Kick June to the curb and smash the fun this weekend with a wacky roadside stops, a Pride celebration at Navy Pier, family meals with riverviews, or stick close to home with virtual music and dance classes. Read on for more ideas and get ready to play in a big way.

photo: Navy Pier

Head to Navy Pier for a Pride Celebration
Honor Pride Month in person at the People’s Pier for the 5th consecutive year of Navy Pier Pride. Celebrate equality, love and the LGBTQ+ community with a free daylong celebration that includes live musical performances. Sat. Event details. 

Make a Gnome Garden with Lillstreet
Pick up a kit at Lillstreet and learn to sculpt and glaze your own gnome with live instruction on Zoom. Sat. Event details. 

Attend a Virtual Fest
Do Division Street Fest is kicking off summer virtually! This fest features week-long special promotions and programming from West Town’s small businesses and two nights of electrifying live-streaming tunes. Fri.-Sun. Event details. 

Go on a Troll Hunt
Something special emerged from the vast spaces at Morton Arboretum. . . unusual creatures, each made of reclaimed wood and 15- to 20-feet-tall. Guardians of the forest, who are trying to make sense of the human world. Fri.-Sun. Event details. 

Take a Music Class with Bubbles Academy
Get movin’ & groovin’ with Bubbles Academy via a virtual Family Music & Movement class! Fri. Event details. & Sat. Event details.

Find the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in Chicago
We let our taste buds guide us to the best chocolate chip cookies in Chicago and are sharing their whereabouts. Take a quick field trip this weekend to give one of them (or a few, we won’t judge) a try! Details.

Make a Few Wacky Roadside Stops
There are quite a few interesting sites around Chicago you can view without stepping out of your car. Set out on an adventure to find them with the family. Details.

Slip Into Your Ballet Shoes 
Ballet, the Bubbles way! They’ll introduce ballet basics through a thematic storytelling approach, and get your bodies and imagination moving! Fri. Event details. 

Go Virtual with Mr. Dave Music
Mr. Dave is going virtual. Join him for a 30-minute experience streamed from his home studio. You’ll use shakers, scarves and introduce your kids to various sounds. Fri. Event details. & Sat. Event details.

Cruise the Waterways on a Fireboat
Once the largest diesel-powered Fireboat in the world, the Fred A. Busse is now set to share a bit of history with its passengers. Fri.-Sun. Event details. 

Dine with River Views
Get a good dose of those river views you’ve missed by booking a family meal outside on River Roast’s patio. Psssst. . . this kids will love their Golden Gobbets, which are sorta like Chicken Nuggets, but better. Fri.-Sun. Event details. 

Have a Family Jam-a-Long
Grab any instruments you have at home (Homemade maracas count! Just add dry rice or beans to a container) and join in for an afternoon virtual jam session! Fri. Event details. 

Explore Chicago Botanic Garden
The Garden is broadening access to the gardens this weekend, after a limited open for 2 weeks. Pre-registration to enjoy the beauty of the gardens is required. Fri.-Sun. Event details.

— Maria Chambers

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