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Chicago things to do

Things to do in Chicago if you have a Chicago O`Hare Airport Layover or Extended Chicago O`Hare Airport Stopover


If you have an extended layover at the Chicago O`Hare Airport or staying in town, why not consider getting out with some fun activities? We list a few here and there are many more on Chicago.LayoverIdeas.com.


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Being a hub of traffic and one of the busiest airports in the world, the Chicago O’Hare International Airport is equipped to keep travellers happy with little need to leave the location, even on a fairly long layover.



Inside the Airport


In the B concourse of Terminal 1 stands a four-story high, 72-foot long skeleton of a Brachiosaurus Dinosaur. This model is on loan from the Chicago Field Museum and is one of the largest mounted dinosaurs in the world. Well worth a visit, if you are wondering what to do before your next flight.



In Terminal 2 there is a replica of the WWII F3F-4 fighter plane The Butch O’Hare. The exhibit was flown US Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Comdr. Edward "Butch" O’Hare and since the Airport was named in his honour, it is certainly worth having a look at while you wait to board a more modern, and hopefully more spacious, aircraft.



If you are travelling with children the Kids on the Fly Children’s Exhibit, also located in Terminal 2 is a must to keep the children occupied. Kids on the Fly is an interactive education and entertaining play area that for children up to twelve years of age and their families. The exhibits displays include an air traffic control tower, a fantasy helicopter, a cargo plane, a luggage station, and more.



"The Sky’s the Limit", designed by Michael Hayden, is a 744 foot long kinetic neon sculpture of light and sound located in the pedestrian tunnel between concourses B and C in Terminal. Once again, without leaving the airport you can while away the time before you flight with something interesting and very different.





Off-site Activities


If you really feel the need to get away from the airport for a few hours it is better to have a long layover. Chicago O’Hare is located 29Km from Downtown Chicago and with enough time to spare there are a few great places to visit.



Navy Pier


If you have the time then Navy Pier is a great place to spend your layover. It offers everything from Rides & Attractions to Entertainment to Boats/Cruises with plenty of shopping and eating places to choose from too. Navy Pier is about 45 minutes to an hour by car from O’Hare International Airport, so make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy your escape before you need to return for your onward flight.



Take in a Museum


Chicago's set of museums and cultural institutions are among the best in the world. Three of them are located within a short walk of each other in the Near South, on what is known as the Museum Campus, in a beautiful spot along the lake: the Adler Planetarium, with all sorts of cool hands-on space exhibits and astronomy shows; the Field Museum of Natural History, which features SUE, the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, and a plethora of Egyptian treasures; and the Shedd Aquarium, with dolphins, whales, sharks, and the best collection of marine life east of California. A short distance away, in Hyde Park, is the most fun of them all, the Museum of Science and Industry — or, as generations of Chicago-area grammar school students know it, the best field trip ever.


In the Loop, the Art Institute of Chicago has a handful of iconic household names among an unrivaled collection of Impressionism, modern and classical art, and tons of historical artifacts. And in Lincoln Park, a short trip from the Loop, the cheerful (and free) Lincoln Park Zoo welcomes visitors every day of the week, with plentiful highlights like the Regenstein Center for African Apes.

 

Check out Frank Lloyd Wright's Architecture


From the sternly classical to the space-age, from the Gothic to the coolly modern, Chicago is a place with an embarrassment of architectural riches. Frank Lloyd Wright fans will swoon to see his earliest buildings in Chicago, where he began his professional career and established the Prairie School architectural style, with numerous homes in Hyde Park/Kenwood, Oak Park, and Rogers Park — over 100 buildings in the Chicago metropolitan area!


Go Cycling


Chicago has a strong, passionate bicycle culture, and riding opportunities abound. Pedaling your way around the city is one of the best ways to get to know Chicago. The scenic Lakefront Trail runs for 18 continuous miles along the city's beautiful shoreline. And the terrain is mostly flat — a boon for easy-going cyclists! Bobby's Bike Hike has the official city concession, with a central bike rental location near Navy Pier.

 

In terms of things to do on a layover there are worse places to be stuck at the airport than at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

 

As always, make sure you leave plenty of time to get back to ORD Chicago O`Hare International Airport and clear security in time for your connecting flight. Enjoy your transit city rather than whiling away the time leaning up against your luggage in the departures lounge.



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Last Updated: 14 Mar 2025