The best things to do in Chicago in the fall 2024. From fall foliage and fun fall-themed activities and events, these are the top things to do in late September, October and November in the city and suburbs.
I suggest bookmarking this blog post as I will be updating it regularly with new events and activities.
Chicago in the Fall
Fall is my favorite season and one of the best times to visit Chicago. It has the best weather (not too hot or too cold) which makes it a perfect time to be outdoors.
There are many fun activities and events that take place in Chicago in the fall. September brings the start of unique fall activities like apple picking, visiting pumpkin patches and corn mazes. October brings beautiful fall colors and fun Halloween themed activities, while November brings the start of Christmas holiday events and activities and Thanksgiving.
Best Chicago Fall Activities in 2024
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Whether you live in the Chicagoland area or are planning a visit, here are the best things to do in and around Chicago in the fall including the best Chicago fall 2024 events.
Take an Architecture Cruise
Taking an architecture river cruise is a must when visiting Chicago. Fall is the best season for a river cruise as they tend to be less crowded and the weather tends to be more pleasant.
Take a Lake Cruise
Early fall is your last chance for a lake cruise before it gets too cold and lake cruises stop running (usually end of October). While you don’t get to see the buildings up close like on a architecture river cruise, you do get to enjoy skyline views. Lake cruises depart from Navy Pier or the Michigan Avenue bridge.
If your time is short, consider a combination river and lake cruise.
Tip: It is breezy and much colder on water than on land (especially in the evening) so bring a scarf and sweater even if the weather is warm.
Take a Ghost Tour
Explore Chicago while learning about its haunted past and visiting the sites of some of the most gruesome disasters and murders in Chicago’s history.
If you enjoy guided tours, this haunted segway tour and this Halloween bike tour are fun fall themed tours.
This ghosts and gangsters tour is available year round and also covers Chicago’s history of organized crime.
BITE! by AirOtic Soirée
BITE! by AirOtic Soirée is in Chicago for only a few weeks this fall with a Halloween-themed burlesque-style cirque cabaret. Be captivated by hypnotic dances, vampiric acrobats, and spine-tingling stunts that seamlessly blend Halloween camp with the sensual allure of burlesque. Delicious cocktails are included, and bottle service is available on-site. 21+ with valid ID.
When: October 10-November 2, 2024
Where: Joy District, 112 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654
Cost: Price varies. Click here for full prices and to purchase tickets in advance.
Attend a Candlelight Concert
Chicago’s Candlelight Concerts is a series of special classical music concerts that take place in beautiful venues bathed in candlelight. Some of the concerts taking place this fall include:
Latin Pop Hits
A Tribute to Taylor Swift
A Tribute to Beyoncé at Music Box Theatre
A Tribute to Coldplay on Strings
Best of Bridgerton on Strings
Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics at Wicker Park Lutheran Church
Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Classical Compositions at Bohemian National Cemetery
You can find the full list of candlelight concerts in Chicago here.
Enjoy the Views from 360 CHICAGO Observation Deck
360 CHICAGO, the observatory on the 94th floor of the former John Hancock Building, has one of the best views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan. October and November are great months to visit as you can see fall colors from above.
(Click here to buy a skip the line ticket).
Where: 875 North Michigan Avenue, 94th floor, Chicago, IL 60611
Enjoy the Views from the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier
A ride on the large Ferris wheel offers paranoramic skyline views of Chicago and is a great way to see fall colors from above. (Click here to purchase a fast pass ticket and skip the long line).
Check out the new Flyover Chicago, an immersive flyover experience.
Other fun attractions at Navy Pier include rides and games, restaurants, shops and the Chicago Children’s Museum making it a must do if you are visiting Chicago with toddlers or kids. Navy Pier is also the starting point for many boat rides and lake cruises.
Enjoy the Views From the Chicago Riverwalk
The Chicago Riverwalk is one of the best spots in Chicago for people watching and there are also restaurants, bars, shops and places to sit along the way. Fall is a great time to relax at the Riverwalk as it is less crowded than the summer and you can also enjoy the fall colors..
Several restaurants on the Riverwalk will be hosting fall themed events during fall weekends. The Northman has 3 weekends of a family-friendly Oktoberfest activities (through October 6) with live music performances from a German folk-pop group.
Island Party Hut, a bar and grill on the Riverwalk, will be hosting its annual Fall Fest on the Riverwalk every Saturday (from September 21-October 26, 2024) with live music, hayrides on the river, pumpkin patch, fall cocktails & beer, apple cider donuts and other fall themed fun.
Where: Along the south bank of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago from Lake Michigan to west of Franklin Street. You can see a map here.
Hours: Open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Look for Street Art
Fall is a great time to walk around Chicago looking for street art while also enjoying the beautiful full colors.
One of the most well known Chicago murals is “Moose Bubblegum Bubble” by Jacob Watts which located at 33 E. Congress (South Wall). This famous mural is part of the Wabash Arts Corridor and is walking distance to Millennium Park, The Art Institute of Chicago and other tourist attractions.
Another famous mural is the Greetings From Chicago Mural at 2226 N Milwaukee Ave. You can see this mural and other street art on this street art tour.
Visit Lincoln Park Zoo During Fall Fest
Visit Lincoln Park Zoo during its annual Fall Fest. This family-friendly celebration will offer free fun fall activities including a pumpkin patch, professional pumpkin carvers, free musical entertainment, story times and more. Every weekend will offer something new.
When: Fridays-Sundays, September 27–October 27, 2024
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Address: 2400 N. Cannon Drive
Cost: Admission to the zoo is FREE but some fall fest attractions are paid.
Visit a Pumpkin Patch
Looking for a fun fall themed activity? There are many pumpkin patches you can visit in Chicago and the suburbs.
Pumpkin patches usually open to the public sometime in September and stay open until the end of October. Here is a list of the best pumpkin patches in and near Chicago.
Get Lost in a Corn Maze
There are many corn mazes in the Chicago area – from large intricate mazes perfect for adults and older children to small kid-friendly corn mazes. Most mazes open sometime in September until the end of October.
Richardson Adventure Farm located in Spring Grove, Illinois (about an hour north of the city) claims to be world’s largest most intricate corn maze. Here are more corn mazes near Chicago to visit this fall.
Go Apple Picking
You might not associate apple picking with a big city like Chicago, but there are many apple orchards located nearby. The closest apple orchards are located in the Chicago suburbs about an hour or less from downtown.
Some apple orchards are small and only offer apple picking for an affordable price while other farms offer fresh apple cider donuts and kid friendly attractions and activities like pumpkin patches, corn mazes, kid farms, animals, playgrounds and more.
Apple picking season starts mid to late August and lasts until mid to end of October but different types of apples are available for picking throughout the season. Here is a list of apple orchards near Chicago for apple picking with locations, dates, hours, prices and all the information you need to plan your visit.
Enjoy Fall Foliage
There are many places in and near Chicago to admire the beautiful autumn leaves. The peak time for the best fall foliage in Chicago is usually mid October. For exact dates, this weekly fall color report keeps track of fall foliage times across Illinois and this fall foliage map by weather.com shows the progress of fall foliage in all of the United States.
You can see fall colors at some of Chicago’s most popular attractions including Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”) in Millennium Park, Lurie Garden, Chicago Riverwalk and Lincoln Park.
If you are willing to leave the city, you can find even more spectacular fall foliage in the suburbs of Chicago. Some of the best spots to see fall colors in the suburbs include:
• Morton Arboretum (in Lisle about 26 miles west of downtown) is home to more than 4,000 different types of trees among 1,700 acres. They publish a weekly fall color report on their website. The arboretum hosts fall events and activities including the Cider and Ale Festival (October 5, 2024), Annual Glass Pumpkin Patch (October 11-13, 2024) and Fall Color 5K Run and Walk (October 26, 2024).
• The Chicago Botanic Garden (in suburban Glencoe about 24 miles north of downtown) is one of the world’s great living museums and conservation science centers with 27 gardens and four natural areas, situated on 385 acres on and around nine islands, with six miles of lake shoreline. Their website has a recommended fall color-tree walk for the best viewing. Every October, they host the Night of 1,000 Pumpkins (October 16 – 20 and 23 – 27, 2024) which is very popular event. Tickets are now on sale and sell out quickly.
Visit Local Farmers Markets
You can find many farmers markets around Chicago until the end of October. These markets are a great place to buy healthy farm-fresh foods from local farms.
Two of the best farmers markets in Chicago include the Green City Market in Lincoln Park and the Logan Square Farmers Market.
You can see the list and schedule of all Chicago farmers markets here.
Titanic: The Exhibition
Titanic: The Exhibition is only in the Chicago area for a limited time. This interactive experience allows you to step inside recreations of the Titanic’s interior. Immerse yourself in the stories of its passengers, see hundreds of artifacts, and discover the tale of the design, creation, launch, maiden voyage, and tragedy of the historic ship.
Where: 4963 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie, IL 60077 (about 17 miles from downtown Chicago)
Cost: Price varies. Click here for full prices and to purchase tickets in advance.
Best Chicago Fall 2024 Events
Open House Chicago
The Chicago Architecture Center hosts Open House Chicago (October 19-20, 2024) – a free event which gives you behind-the-scenes access into hundreds of buildings across Chicago every year in October.
Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest
Usher in the fall with the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Apple Fest (October 5-6, 2024). Apple Fest is a long standing tradition in Lincoln Square, bringing the neighborhood together to celebrate the beginning of autumn. Enjoy on ciders and apple inspired dishes and stock up on your fall essentials from local vendors while listening to local musicians.
More Chicago Fall 2024 Events
In addition to the activities mentioned above, other Chicago fall 2024 events include: Oktoberfest at Lincoln Park Zoo (September 21, 2024), Chicago Gourmet (September 26-29, 2024), Hyde Park Jazz Festival (September 28-29, 2024), St. Benedict’s OktoberFest (October 4-6, 2024), Lincoln Park Wine Fest (October 4-6, 2024), Chicago Beer Festival (October 5, 2024), Chicago Fashion Week (October 9–20,2024), Chicago Marathon (October 13, 2024), 57th Chicago International Film Festival (October 16-27, 2024), Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade (October 19, 2024), Illumination Halloween Gala (October 26, 2024), Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade & Costume Contest (October 31, 2024), Fall Wine Stroll (Lincoln Square) (November 7, 2024) and Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer (FoBAB) (November 22-23, 2024).
These are some of the best things to do in Chicago during the fall.
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