Access Living Youth Center - Places to Hang in Chicago

Places to Hang in Chicago

Having a cool place to hang out is very important. Being able to kick back outside the house reduces stress and is just plain fun. After all, if you’re going to school or working a job, you deserve a break.

Sometimes youth worry that a place that they would like to hang out won’t be accessible, especially wheelchair accessible.

If you are concerned about wheelchair access, there are lots of ideas. Some people like to go to the movies. Other people like to meet friends at a coffee shop or the mall. People who like sports can go to a game. Everybody likes to eat, so going out to eat is always good, whether you like fast food or fancy food.

Other ideas might be going to a bookstore. Major bookstores like Borders and Barnes and Noble usually have good physical access. Many museums also have good physical access as well. Try visiting your local aquarium, natural history or art museum to learn something new.

Here in Chicago, we have a few recommendations.

A popular downtown place to see the movies is Loew’s at 600 N. Michigan. The Riverside and Water Tower Place malls are popular as well. In good weather, Grant Park is fun, where you can hear outside concerts or see “the Bean.” The Museum Campus has wheelchair access and you can visit the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, or the Field Museum of Natural History.

If you want to know what is happening in Chicago on the weekends, try looking at www.metromix.com, where you can search for any kind of event, restaurant or bar.

Access Living also provides some hangout opportunities. We are at 115 W. Chicago Avenue in Chicago and we host several youth groups and community events. Check out our community calendar for more details. Access Living is the home of the Disability History Exhibit, which is located on the fourth floor. This exhibit will really open your eyes to the history of people with disabilities.

For Deaf and hard of hearing folks, open captioned movies are periodically announced at Deaf Illinois News. See http://www.deafillinois.com/. This is a good place to look for Deaf and hard of hearing social events too.

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