As winter break is fast approaching, it is time to get vacation plans in order. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to escape the brutal Chicago weather and head to sunny Florida. But just because you are stuck here, doesn’t mean your winter break can’t be phenomenal. Thankfully, we live in one of the biggest and more entertaining cities in United States. Here are some ways to have fun while staying local.
- Downtown
The possibilities of what to do downtown are endless. Seeing your reflection in the Bean is always a great place to start. Ice skating is offered at Millenium Park during the winter, giving you the opportunity to ice skate while enjoying beautiful Chicago. If being outdoors isn’t your thing, walk along the bridge from Millenium Park to the Art Institute and enjoy one of the best museums in the world. Michigan Avenue and Water Tower Place are great places for last minute holiday shopping. And of course, it is always an experience seeing all of Chicago and its surrounding areas from one of the many skyscrapers of Chicago. Visit the Willis Tower or the John Hancock building and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
- Visit the zoo
Haven’t seen your cousins in a while? Winter vacation is the perfect time to go visit those furry relatives you don’t get to see every day. Lincoln Park Zoo has free admissions, so if you can’t find free or cheap parking, you’re set for an inexpensive yet entertaining day. For a different experience, visit the zoo in the evening to see the ZooLights. Be sure to bundle up because it gets exceptionally chilly walking at night.
- Jump Sky High, laser tag, or bowling
For shorter lengths of entertainment, try bowling, laser tag, or a trampoline park. All of these are indoor options that involve staying active as well. Laser tag with a group of friends can get really competitive, making it all the more fun. Nothing says family bonding like bowling for a few hours. And why not burn off all of that post finals aggravation by jumping around for a few hours at a place like Sky High Sports?
- Catch a movie or watch some Netflix
Weather it be at home or in a movie theater, winter vacation is the perfect opportunity to watch that new movie that everyone has been talking about. Netflix has some great movies and television series they’ll soon be releasing in early January. Nothing shouts vacation like lying under the covers watching some television. The Skokie Public Library has plenty of movies and television series if you can’t find anything on Netflix.
- Take up a new hobby – learn to cook or sew
A two week vacation provides the perfect opportunity to learn something new. Seniors, you may no longer be living at home next year (and juniors, you don’t have much more time either). It might be a good idea to learn how to make a few basic dishes before you go out on your own. Knowing how to sew is definitely a useful skill to have. There are numerous tutorials online that teach basic hand sewing, so your favorite shirt that is missing a button doesn’t have to go to the garbage.
- RELAX!
The point of having finals before winter break was to help provide a more stress-free vacation. Take advantage of that. You worked your butt off all semester, so it is okay to be lazy for a little bit. Catch up on sleep. Do whatever it is you enjoy that will help provide for a more relaxing vacation.
Have fun and see you next year, Vikings!
