Sports and leisure activities Chicago

Budget & Tips

You can totally exercise and relax without paying a dime in Chicago: just take advantage of the parks, which offer the perfect setting for jogging or just hanging out when the weather is good. In the summer, the city's 26 miles of beach are free!

Then, it all depends on how many sports or leisure activities you want to do during your stay in the Great Lakes: a baseball game at Chicago's Wrigley Field, a sailboat rental to sail on the lakes, or a snowmobile to ride in the hills of northern Wisconsin... It's up to you to prioritize according to your budget!

What's very local

In winter, the region gets so cold that the smaller lakes freeze over and become the playground for locals to skate or ice fish. This is especially true in Minnesota, which has a multitude of small lakes suitable for these activities. As for the Great Lakes, they are far too large to freeze over!

To be booked

If you're dreaming of attending a Chicago Bulls game, it's best to book your ticket several weeks in advance, knowing that the basketball season runs from mid-October to mid-April (or even longer if the Bulls go deep into the playoffs). That's how you'll get the best rates. This is also true for baseball and American soccer games, although prices are generally lower for the latter. If you're going to do this at the last minute, check out resale sites such as www.ticketmaster.com, which will give you the best prices.

Main events

Americans follow four sports with devotion: soccer (season from September to February, culminating in the Super Bowl), baseball (season from late March to September), basketball and field hockey (season from October to April for both). During the season months, you can watch the local teams play in their respective stadiums, or watch them in the bars with the locals. And let's not forget European soccer, here called soccer, which is starting to make its mark (regular season from March to October). All of the city's sports venues also host concerts

Tourist traps

Avoid buying tickets sold on the sly outside the stadiums. Even if they are real tickets, you will have no recourse in case of a scam. Only accept tickets that are offered to you for free (yes, it can happen!), you won't risk anything this way. Don't buy tickets from a private person on Craigslist either, prefer an official resale site as mentioned above.