Bridgeview, IL Indoor Activities

When game creator Mary Couzin attended the Essen Game Fair in Germany in 2001, she was moved to see the reverence with which European crowds greeted their toy and game designers. Two years later, she'd founded the first Chicago Toy & Game Fair at Navy Pier. In the city where beloved playthings including Beanie Babies and Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots were created, Couzin continues to throw a annual two-day extravaganza the weekend before Thanksgiving. Along with international guests, inventors of classics such as Jenga and Operation gather to sign copies of their famous creations. Giant toys and games grace the festival hall, tournaments challenge competitors to prove their yo-yo skills and Settlers of Catan strategies, and Star Wars fans gather for lunch in costume. Throughout the event, various costumed characters will also be present, wandering amid the exhibits.

With founder and artistic director Jorge Niedas at the helm, the professional dancers at Tango 21 teach bipeds how to execute skillful ballet and tango moves. A Buenos Aires native, Niedas picked up tango in local dance clubs before moving to Chicago as a ballet dancer with the Lyric Opera. Now, he and his team draw upon that dual background to infuse tango's twirls, steps, and dips with classical grace. Burgeoning ballet and tango dancers can pirouette in private classes, take group classes, or attend a drop-in class, as long as they drop in with grace.

Founded in 1982 with the mission of spreading an understanding of war's impact on the lives of soldiers, the National Veterans Art Museum showcases more than 2,000 works of art created by more than 255 veterans. The museum's oeuvre, which comprises paintings, photography, sculpture, and music, focuses on Vietnam but includes artwork inspired by all of America's wars. In addition to keep a permanent collection, the museum hosts rotating temporary exhibits that honor and remember veterans and keep the subject matter fresh. Visitors and members enjoy an active social calendar, stocked with events that feature live music and plays performed entirely with the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Before they became instructors, the faculty members at Jo’s Footwork Studio honed their skills in a range of diverse companies, from Illinois’s postmodern Matrix Dance Improv to Mexico’s timeless Compañia Nacional De Danza. Now, these 11 toe-tappers train people of all ages and levels in the art of dance. Year-round instruction perfects form and expressivity in styles including ballet and hip hop. Pomdance lessons combine lyrical steps with pompoms as props, and percussive tap classes teach students to spell out their names in Morse code.

Staff members at Tsubo combine avant-garde aesthetics with holistic health in their chic Hubbard Street loft. Stylists skillfully snip, retexture, and can wildly color based on chats with clients, whereas aestheticians augment Dermalogica skin treatments with complimentary eyebrow waxing. An ancient Japanese healing technique and an ancient Indian fitness discipline reduce stress and promote physical wellbeing, and personal trainers provide the motivation to travel back in time to try them.

Modeled on Prague’s Estates Theatre with its opera boxes and high-domed ceiling, House of Blues Chicago opened in 1996. Keeping with the franchise’s tradition, the stage hides a metal box filled with Mississippi mud, and every artist must recall at least one lover who did them wrong before they are allowed on stage. The Chicago location distinguishes itself with a weekly gospel brunch held every Sunday morning, where big-voiced hallelujahs complement custom omelets, made-to-order waffles, and a chef’s choice carving station.