagos most popular spectator sports and regular baseball games are held at the White Sox Park and at Wrigley Field, which is one of the oldest stadiums in America. The baseball season in America runs from April to October.