Fun Things to do in Chicago to Beat the Winter Blues!

Winter is usually a dark time for residents of Chicago, but I don’t let the weather stop me from having a great time! Maybe I have an immunity from the many years of suffering. And there are a lot of fun activities going on all year round, which is one of the best things about living in Chicago…there is always something to do! You cannot be bored here. Late November and December are really great months since there are allot of Christmas festivities, but I’ll save those for later in the year since they are all over and done now. Here are some of the things I’ve been up to these past couple of months.

I was fortunate to be able to go to the Game of Thrones: Behind the Scenes tour since it only stopped in LA, Chicago, and New York City. Thanks to a good friend, I signed up the day before and got to go in. Best part is that it was free! They set up sets inside these “houses” where there was costumes, props, scripts, and various other items…each of them had a common theme like “The Wall,” or “Winterfell.”

I thought it was really nice of the organizers to take photographs of fans in some of the scenery from the show, and then email us a digital copy. I have one from the “Battle of the Bastards” and trying to “Hodor.” My prized one is my picture on the Iron Throne.

Due to a storm coming in, they shut the event down early so we had to rush through it. I had to skip playing the virtual reality game, which was sad for me; but I was one of the last people to get into the line for the Iron throne picture so I think I made the right call. The virtual game was the only set I missed, but it was still an amazing event. I hope the show does it again since it was fantastic. If you are a fan, sign up for updates so you won’t miss an event like this.

I have loved a Charlie Brown Christmas Special since I was a child. I watch it every year. So I was thrilled to find an event where a jazz group (Fulton Street Collective) was performing Vince Guaraldi’s famous soundtrack. I enjoyed that the band talked about the behind the scenes making of the special, telling a story as they went through all the songs. The Fulton Street Collective was founded in 2002 and brings together various art disciplines. The group wants to promote artists and their growth, and the communities they reside in. At least once a month they host a jazz concert with a suggested donation of $10, making it affordable. For the Charlie Brown concert, they had Lewis Achenbach painting, and you could purchase his art afterwards. His artwork was also on display. If you love the arts as I do, try one of these events since they host one every month.

Garfield Park has a beautiful conservatory that is free to the public. If you want to look at thousands of flowers and plants, and be somewhere warm, this is the place for you. It is one of the largest greenhouse conservatories, and includes a lagoon, pool, tennis courts and fields. It was constructed around 1905, and the design was conceived to be “landscapes under glass” since you can enjoy it all year.

The conservatory also hosts many interesting events throughout the year like concerts, fashion shows, and even watercolor painting classes. You can go any day during normal hours, and spend at least a couple hours there gazing at all the beautiful plants and scenery. Great place to go on a date as well.

The Field Museum is one of my favorite places, and one of the largest natural museums in the world. It has an amazing collection of specimens and artifacts, as well as wonderful permanent collections that attract millions of people every year. The special exhibits are something I look forward to, and attend at least two to three times a year. It can be pricey to attend, but a membership is reasonable. Also, I think you can sign up at a Chicago Public Library, or go during one of the free days the museums offers. Currently, the Tattoo exhibit has been going on, which traces tattoos through various times and cultures. I was pretty surprised to see pictures of women with tattoos from the 1920s in the US. I know other cultures have been tattooing women for much longer.

The really neat part of the exhibit is that they recreated a tattoo studio, and you can watch people getting a tattoo. I admire the people that volunteered since I could not have strangers watching me get one. As someone who has tattoos, it was interesting to see the different meanings they have to various cultures. You also can look at the tools used and how they evolved. There were traveling “tattoo men” that passed through towns in Europe. I highly recommend seeing it. I brought a friend that has no tattoos and she loved it.

If you like yoga, there are plenty of interesting places to improve your practice. I joined the Art Institute last year, and they started offering member’s yoga. The Art Institute is in Grant Park, and one of the country’s oldest art museums. It has an amazing collection of art work (i.e. Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks), and also hosts fantastic special exhibits. I went last year to see Van Gogh’s bedroom paintings.

It was so refreshing to go on a Sunday morning, and not have to deal with the crowds. They had Bloom Yoga from Lincoln Square host. It was great because it was aimed at beginners so you could try it if you have never practiced yoga. The space was beautiful…you can see some of the ceiling in the picture below.  I really enjoyed the yoga, and got my free cup of coffee at the Members’ Lounge afterwards (another perk). Many places like the Planetarium and Navy Pier also host yoga events. It is great to do yoga in such beautiful places, and meet new people there that are interested in it as well. It’s a great excuse to get your friends to do it with you.

I found so many events that I will have to write another post since this is getting too long, and you will have more to look forward to. And please message me or comment if you have any suggestions on great events to beat the winter blues!