75 Excellent Things To Do In June In Chicago

Colby Smith • June 8, 2020

June marks the first month of “summer in the city,” though of course this year it’s looking quite different from the past.

But you can still make a difference and have an impact while also enjoying yourself and what the city has to offer.

From continuing to support and amplify the Black community, to getting outdoors to enjoy the first burst of summer weather, here are 75 excellent ways to spend the month of June.

1-5. Support The Black Lives Matter Movement Here In Chicago

Here are 5 tangible ways to be a part of the change and support the powerful sweeping the country movement, that goes well beyond this month.

6-15. Read Literature To Help Educated You On Systemic Racism

This list is a good place to start.

16-26. Watch Series And Films To Further Your Education On Black History

Continue your education by learning key moments in black history through this list of series and films.

27. Support Black-Owned Restaurants In Chicago

Chicago is home to a wide-variety of amazing restaurants owned and operated by black men and women.

28. Enjoy Dinner Al Fresco

Chicago has reopened bars and restaurants for outdoor dining. Additionally, the city has designated 6 streets to create space for patio diners to social distance effectively.

29. Witness Mind-Bending Magical Feats At Paige’s Quarantine Conjuring Livestream

Times are heavy right now. If you need a brief moment of escape, enchant yourself as you tune in to Paige’s Quarantine Conjuring — a charming livestream magic show filled with all the wonder of a live performance.

30. Get A Little More Magical With This Chicago-Style ‘Drunk Magic’

Grab a seat, pour a drink, and prepare to be amazed by the magic and mentalism of Drunk Magic, an intimate live performance with the Amazing Bibik streamed straight your your living room!

31. Celebrate Beethoven’s 250th Birthday With A Live Multi-Sensory Performance

Conceptualized and created by violinist Jeff Yang, In The Realm of Senses is a sensory art project representing a symbiosis of artistic mediums that engage all of our five senses through music, visual art, gastronomy, olfactory art, literature, theater, and dance.

32. Put The ‘Art’ In Party At This Virtual BYOB Paint’N’Sip Party

If there’s one thing that quarantine has proved, it’s that drinking isn’t a lost art. Get your creative juices buzzing on at the Virtual Paint ‘N’ Sip Party that is more party than art class.

33. Laugh Yourself Off The Sofa During This Virtual Comedy Tour

Let’s be honest, we could all use a laugh right now. And while we know how tempting it is to cycle through more re-runs of that one sitcom you like, why not freshen things up with some live(stream) comedy! Grab some sofa, keep rocking the sweatpants, and tune into the some of the funniest comics on their Virtual Comedy Tour!

34. Get A Crash Course On Tequila

Why are margaritas so magical? What is the difference between Jose Cuervo and Patron? And what in the heck is mezcal? All of these questions will be answered in Virtual Cocktail Seminar: Making Your Own Signature Margarita!

35. Learn How To Perfect The Cheeseboard With This Online Charcuterie Board Class

Who doesn’t appreciate a good cheeseboard? No civilized person, that’s for sure. Chowing down on an assortment of cheeses and meats is one thing, but learning how to craft a board worthy of excellence is a game-changer. With this interactive Online Charcuterie Class, you can get the low down on everything you need to know about building the perfect cheeseboard!

36. Catch A Flick At A Drive-In Movie Theater

Take a little road trip out to Gibson City to catch one of their double feature screenings.

37. Explore The Most Beautiful Wisteria Tree In The World, Virtually

This stunning wisteria tree has wandered straight out of a fairytale.

38. Go To The Park!

As of this moment, June 8, all parks except for Lakefront Trail are open to the public, including: Grant Park, Lincoln Park, Burnham Park, Harold Washington park, and Jackson Park.

39-44. Plan A Future Vacation

So many countries are starting to open back up to tourists. Here’s where we have our eye on:

45. Tune In To The First Sunrise And Sunset At Stonehenge

Stonehenge will stream the summer solstice live for the first time in its 5,000-year history! Here’s how you can experience this once-in-a-lifetime event from home.

46. Celebrate Pride Fest Virtually

The annual festival will kick off on Twitch for two nights beginning on Saturday, June 20. Organizers behind the Pride Fest in Boystown have recently announced a date (and platform) for the annual festival. This year, the festival is going digital with a Twitch livestream and fundraiser that will go from June 20 to 21 starting at 7:00 pm.

47. Become A Sake Expert With This Curated Box Set Delivered Straight To Your Door

With this special set from Tippsy Sake—the best online sake store in the U.S.—three 10oz bottles of high-quality Sake will be delivered right to your home. In additional to the three bottles, each box also includes product cards that describe the origin, tasting notes and additional details about each type.

48-52. Tour The Country’s Breathtaking National Parks

Five National Parks from across the U.S. are now ripe for exploration on Google Arts & Culture, who’ve created 360-degree video tours of each park. It’s high-production stuff, too, with a swish video intro setting the scene, and a park ranger on hand to walk you through the most dramatic landscapes, historical landmarks, and beautiful bits of each park. Here’s where you can explore!

53. Have A Cocktail

City bars are now reopen for outdoor eating and drinking, consult this list for our favorite cocktail makers in the Windy City.

54. Make Your Own Escape Room

Transform your living room, bathroom, kitchen or even your garden into a thrilling escape game with this incredible Escape Kit.

55. Get A Burger From Hip-Hop’s Favorite Burger Joint

The L.A.-based burger chain, Fatburger has been featured in songs from artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, and Ice Cube. The chain recently reopened a kitchen in Chicago for delivery only.

56. Try Goose Island’s New “Shea Coul-Alé” In Support Of Pride

The brewery’s latest beer features former Ru Paul’s Drag Race contestant and Chicago native, Shea Couleé. A portion of the profits will go toward TransTech, an incubator for LGBTQ Talent in a co-working community.

57. Gear Up For An Immersive Upcoming Murder Mystery

Fever Originals is teaming up with High Stakes Productions — the creative group behind long-running shows at The Second City and The Annoyance Theatre — to bring you a terribly fun murder mystery game set in Prohibition Era Chicago. The games will take place in September, but you better get your tickets now before they sell out!

58. Dine Down On Chicago’s Best Deep Dish

While deep dish isn’t something Chicagoans eat on the reg, it’s still the city staple, and, still in rotation during these quarantine days. See which parlors that are still slinging out Chicago’s signature ‘za.

59. Get Roasted Curbside At Wiener Circle

Chicago’s iconic, and foul-mouthed, hot dog stand, Wiener Circle is now offering their street food for curbside on Tock. If you’re pining for a good verbal ass-whooping, you can choose a side of “curbside abuse” and get roasted by the staff as you wait in line.

60. Keep An Ear Out For The Neighborhood Beer Van

In the past few days Chicagoans have noticed a blacked-out van roving through their residential neighborhoods. To the concern of some parents, the disappointment of some children, and to the sweet delight of many bar-deprived citizens — that van is out delivering ice-cold brewskis.

61. Check Out These Garden Pop-Ups

The Green Market Garden is a collective of pop-ups that set-up shop on restaurant patios around Chicago. Their hours usually run from noon to 6pm, but their locations vary by the day.

63. Get Your Fill Of Local Art

Potholes are a pain in the you-know-where. And while most of us wait for the city to care of them, and avoid them at all costs in the meantime, there are vigilantes that take to the streets to fill those holes for the good of humankind. Graze the streets of Chicago and keep your head down to spot one of Jim Bachor’s groundbreaking works of art.

64. Go On A Galactic Endeavor Through Adler Planetarium’s Stellar Virtual Exhibitions

While its doors remain closed to the public during the state’s stay-at-home order, the Planetarium is still engaged light-speed ahead in its quest of intergalactic discovery. Explore their cosmic expositions through the deep space that is the internet!

65. Explore The City Of Chicago Virtually

Take a tour of the Windy City and get a crash course tour of the city’s historical architecture, outside artists, trailblazing inventors, and more!

66-71. Look Forward to Incredible Events This Summer and Fall

Even though we’re staying safe at home right now, it’s still fun to plan how we’re going to celebrate later this summer and fall. Don’t miss these fantastic events coming to Chicago later this year:

72. Look for a Rainbow on Your Daily (Socially Distant) Walk

Little moments of kindness and comfort do a lot to lift spirits during this challenging time, and Chicagoans have been doing their part in such a sweet way: by putting rainbows in their windows. The “Rainbow Connection” first began as a way to entertain children on daily walks, according to Buzzfeed, since they couldn’t see their friends or go out to playgrounds anymore. Neighbors all over the country started putting rainbows in their windows, whether in the form of drawings, paintings, etc., so children could try to spot as many as they could while out and about. Now there is a map where you can see all of them!

73. Learn How to Play 40 Different Board Games

Staying inside doesn’t have to be board-ing…see what we did there? One of our favorite ways to spend a day inside is to play board games, so we’ve put together a list of entertaining tabletop fun you can have while you wait out the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of our favorite board games and for easy access, we’ve also included video instructions so you can get started right away!

74. Play Bingo With A Twist

Join an epic live drag show from the comfort of your living room with Isolation Bingo, a ‘night out’ on your sofa, with Charlie Hides herself hosting.

75. Brew At Home

Bars still closed? Not a problem! Our guide will lead you through the process via live streaming with humor and history, just like on City Brew Tours, award-winning tours – the difference is, you can complete this whole experience from inside your own kitchen!

[Featured image via Unsplash]