Oak Brook Family Staycation: Where to Stay, Eat & Play

Oak Brook may be best known for shopping at Oakbrook Center, but after spending a family weekend here, I can honestly say there are so many more things to do in Oak Brook than I realized.

We packed a lot into our short getaway, including a family-friendly hotel, a surprisingly fun museum, high-tech mini golf, immersive games, coffee, shopping, and some seriously good Oak Brook restaurants. If you are looking for a family-friendly weekend getaway near Chicago, Oak Brook is an easy option, especially for families coming from the northwest suburbs who want something that feels like a getaway without the long drive or complicated planning.

Disclosure: Our Oak Brook family staycation was hosted by Only in Oak Brook and participating partners. As always, all opinions and experiences are our own. This post may also contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase or booking through one of my links.

Table of Contents

Things to Do in Oak Brook

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art

One of the biggest surprises of the weekend was the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art. We arrived later in the day, and still had enough time to walk through the museum and visit the gift shop. (And honestly, the gift shop is a must!)

I was not sure how much the kids would be into gems and stone carvings, but my daughter ended up having so much fun. She kept stopping to point things out and saying, “Mom, look how cute!” or “It’s so pretty!”

The jade carvings were incredible. They were so intricate that we found ourselves stopping just to take in all the tiny details. It was definitely one of the standouts in the museum. And the gemstone animal dioramas were such a neat surprise!

And definitely save time for the gift shop. There were some higher-end pieces, but there were also plenty of affordable finds. We picked up a few gems for $1.50 and an agate bracelet that my son fell in love with.

Pro-tip: Visit on a Wednesday when admission is FREE, which makes this a great budget-friendly stop if you are visiting during the week.

Fullersburg Woods and Graue Mill

Our first stop of the day was at Fullersburg Woods and Graue Mill, and it was such a nice change of pace from all the shopping, dining, and indoor activities. We started by exploring the neat nature center then took a short walk to Graue Mill. Our hike through the woods was lovely. It was peaceful, scenic, and a great way to slow things down for a bit.

Graue Mill was also such a neat stop. The historic mill adds something completely different to the itinerary and makes the area feel like more than just a shopping and dining destination.

Mini Golf at Puttshack

After the museum, we headed to Puttshack, which is always such a fun family stop. Think mini golf, but way more high-tech. It keeps score for you, and each hole has its own fun twist, like Beer Pong, True or False, and Connect 4. It is such a great option for families with tweens and teens and a fun twist on a classic game.

After our nine holes, we stayed for dinner, and I have to say, I was impressed with the menu. We tried a little bit of everything, including pasta Alfredo with chicken, roasted street potatoes, wings, a steak hoagie, a grilled salmon bowl, a tuna bowl, a double cheeseburger, and of course the cookie skillet. Honestly, everything was so good, and I especially loved my mushroom Swiss cheeseburger.

The only thing that was not a hit was my daughter’s sweet potatoes because she was not a fan of the feta. Totally not Puttshack’s fault, she is just picky! We simply mentioned that she did not really care for them, and they took them off our check without us even asking. I thought that was such great customer service.

Puttshack is one of those places where you can easily make an activity and dinner out of one stop, which I always appreciate on family trips.

Immersive Gamebox

Another fun stop to add to our Oak Brook itinerary was Immersive Gamebox located at Oakbrook Center.

This is an interactive gaming experience where your group steps inside a private game room and plays using motion tracking, touch screens, and teamwork. There are a variety of games to choose from, but one immediately caught our eye: Squid Game. As fans of the show, there was no way we were NOT choosing it.

It was such a blast! We worked our way through several challenges inspired by the show and had to work together as a team to win. Of course, there was still plenty of family competition mixed in too. We had so much fun competing together, and I would definitely recommend this one, especially for families with older kids and teens.

Shopping at Oakbrook Center

Oakbrook Center is one of the reasons Oak Brook is such an easy weekend destination. It is an outdoor shopping center with tons of restaurants, shops, and entertainment options all in one place. A few of the stops we checked out included: Barnes & Noble, Hotel Chocolat, POP MART, Zara. My daughter was in shopping heaven!

Even if you are not doing a big shopping trip, it is a fun place to walk around, grab a treat, browse, and make a few stops between meals and activities. Plus, they always have fun seasonal exhibits.

Where to Eat

Fat Rosie’s

The first thing we noticed when we walked into Fat Rosie’s was how colorful it was. The whole place has such a fun and lively vibe, and we loved it right away.

After our hike at Fullersburg Woods, we were starving, and the homemade tortilla chips were exactly what we needed. They were so good that it was honestly hard to stop eating them. Getting the Guacamole del Día was a great addition too and gave us plenty to snack on while we figured out the rest of our order.

We tried the quesabirria tacos, fajitas, bowls, margaritas, horchatas, and honestly, everything was SO good. The quesabirria was one of my favorites, perfectly crispy, especially dipped into the consommé.

And of course, we had to finish with the churro sundae. It came loaded with cream-filled churros, ice cream, dulce de leche, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and sprinkles. It was rich, messy, over-the-top in the best way, and perfect for sharing with the table.

Beatrix

The next morning, we had brunch at Beatrix. I had heard of the Chicago location before, so I was excited to see they had one right in Oak Brook. This was such a good family brunch spot because everyone could find something they liked. The menu felt fresh, colorful, and definitely not boring.

For drinks, we tried the cinnamon maple matcha, a quad shot espresso, dragon fruit mimosa, reposado, strawberry lemonade, and mango juice. The cinnamon maple matcha was such a cozy seasonal drink, and the dragon fruit mimosa was really pretty and good.

For food, the shakshuka came highly recommended by our server. I had always been curious about shakshuka, so when I saw it on the menu, I was already tempted. Then our server told me it was one of her favorites, and that sealed the deal!

And now I am officially craving shakshuka.

Everything else the family ordered was just as good. The steak and eggs came out perfectly, the ahi tuna was really good, and the protein overnight oats and Greek yogurt were both delicious.

Purple Pig Oak Brook

Our dinner at Purple Pig Oak Brook was one of the biggest highlights of the whole weekend.

I honestly have no words for how good everything was. We sat by the chef’s table, which made the experience even more fun because we could watch the kitchen in action. Our server, Carlos, was also excellent and made the meal feel special from beginning to end.

Some of our favorites included the fried pig ears, gnocchi, focaccia, octopus, bone marrow, arancini, carrots, and Alfredo. The gnocchi came highly recommended, and I completely understand why. It was one of those dishes I would absolutely tell people not to skip. The Alfredo was my daughter’s favorite. It was simple, but so, so good. My son loved the octopus, and Logan’s favorite was the bone marrow. Even the arancini and carrots were surprise hits.

And don’t even get me started on dessert.

We had the ricotta cheesecake and brown sugar butter gelato, and both were amazing. The cheesecake was so good, and that brown butter gelato was fantastic. Such a perfect ending to the meal.

We were wowed from beginning to end.

Purple Pig would make such a great Oak Brook date night spot, but it also worked really well for our family because everyone found dishes they loved. It felt special without feeling too stuffy.

Where We Stayed: Marriott Oak Brook

For our Oak Brook weekend, we stayed at the Marriott Oak Brook, which ended up being the perfect home base. The location was so convenient. We could literally see Oakbrook Center from our window, and so many of our stops were just minutes away.

We stayed on the 10th floor in connecting rooms, which worked so well for our family of five. Having the rooms connected made everything feel easy, especially with older kids who like having a little space.

If you can, ask for a room facing Oakbrook Center. We loved having the view, especially at sunrise. I woke up to the sunrise, headed down to the fitness center for a workout, and it was such a nice way to start the day.

The hotel also spoiled us right from the start with snacks and goodie bags for all three kids, which was such a thoughtful touch. Then in the morning, they surprised us again with pastries and fruit.

The kids were happy. I was happy. It made the whole weekend feel extra special before we even started exploring. If you’re here on a weekday, definitely try to get a room with access to the M-lounge.

Final Thoughts about Our Family Staycation in Oak Brook

Our Oak Brook weekend ended up being such a fun reminder that you do not have to go far for a great family getaway. We had beautiful hotel views, thoughtful surprises, a museum that genuinely impressed the kids, fun activities, amazing food, and plenty of easy stops all close together.

One of my favorite things about visiting Oak Brook is that you can enjoy restaurants like Beatrix and The Purple Pig without having to head into downtown Chicago. Add in easy parking, great shopping, and attractions that are all close together, and the whole weekend just felt easy. We were able to fit in so much without spending half the day driving from place to place. We had great food, shopping, museums, entertainment, coffee, and hotel time, all within a short distance of each other.

It really felt like a getaway, but it was still close to home. For families in the Chicago suburbs, Oak Brook is such a great option when you want a weekend that feels special without the stress of a long drive or complicated planning. Plus, you can make it a full overnight staycation like we did, or easily pick a few stops from this itinerary and turn it into a fun Oak Brook day trip.

I already know we will be back.