Pirates' Cove - Elk Grove Village, IL

Pirates’ Cove is a children’s theme park with paddle boats in a shallow pool, a carousel, playground, bounce house, giant slide, climbing wall, train, and other fun stuff.  It’s designed for children between the ages of 1 - 9 and it is only open in the summertime, June - August.  I really liked this place.  We took Aiden here when he was younger and it was great.  He enjoyed nearly everything there and it looked so cute, like a little Great America for little kids.  It also has a craft activity area and concession stand, although you can also bring your own food if you’d like.  Aiden has aged out of this place now but I’m so glad we got to take him here!

Fox River Trolley Museum - South Elgin, IL

This is a genuine historic trolley car that runs a 4 mile route alongside the Fox River in South Elgin. 

We thought it was pretty cool for it’s history.  Aiden was little at the time so he just enjoyed the ride itself.  

The conductor even let him honk the horn.  

We went on a typical weekend ride but they also have special events like a Polar Express ride in the winter and a Ghost Story ride in the fall.

Kohl Children's Museum - Glenview, IL

What’s cool about this museum is that it’s interactive, hands on learning. And many of the exhibits reflect real life scenarios like grocery shopping or taking a pet to the vet. All of the exhibits and programs here are designed to make learning fun and interesting for children up to 8 years old.  Aiden was very young when we took him here but he still enjoyed it because there was much to see and touch.  It also has outdoor exhibits as well.  This is really a great educational place for younger children but it does get very crowded.

Yu Kids Island Woodfield Mall - Schaumburg, IL

This place is an indoor kids play area, inside of Woodfield Mall, that is covered in soft padding.   It has several things to play on like a spinning tree, bouncy area filled with balloons, a revolving tube, etc. Aiden used to really enjoy this place. The only reason that we stopped going here was because he got too tall.  This place is only for kids 48 inches or shorter.

Fox River Bike Trail

This bike trail runs from Aurora to Algonquin.  We, of course, only did a tiny portion of that.  We walked from the west side of Carpentersville to downtown East Dundee.  Aiden was younger then and I wasn’t sure if he would be able to walk that far so we took the wagon too.  It was a nice walk through neighborhoods and a park.  We ended near The Depot and ate at a little outdoor restaurant right off the trail.  There are a few restaurants, stores and bars right there so you have choices. 

Special Olympics Young Athletes

Special Olympics Young Athletes is a sports and play program for children with intellectual disabilities, ages 2 to 7 years old.  It introduces basic sports skills like running, kicking and throwing. Aiden participated in this while he was in preschool. He was always such an active kid so I thought he would enjoy this.  Well sports aren’t just about being active. They’re also about following rules and directions, taking turns, etc., a lot of things that Aiden just didn’t have the ability to really focus on at that time. There were some activities he would participate in for a little while but he mostly just wasn’t ready for something as coordinated as this was.

Chuck E. Cheese's

Aiden has been to Chuck E. Cheese several times.  He’s even had a birthday party there before. This is one of those places that he’s always enjoyed.  There were some really super easy games that he was able to play but mostly he liked riding the rides and playing in the play area.  He also liked Chuck E. and his friends when they performed.  And of course, Aiden has always loved pizza!  Is Chuck E. Cheese an overstimulating environment for Aiden?  Probably, but I think he typically reacts so well here because he has the freedom to run around and release his anxiety.