Things to do in Chicago when it's hot out

Let gentle river breezes soothe your perspiring scalp and tomato-hued countenance aboard a Shoreline Architecture River Cruise. As the name suggests, this essential 75-minute tour showcases architectural highlights along all three branches of the Chicago River. The city’s huge hotch-potch of styles is frankly eye-popping, with everything from Spanish Colonial Revival and mid-century Modernism to early Art Deco skyscrapers and space-age superstructures on display. You'll ogle 40+ skyline landmarks, including the Tribune Tower, Marina City and the Wrigley Building, and learn about the designers and architects who shaped the Chicago skyline, all while gently mopping your fevered brow and repeatedly saying "goodness, it's hot today".

Set on the shores of Lake Michigan, the wonderful Shedd Aquarium is like a gateway to an underwater world, where some 32,000 marine critters – from stingrays to sea otters, penguins to plankton – hold court. There are six themed exhibition halls to explore in total, covering off the full range of  watery environments, including Caribbean reefs, coastal kelp forests, the Amazon River Basin, the Great Lakes, and a mercifully cool Polar Play Zone where kids can play at being penguins as well as saying hey to real-life rockhoppers. Across the aquarium, you can also make friends with – deep breath – spotted moray eels, alligator snapping turtles, anacondas, beluga whales, zebra sharks, a giant Pacific octopus and many more.

Chicago is known the world over for its stunning skyline and unique mix of architectural styles, so it's little wonder there's more than one skyscraping observation deck to choose from. Better still, entry to both is included with the Go City Chicago pass, so you don't even have to pick a favorite! And, best of all, both are air-conditioned inside, so you can stay cool even when the mercury's nudging 100 outside.

• At SkyDeck Chicago, you'll travel 1,353 feet up to the 103rd floor for unbeatable views of the city. The building itself, Willis Tower, is considered one of the city's finest architectural marvels, and is one of the Seven Wonders of Chicago. From above, you'll be able to see from Navy Pier to Soldier Field. Dardevils can also step out onto The Ledge – a glass balcony that juts out four feet from the side of the building and is sure to make you sweat whatever the weather.
• 360 Chicago's observation deck is located on the 93rd floor of Hancock Tower and provides a view of Chicago's skyline that seems infinite. The sun-filled observatory space allows for views of Lake Michigan, Navy Pier and the sprawling landscape of the Windy City below.

Exchange that stifling city heat for an immersive exploration of 91 billion light years of history at the Adler Planetarium. Located in Chicago's Museum Campus, the planetarium is one of the coolest places to bring the whole family – in every sense of the word. Kids and adults alike will love the chance to learn more about our solar system through interactive exhibits and shows. Touch a real piece of Mars, take a walk throgh space and time, and unleash your inner kid in the Planet Explorers zone. Afterwards, step outside to enjoy the refreshing breezes and skyline views that the planetarium's elevated lakefront position affords.

Ok, so you might've picked up on this already, but Chicago is full of world-class museums and institutions, many of them pleasantly cool for exploring on hot days. The Field Museum is another such Chicago gem.

Known for its leading scientific research, the museum's rip-roaring ride through our planet's history is second to none. Descend into an ancient Egyptian tomb, join scientists as they research the power of DNA, explore over 10,000 years of Chinese culture and say hey to some of the finest and most complete dinosaur skeletons in the world: Sue the T.rex and Máximo the Titanosaur. There's also a chance to get a bug's-eye view of the world as you shrink (no, not literally) to 1/100th of your normal size in the Underground Adventure. Yikes.

This is the perfect place to bring the kids when they've had enough of the heat. Located right on Navy Pier, the Chicago Children's Museum will keep the whole crew occupied and engaged for hours. Each exhibit at the museum is aimed to teach children (and their grown-ups) a different learning experience through interactive and fun displays. At Play it Safe, kids can explore a realistic firehouse, get behind the wheel of a firetruck and shimmy down a firefighter's pole. In the Tinkering Lab, they'll have the freedom to innovate and create with various different DIY projects. There's a chance to excavate a dig site for dinosaur bones and an epic climbing experience courtesy of the Cloud Buster. The kids will still be talking about when next summer rolls around!

The Legoland Discovery Center is another surefire winner for families – especially those who simply can't resist the urge to build with those colorful little plastic pieces. This massive indoor space is filled with Lego-themed exhibits, construction demonstrations, interactive areas and other exciting attractions, with plenty of guided activities and demonstrations taking place throughout the day. You'll learn top  secrets from Master Model Builders, design, build and race your own Lego vehicles, join your favorite characters on action-packed adventures at the 4D Cinema, and try to save the princess on the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride. 

You thought surely we'd run out of museums to suggest by now, right? Wrong! In fact, it's even possible we've saved the best till last. The mighty Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is an awe-inspiring and often utterly jaw-dropping homage to the very best of human endeavor and ingenuity. For here's where you can cast your disbelieving eyes over such extraordinary exhibits as the world’s first stainless steel diesel-powered train, a captured WWII German U-boat, real-life lunar capsules and an extraordinary miniature fairy castle. There's plenty of hands-on action here, too: take control of a 40-foot indoor tornado, stroll the streets of Chicago as it was over a century ago, and discover the Whispering Gallery's amazing acoustics. Hours or air-conditioned entertainment, in other words.

There are a great many reasons to take the fam on a day out to Navy Pier, Chicago’s beloved old-school seaside-style fairground. We're talking charming carousels, quaint teacup rides, classic amusement arcades, a near-200-foot-tall Ferris wheel and enough hot dogs and cotton candy to keep even the bottomless pits that are teenagers happy. And when things get too hot to handle, it's time to break out the big guns. Mosey over to The Original Rainbow Cone store to secure a cooling, century-old Chicago classic. This gut-busting tower of ice cream – strawberry, chocolate, pistachio, orange sherbet and Palmer House flavors – teeters dangerously high atop a wafer cone and makes for an architectural Chicago wonder in its own right.

And, if all else fails, take an extreme speedboat thrill ride on Lake Michigan for guaranteed breezes and an all-but-guaranteed soaking; all excellent ways to cool yourself down during a hot spell. You'll also get some fine views of the Chicago skyline as you spin, twist and speed full throttle across the water, albeit it may all look a little more blurry than on some of the more sedate boat rides.