Time to rev up your special day with some party activities that you’ve never done before!
Here’s a fact: Chicago used to host over 50 million tourists every year, before COVID struck and disrupted, well, just about everything.
In 2021, as the pandemic and lockdowns eased, Chicago hosted over 30 million visitors, both domestic and international, and is on track to exceed the pre-pandemic tourist numbers by 2023.
Why are we talking tourist numbers in a blog post about unique and offbeat birthday party ideas in Chicago?
With tourist numbers like that, you know Chicago is a wondrous place with lots of things for folks to do and opportunities for them to enjoy themselves.
And it’s not like everybody’s here to take photos of the Bean, listen to music at the Pritzker Pavilion and skate at the McCormick Ice Rink, right?
A lot of them are coming here to take part in all the unconventional experiences that Chicago has to offer…unconventional experiences that could be part of your coming birthday party.
Here are 5 unique and offbeat birthday party ideas that Chicagoans will love!
Party at Oz Park
It’s called Oz Park. I’ll leave it up to you to guess what the park is all about and what it’s inspired by.
While it’s primarily a place where local parents take their kids (mostly preschoolers) to play in Dorothy’s Playlot, you’ll enjoy gathering at the park for a family picnic to mark your birthday.
Look for statues of Dorothy & Toto, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion.
You can have a quiet get-together in the Emerald Garden where families do enjoy afternoons.
Or you can check out their baseball diamonds, and basketball courts and tennis courts.
Website: Visit its webpage on the Park District website
Location: Check address/Plan route on Google Maps
Enquiry form: Visit the Park District contact page
Email: play@chicagoparkdistrict.com
Phone: (312) 742-7898
Visit the Medieval Torture Museum (trust me, it’s no torture!)
Normally, a birthday party that’s a visit to a museum might sound like torture.
For example, unless you and all of your guests are fans of art, a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art isn’t a birthday party they’ll remember!
But, as they say, every rule has its exceptions.
And here’s one exception to that rule: the Medieval Torture Museum.
Over 6000 sq ft of interactive, hands-on displays of gruesome tools and devices used for the darkest of purposes in days long past.
From pain-inducing techniques to executions - there are all kinds of historical torture mechanisms on display.
You can also download an official ghost hunting app to detect the spirits of the souls that haunt this institution. Hold that thought…we’ll revisit detecting spirits and ghosts in a bit.
Website: Visit their website
Location: Check address/Plan route on Google Maps
Email: mtm.chicago@benaur.com
Phone: (773) 241-7777
Learn all about the art of misdirection at the Museum of Illusions
A fan of TV shows like Deception and/or movies like Now You See Me?
Then you’re gonna LOVE this.
An entire museum dedicated to illusions and deceptions - the Museum of Illusions (yeah, well, you didn’t expect it to be called the Museum of Pollutions, did you).
You could walk into a room with all the furniture on the walls. Or into a room full of mirrors that make for some splendid sights!
There are also very many smaller exhibits like holograms and optical tricks, plus explanations of the science behind each illusion.
To learn more about this fascinating museum, go to our blog post on the Museum of Illusions in Chicago.
Website: Visit their website
Location: Check address/Plan route on Google Maps
Email: chicago@museumofillusions.us
Phone: (312) 722-6780
Go on a ghost tour
Speaking of detecting spirits and ghosts, did you know Chicago’s history is intertwined with the paranormal?
From crime scenes to supernatural sites, there are a few episodes of the macabre in our city, exploring which would make for quite the…
I don’t mean to startle you, but that “the” you see above is the 666th word of this blog post. Spooky, huh?
Anyway, here are a few ghost tours you may want to check out for your birthday…
Haunted History Tours by Adam Selzer at Lincoln Park Zoo.
Haunted Tours of Historic Prairie Avenue, beginning at the Glessner House.
A ghost tour of The Loop by Free Tours by Foot.
The Ghosts and Gangsters kayak tour, which will reveal fascinating sides of the city’s Wild West days, as you kayak down Chicago River at night, and…
Chicago Ghost Tours with Nightly Spirits, a tour through Chicago’s ghostliest bars and pubs.
Ready for a spooktacular birthday party?
Race against time at Fox in a Box!
How would you like to team up with friends and go on a mission for your birthday?
It could be anything from breaking out of a prison to escape a life sentence, to breaking into a bunker to avert a nuclear disaster.
Dunno how escape rooms work?
Here’s the lowdown:
The entire experience takes place in an indoors space that’s been set up (with room decor, props and special effects) to simulate the game/mission environment.
You and your friends will have to work together, as a team, to spot clues, solve puzzles and execute tasks to find your way forward and ultimately accomplish your mission…
All of that within 60 minutes.
This isn’t just self-promotion; escape rooms happen to be a top birthday party activity in Chicago.
Ready for one helluva birthday?
Website: Visit the homepage
Location: Check address/Plan route on Google Maps
Email: info@foxinaboxchicago.com
Phone: (312) 878-7899
Unconventional ways of celebrating your birthday in Chicago - a final word
As you can see, there are umpteen birthday celebration options in Chicago that don’t involve snapping pics at the Bean, going for a pizza party at Malnati’s, or touring Grant Park.
Chicago is a vibrant and diverse city, offering lots of ways to celebrate your birthday that you haven’t done before, AND that will have your guests talking about the party for months.
Which one will you choose for that coming special day?
Featured image by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.
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