Cottontail Park

A South Loop, old-school Jewish-style diner with a kids' menu alongside its deli classics.

A riverside park in Chinatown with a children's playground, a fieldhouse with an indoor pool, and paved paths along the Chicago River, with a pagoda-style pavilion overlooking the water.

A sprawling natural history hall where a five-year-old can stand nose to nose with a dinosaur skeleton, and a side room built just for toddlers means the day does not end at the first meltdown.

A big, casual pan-Asian noodle house in Chinatown that is easygoing with young kids, with quick seating even at busy times. Coordinates estimated from the street address.

A spacious, self-described family-style dim sum restaurant with picture-menu ordering that makes unfamiliar dishes easy to navigate with kids.

An all-day Chinatown dim sum hall on Wentworth Avenue built for family-style dining. Coordinates estimated from the street address.