Winter WonderFest takes place annually at Navy Pier. Rides and attractions include ice skating, an indoor ferris wheel, obstacle courses and a climbing wall. There is live entertainment throughout the event, including jugglers and musical acts. The Winter Wind Glider, a hang glider style ride, takes passengers up 40 feet into the air, suspended from a track. The Bah Humbug Court has "holiday cops" that give tickets to WonderFest attendees that are exhibiting less than cheerful behavior. You can protest your ticket in front of Honorable Mayor Evergreen or serve your "sentence" in Jolly Jail with its candy-cane bars. Some rides, like the Winter Wonder Glider, are age-restricted, so there's also a Winter WonderFest Jr. area with activities that include a moon bounce, a ball pit and tunnels, all with a holiday theme.
Ice skating at Millennium Park is a fun way to get your heart rate up and enjoy the cold. Though not strictly a Christmas activity, the holiday season is an ideal time to hit the rink. Skating is free, but there is a charge for renting skates, and the rink is open seven days a week starting in November and ending in March, weather permitting. Hours vary from day to day.
The Great Tree at Macy's in the Walnut Room was first lit in 1907. The tree lighting continues to this day. Chicago's mayor and the CEO of Macy's are usually on hand, along with a number of entertainers. The tree is 45 feet tall with tens of thousands of lights and over 1,000 ornaments. The Great Tree Lighting takes place in November, and the tree stays up through January.
The Museum of Science and Industry goes all out for the holiday season. There's a 45 foot tree in the Grand Rotunda that's surrounded by 50 smaller trees. The smaller trees are decorated by volunteers of different ethnic backgrounds from all over Chicago who decorate the trees according to their culture's traditions. There's also a stage for area school choral groups to perform. The museum is open daily, except for Christmas Day.
