Chicago river cruises with kids
Most children enjoy a river cruise for about as long as the novelty of the bridges lasts, so the length of the trip matters more than the depth of the commentary. The 45-minute Wendella cruise is built around that attention span. Older children and teenagers can manage the 90-minute tours, and a few will want the speedboat instead.
Start with the 45-minute cruise
Wendella's 45-minute family-friendly architecture cruise from ~$28 is the one boat tour on our list planned around children. The guide keeps the live commentary light and aimed at a family crowd rather than at architecture students. The route runs from the Lake Shore Drive end of the river to the Willis Tower on the South Branch, then back past the Riverwalk toward the lake. Children under 4 ride free, though Wendella still wants a ticket issued for them, so add them when you book. It holds 4.7 out of 5 from 2,915 reviews and scores 4.7 for value, level with our pick.
Forty-five minutes ends before most small children reach the restless stage, yet the boat still passes enough towers to keep the adults busy. Seen from the deck, the Willis Tower at 1,451 ft (442 m) seems to lean out over the water, and children tend to crane their necks the whole way down the South Branch. What you give up is the North Branch, which the 90-minute tours add. At ~$28 against ~$45 for the long tour it also costs less per ticket, and our price guide works out the cost per minute.
Snacks and restrooms on board
On Wendella's boats you may bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks, which settles the snack question before it starts. The bar serves drinks for the adults and sells Garrett's Popcorn, a Chicago favorite that few children turn down. Some recent reviewers found the bar a bit expensive, so a bag of your own snacks goes further. The boats are cashless, so bring a card for anything you buy. The ticket price does not cover a tip for the guide.
Every Wendella boat has restrooms on the lower deck with diaper-changing tables, which matters more than it sounds once a toddler is involved. Other operators set different rules. Shoreline does not allow outside food or drinks on board, and First Lady sells drinks and small snacks in its salons. Chicago Line's architecture tour with drinks from ~$42 includes lemonade and soft drinks in the fare, with coffee and tea for the grown-ups, though at 1.5 hours it suits children who can sit still.
Short enough for small children, from ~$28
Live commentary pitched at families, and children under 4 ride free. Bring your own snacks; the boat runs rain or shine with climate-controlled seats below.
Getting a stroller to the boat
Wendella's main dock beside the Wrigley Building, at 400 N Michigan Ave, sits 62 steps below the street with no elevator. Its West Dock does have an elevator, with entrances at 401 N Wabash Ave and on Michigan Ave between 400 and 410 N Michigan, and plenty of summer departures go from that dock. Ask Wendella which dock your departure uses. If it turns out to be the Michigan Avenue steps, fold the stroller before you start down and carry the baby separately.
First Lady asks you to fold strollers, which then stay in the salon until the cruise ends. The First Lady dock, on the south side of the river a little east of the Michigan Avenue bridge, is two levels below Wacker Drive on the Riverwalk, and its stairs have no elevator either. The step-free way in is the ramp at State Street and Wacker, followed by a walk of two blocks east along the Riverwalk. Our accessibility guide describes those routes in more detail, and they help with a heavy stroller as much as with a wheelchair. For the walk to every boarding point, see where each cruise boards.
Seats and safety on deck
Deck seats on Wendella go first come, first served, and a few reviewers of the 45-minute cruise found it crowded with too few seats. Arrive about 30 minutes early. Bags are searched before boarding, and boarding starts roughly 15 minutes ahead of departure, so an early family gets the pick of the rail seats. A child who gets cold or bored can retreat to the climate-controlled cabin below.
The stairs between decks are where small children need a hand most. On First Lady boats the upper deck sits at the top of an 11-step stairwell. One First Lady reviewer warned that the boat horn is loud, so ear defenders help a child who hates sudden noise. Hold small hands near the rail, above all when the boat docks and everyone stands up at once.
Rain does not cancel the cruises. Wendella and First Lady both run rain or shine, and both have covered seating. The season guide shows which months and hours tend to be calmer, which helps if you would rather avoid the summer weekend crowds.
When a longer cruise works
Our pick, Wendella's 90-minute architecture cruise from ~$45, follows all three branches of the river with a live guide. On this listing children under 3 ride free. For a child of 8 or older who likes tall buildings, an hour and a half passes easily, and free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead helps if a nap schedule upends the plan. For a toddler it is a long time to sit on a boat.
The lake and river cruise from ~$45 adds the part many children like most, the Chicago Harbor Lock. The boat rises a few feet to the level of Lake Michigan in a passage of about 10–15 minutes, then is lowered again on the way back. "I loved the LOCK part," wrote one reviewer. Out on the lake you pass Navy Pier and the Shedd Aquarium, though the water can be choppy and windy, and in high summer a busy lock can stretch the trip past 90 minutes. Lake or river only compares the two kinds of route.
The Architecture Center cruise from ~$57 is a different case. The Chicago Architecture Center itself says the cruise is not recommended for children under 12, and every passenger needs a ticket. A teenager with an interest in design will get far more from a docent's commentary than a six-year-old will, and our guide to the CAC cruise explains what sets it apart.
A speedboat for older kids
For children who would rather go fast than hear about Art Deco, the Chicago Seadog speedboat cruise from ~$42 leaves from Navy Pier and passes through the locks to a narrated river leg, then opens up along the lakefront. The listing calls it family-friendly. The catch is that it delivers more thrill than architecture, and you can get wet. Its scores also trail the other boats, at 4.5 overall and 4.4 for value. It suits a ten-year-old who will sit through the river part for the reward of speed. Which cruise to choose sets it against the slower boats.
Matching the cruise to the child
- Babies and toddlers. The 45-minute cruise, with under-4s free and changing tables on board
- Ages 5 to 10. The 45-minute cruise, or the lake and river cruise for the lock
- Children with a phone. A seat at the rail and our photo tips
- Teenagers who like design. The CAC docent cruise from ~$57
- Thrill seekers. The Seadog speedboat, if wet clothes will not spoil the day
- An evening out. The 45-minute cruise after dark; see night cruises