Chicago, also known as the Windy City, is home to a rich and vibrant culture as well as multiple sports teams (the Bears, the Cubs, the Bulls). It is the third most populous city in the United States behind New York and Los Angeles. The Willis Tower (formerly known as, and still commonly referred to as, the Sears Tower) is the tallest building in America.
There are world famous parks and zoos in the city limits. In addition to the sports teams and landmarks of the area, though, Chicago is also a great area for action sports. Situated at the top of the Midwest and near the Great Lakes, it has great potential for a vast array of sports activities. Some popular activities in Chicago include boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, skydiving, scuba diving, biking, hiking and more. What better activity to do in the Windy City than skydiving? Get a unique view of the Chicago skyline; see it while falling from an airplane. Skydive Midwest is the area’s premier drop zone and is located just south of Lake Michigan, between Milwaukee and Chicago.
Keep that adrenaline pumping with car racing at Chicagoland Racing School. Drive a NASCAR style racer with 600-horsepower up to 160 miles per hour. If you are looking for something that’s less of an adrenaline pump and more of an outdoor adventure, search no further than the Lake Michigan area. Rent a paddleboard and tour the coastline to see what makes the Great Lakes “great”. Go kayaking above the deep blue waters of the lake. Or go swimming underneath the surface with scuba gear. Who knows? You may even find a shipwreck or two.
Or go biking in the beautiful Palos Forest Preserve. With more than 50 miles of bike trails and varying degrees of difficulty from beginner to advanced, the trails have something for everyone. If you’re looking for action sports in Chicago’s city limits, there’s a lot of that, too. Wilson Skate Park has ramps, stairs, step-ups, bowls and pools for skaters of all levels to ride. If you’re a rock climber, Old Town Rock climbing is worth checking out. They have top roping, bouldering, and lead climbing of all difficulties.
Keep up on your acrobatics at Sky High Sports trampoline park. If you’re into extreme paintball, CPX is the place to go. With more than 7 fields of play that are fully engineered for maximum player engagement, it’s a great place to go shoot your friends with semi-automatic weapons. So if you are into the more extreme things in life, Chicago is a great place to be. With the various parks and gyms around the city and the forest preserves and lakes just outside, it is a land of opportunity for any adventurer.
Top 10 Action Sport Activities in Chicago
- Skydiving with Skydive Midwest
- Stand-Up Paddleboarding on Lake Michigan
- Single-Track Mountain Biking at Palos Forest Preserves
- Car Racing with Chicagoland Racing School
- Jumping at Sky High Sports Trampoline Park
- Indoor Rock Climbing at Old Town
- Kayaking on Lake Michigan
- Skateboarding at Wilson Skate Park
- Scuba Diving in Lake Michigan
- Competing at CBX Paintball Park
photo credits: Kamil Dziedzina Photos, kern.justin
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