If you've ever had burning questions about the Wild Mile or Urban Rivers, look no further. One of our knowledgable Wild Mile Docents will take you on a tour of the Wild Mile, explaining the project's history, architecture, ecology, and more. The tour will take 30-45 minutes, with plenty of time for questions. We'll meet at the entrance to the Wild Mile, behind REI. This tour is entirely outdoors, so please dress warmly during winter months.

If you'd like a tour but can't make it to any available tour dates, email team@urbanriv.org, and we'd be happy to set up a time to show you around! 

This event is free and open to everyone. Walk-ups are welcome, but if possible, please RSVP using the link below.

Join CatJam Chicago for an acoustic jam session on the Wild Mile! This dynamic group of local musicians welcomes any passerby to join the jam. Come relax on the Wild Mile while enjoying the music, or bring your instrument and play with some of Chicago’s coolest cats! This event is alcohol-free.

No RSVP required! You can learn more about CatJam on Instagram, @catjamchicago.

Join Lally as they teach us the basics behind taxidermy and lead us through an insect pinning. Learn the diffrent ways to dispaly diffrent parts of the animal.

We will be pinning Honeybees and participants will get to take thier bee home with them. The honeybees have been ethically sourced and were not hurt in this process.

Reclaimed Timber, an original production from Chicago ensemble Beyond This Point in partnership with Urban Rivers, will take you on an immersive journey of sound and light as you explore natural areas near the Chicago River. Six percussionists play on six pieces of wood for an entire hour, allowing hypnotic rhythms and undulating waves of sound to crest and fall into each other, blending with the sounds of nature and the City. Accompanying the sounds is a reactive lighting installation made from over 5,000 LEDs and over 200 paper lanterns. https://www.beyondthispoint.org/

Wild Mile Projections - a collaboration between Urban Rivers and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Skunk Run - Gųųšgoonąk

Artists Casey Brown (Ho-Chunk) and Selena Kearney (Chehalis), recognizing the ancestral presence of water in what is now known as Chicago, build this work around the intentional observation of water. Spending time gathering light on water, reflections, and movement within these waterways, they aim to deepen attention and create quiet meditations on this life force. Both artists bring deep cultural relationships to canoeing, approaching the river not as documented subject but as a place experienced through slow, human-powered travel. The canoe creates the conditions for careful looking, listening, and collaboration.

Thursdays, 9:00–9:30 PM

August 6, August 13, August 20, August 27, September 3rd

Artists: Selena Kearney & Casey Brown

https://www.selenakearney.com/

https://linktr.ee/caseybrownbear

Join us for a day of kayaking and nature exploration at Bubbly Creek! This program is intended for residents of the communities directly surrounding Bubbly Creek, especially BIPOC residents, who have historically had less access to our local waterways.

Urban Rivers will be hosting walk-up kayaking for the duration of the event. This means our boats are first-come first-served! We’ll be joined by Shedd Aquarium, who will be running all-ages fishing workshops!

No experience is required for any activities offered! Children under 10 years old must share a kayak with a parent or guardian, as we are unable to offer tandem kayaks. If your child is under 30 pounds, you will need to provide a lifejacket for them! All participants must sign a waiver before kayaking, and/or have a waiver signed on their behalf by a legal guardian. Since we wrap up at 7, our last boats will go out no later than 6:00! Boats will launch in groups, at 3, 4, 5, and 6pm - if you arrive between those times, you may need to wait a bit!

Most activities, including kayaking, will have Spanish-Speaking staff available // La mayoría de las actividades, incluido el kayak, contarán con personal que habla español disponible.

These events will be cancelled in the case of dangerous or highly unpleasant weather. Updates will be posted on our Instagram story (@urbanrivers), and this event posting will be also be updated to reflect the cancellation - if in doubt, email team@urbanriv.org!

Reclaimed Timber, an original production from Chicago ensemble Beyond This Point in partnership with Urban Rivers, will take you on an immersive journey of sound and light as you explore natural areas near the Chicago River. Six percussionists play on six pieces of wood for an entire hour, allowing hypnotic rhythms and undulating waves of sound to crest and fall into each other, blending with the sounds of nature and the City. Accompanying the sounds is a reactive lighting installation made from over 5,000 LEDs and over 200 paper lanterns. https://www.beyondthispoint.org/

If you've ever had burning questions about the Wild Mile or Urban Rivers, look no further. One of our knowledgable Wild Mile Docents will take you on a tour of the Wild Mile, explaining the project's history, architecture, ecology, and more. The tour will take 30-45 minutes, with plenty of time for questions. We'll meet at the entrance to the Wild Mile, behind REI. This tour is entirely outdoors, so please dress warmly during winter months.

If you'd like a tour but can't make it to any available tour dates, email team@urbanriv.org, and we'd be happy to set up a time to show you around! 

This event is free and open to everyone. Walk-ups are welcome, but if possible, please RSVP using the link below.

ArtNight is an event where people sign up to share what they love. In addition to several people sharing, there is a welcome activity so people can meet, as well as a facilitated discussion about a contemporary social theme. ArtNight is about making friends, doing what we love, and learning. ​

In addition, the ArtNight organization has a podcast, a newsletter, and a choir, and we facilitate ArtNights for organizations, camps, and businesses. We also tour and do ArtNights around the country.

Wild Mile Projections - a collaboration between Urban Rivers and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Join us on the Wild Mile for a a recap of four projection pieces from Wild Mile Projections! The event will feature a collection of past projections displayed at the Wild Mile, including Beneath Breathing, Seasons of Care, Barada, Skunk Run, and Spectral Currents.

Join us for yoga on Chicago’s beautiful floating docks along the North Branch of the Chicago River, surrounded by native gardens and urban wildlife. This class is open to all levels and offers a grounding start to your week in a truly unique outdoor space. Classes end with a short crystal bowl sound bath.

The Wild Mile is a public eco-park created by Urban Rivers, whose mission is to restore wild habitat along the river. 20% of all proceeds go directly to support their ongoing efforts.

We’ll practice on the beautiful floating docks of The Wild Mile, an urban nature sanctuary in the heart of Chicago. Surrounded by native plants, pollinators, and the calming flow of the river, this class is an energizing and grounding way to start your week.

• When: Sundays, 5-6pm

• Where: The Wild Mile

• Bring: A yoga mat, water, and any props you love

• Pricing:

  • $22 to pre-register online

  • $25 at the door (cash or Venmo)

🌿 All levels welcome.
💚 20% of proceeds support Urban Rivers, the nonprofit stewarding this unique ecological space.

Reclaimed Timber, an original production from Chicago ensemble Beyond This Point in partnership with Urban Rivers, will take you on an immersive journey of sound and light as you explore natural areas near the Chicago River. Six percussionists play on six pieces of wood for an entire hour, allowing hypnotic rhythms and undulating waves of sound to crest and fall into each other, blending with the sounds of nature and the City. Accompanying the sounds is a reactive lighting installation made from over 5,000 LEDs and over 200 paper lanterns. https://www.beyondthispoint.org/

Join us on the Wild Mile to enjoy a sweet snack! We’ll have all the supplies you need, but feel free to bring your own fixing!

This event is free and open to everyone. Walk-ups are welcome, but if possible, please RSVP using the link below.

Please note that during the winter months, it’s not uncommon for us to cancel due to very cold weather. If you RSVP, we’ll email you in the event of a cancellation - this is usually anytime it’s under 30ºF and windy, and/or raining.

Join CatJam Chicago for an acoustic jam session on the Wild Mile! This dynamic group of local musicians welcomes any passerby to join the jam. Come relax on the Wild Mile while enjoying the music, or bring your instrument and play with some of Chicago’s coolest cats! This event is alcohol-free.

No RSVP required! You can learn more about CatJam on Instagram, @catjamchicago.

Curious about Soil? The minerals and metals it is made of? The life it sustains? The stories it holds? This Soil Safari with Social Ecologies starts at The Wild Mile. We will take a short walk and sample soils as we notice changes in vegetation and landscape in the surrounding densely populated mixed-use commercial/ residential/ industrial neighborhood. Our Soil Safari will end with a table of collected samples from the land and the river to examine with our senses and hand lenses.

Nance Klehm of social ecologies (www.socialecologies.net, IG social.ecologies) has over three decades of experience in the restoration and remediation of impacted soils and ecosystems. She has lived in little village for 28 years.

Wild Mile Projections - a collaboration between Urban Rivers and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Spectral Currents: Stories from the Chicago River

The Chicago River bears the marks of centuries of massive intervention. Its course has been reversed, its edges reinforced, its waters used to carry away the products and byproducts of urban growth and waste. Yet traces of earlier landscapes and histories persist within and alongside it. Spectral Currents addresses the river and its spirits through the many presences, treating haunting as a way of attending to what remains difficult to see: displaced communities, altered ecologies, buried infrastructures, and the enduring consequences of environmental change.

Rather than asking what has been left behind, Spectral Currents asks what continues to surface.

Featuring:

• Beate Geissler 

• Gwenny Geissler

• Oakley Harber 

• Rachel Havrelock 

• Eliza Marley

• Eric Pahre 

• Oliver Sann 

• Taylor Thornburg
  

September 10th - Spectral Currents, 8pm

September 17th - Spectral Currents, 8pm

September 24th - Spectral Currents, 8pm

BYOB - BRING YOUR OWN BLANKET

Join us for a day of kayaking and nature exploration at Bubbly Creek! This program is intended for residents of the communities directly surrounding Bubbly Creek, especially BIPOC residents, who have historically had less access to our local waterways.

Urban Rivers will be hosting walk-up kayaking for the duration of the event. This means our boats are first-come first-served! We’ll be joined by Shedd Aquarium, who will be running all-ages fishing workshops!

No experience is required for any activities offered! Children under 10 years old must share a kayak with a parent or guardian, as we are unable to offer tandem kayaks. If your child is under 30 pounds, you will need to provide a lifejacket for them! All participants must sign a waiver before kayaking, and/or have a waiver signed on their behalf by a legal guardian. Since we wrap up at 7, our last boats will go out no later than 6:00! Boats will launch in groups, at 3, 4, 5, and 6pm - if you arrive between those times, you may need to wait a bit!

Most activities, including kayaking, will have Spanish-Speaking staff available // La mayoría de las actividades, incluido el kayak, contarán con personal que habla español disponible.

These events will be cancelled in the case of dangerous or highly unpleasant weather. Updates will be posted on our Instagram story (@urbanrivers), and this event posting will be also be updated to reflect the cancellation - if in doubt, email team@urbanriv.org!

About the show: a day, a moth, a wish, a motor. The sun is setting and Robyn and Helen don't know where they are or what comes next. A flashlight beam angled at enduring love and disfiguring grief, Meet Me at Dawn is about one precious moment and what to do with it.

About Snails: Snails on a Bike is a Chicago-based theatre collective specializing in performing plays in site-specific, found spaces. We are most excited about work that explores the intricacy of human relationships; all the messiness and beauty of what it means to love in our current social context. We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative and consent-forward environment, where each artist is free to contribute and advocate for themselves and their ideas. We previously collaborated with Urban Rivers on Eurydice in 2024, and we are so delighted to be back at The Wild Mile. 

snailsonabike.com

Instagram: @snailsonabike

Come fish the Wild Mile!

During the worst of our waterway's polluted history, only 5 species of fish could be found in the Chicago River. Now, there are a whopping 77 - and many of them nest, mate, shelter, and feed around the Wild Mile! Pumpkinseed, bluegill, bass, carp, and bullhead are among the most common, but who knows what you might find! Join us monthly to learn how to safely catch them!

These events will be run by our River Ranger volunteers during the peak fishing months of 2026 (spring and fall). We'll have bait and fishing gear for you - though please bring your own pole if you happen to have one! We also have blanket fishing permits from the IDNR for these events, so anyone can participate.

To ensure a good experience for all participants and volunteer facilitators, we've divided the day into time slots with capacity limits - please try to arrive close to the beginning of your reserved time, since we'll need your rod back at the end of your time! Youth participation is highly encouraged, though parent/guardian supervision is required with a ratio of at least 1:3! 

Normally, there’s is a formal training process before our volunteers (River Rangers) can participate in the kayak clean-ups. During this event, Urban Rivers staff and experienced River Rangers will be on hand to conduct safety talks and escort you out - and maybe point out some neat turtles and herons along the way! 

We'll also have stations for making clay "seed bombs" to help get native plant seeds from the Wild Mile distributed to a wider area. This is a great activity for kids who are too young for kayaking. 

The whole day is sponsored by Love, Tito's, which has been an important supporter of Urban Rivers' efforts on the Chicago River. 

About the show: a day, a moth, a wish, a motor. The sun is setting and Robyn and Helen don't know where they are or what comes next. A flashlight beam angled at enduring love and disfiguring grief, Meet Me at Dawn is about one precious moment and what to do with it.

About Snails: Snails on a Bike is a Chicago-based theatre collective specializing in performing plays in site-specific, found spaces. We are most excited about work that explores the intricacy of human relationships; all the messiness and beauty of what it means to love in our current social context. We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative and consent-forward environment, where each artist is free to contribute and advocate for themselves and their ideas. We previously collaborated with Urban Rivers on Eurydice in 2024, and we are so delighted to be back at The Wild Mile. 

snailsonabike.com

Instagram: @snailsonabike

Join us for the live stage premiere of Pablo Santiago Chin’s Green Alter Egos: an insect opera—a sensuous and surreal journey into a hidden world. This event is a double-bill show, that premieres Tania Rubio chamber music opera that immerses the audience in a fully realized sonic and visual micro-universe.

About the show: a day, a moth, a wish, a motor. The sun is setting and Robyn and Helen don't know where they are or what comes next. A flashlight beam angled at enduring love and disfiguring grief, Meet Me at Dawn is about one precious moment and what to do with it.

About Snails: Snails on a Bike is a Chicago-based theatre collective specializing in performing plays in site-specific, found spaces. We are most excited about work that explores the intricacy of human relationships; all the messiness and beauty of what it means to love in our current social context. We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative and consent-forward environment, where each artist is free to contribute and advocate for themselves and their ideas. We previously collaborated with Urban Rivers on Eurydice in 2024, and we are so delighted to be back at The Wild Mile. 

snailsonabike.com

Instagram: @snailsonabike

Join us as we look for bats around our floating wetlands islands. No registration needed!

We will meet at the Park fieldhouse 15 minutes before sunset.

Join us for our South Side River Ranger Social! These are monthly appreciation events for our volunteers.

If you're a new/prospective volunteer, feel free to join us - this is a great space to meet our staff and connect with fellow River Rangers! Depending on the month, we might play some trivia or some board games, hold a potluck, or enjoy some pizza.

Join CatJam Chicago for an acoustic jam session on the Wild Mile! This dynamic group of local musicians welcomes any passerby to join the jam. Come relax on the Wild Mile while enjoying the music, or bring your instrument and play with some of Chicago’s coolest cats! This event is alcohol-free.

No RSVP required! You can learn more about CatJam on Instagram, @catjamchicago.

Las Nenas

Las Nenas is a Latina led salsa experience created by Itzel Rivera-Fernandez and Sofia Santana, built on the belief that dance is one of the best ways to bring people together. Through beginner friendly workshops and social dance events, we create welcoming spaces where people can move, laugh, make new friends, and connect with their community.

Whether you come with a partner, a group of friends, or on your own, you'll find a supportive environment where everyone is invited to learn, dance, and have fun. Our mission is to build community, and remind people that joy belongs on the dance floor.

Good music. Good people. Good vibes.

Find us:
Instagram: @las_nenas_chi

Wild Mile Projections - a collaboration between Urban Rivers and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Spectral Currents: Stories from the Chicago River

The Chicago River bears the marks of centuries of massive intervention. Its course has been reversed, its edges reinforced, its waters used to carry away the products and byproducts of urban growth and waste. Yet traces of earlier landscapes and histories persist within and alongside it. Spectral Currents addresses the river and its spirits through the many presences, treating haunting as a way of attending to what remains difficult to see: displaced communities, altered ecologies, buried infrastructures, and the enduring consequences of environmental change.

Rather than asking what has been left behind, Spectral Currents asks what continues to surface.

Featuring:

• Beate Geissler 

• Gwenny Geissler

• Oakley Harber 

• Rachel Havrelock 

• Eliza Marley

• Eric Pahre 

• Oliver Sann 

• Taylor Thornburg
  

September 10th - Spectral Currents, 8pm

September 17th - Spectral Currents, 8pm

September 24th - Spectral Currents, 8pm

BYOB - BRING YOUR OWN BLANKET

Join us for a day of kayaking and nature exploration at Bubbly Creek! This program is intended for residents of the communities directly surrounding Bubbly Creek, especially BIPOC residents, who have historically had less access to our local waterways.

Urban Rivers will be hosting walk-up kayaking for the duration of the event. This means our boats are first-come first-served! We’ll be joined by Shedd Aquarium, who will be running all-ages fishing workshops!

No experience is required for any activities offered! Children under 10 years old must share a kayak with a parent or guardian, as we are unable to offer tandem kayaks. If your child is under 30 pounds, you will need to provide a lifejacket for them! All participants must sign a waiver before kayaking, and/or have a waiver signed on their behalf by a legal guardian. Since we wrap up at 7, our last boats will go out no later than 6:00! Boats will launch in groups, at 3, 4, 5, and 6pm - if you arrive between those times, you may need to wait a bit!

Most activities, including kayaking, will have Spanish-Speaking staff available // La mayoría de las actividades, incluido el kayak, contarán con personal que habla español disponible.

These events will be cancelled in the case of dangerous or highly unpleasant weather. Updates will be posted on our Instagram story (@urbanrivers), and this event posting will be also be updated to reflect the cancellation - if in doubt, email team@urbanriv.org!

Join Urban Rivers, the non-profit behind the Wild Mile, for a relaxing gathering on the river as we search for birds and other wildlife utilizing the floating gardens. Beginning birders welcome! There are some benches and seating on the boardwalk  but participants are also encouraged to bring a lawn chair, picnic blanket, or other portable outdoor furniture. https://www.theurbanbirdingfestival.org/

About the show: a day, a moth, a wish, a motor. The sun is setting and Robyn and Helen don't know where they are or what comes next. A flashlight beam angled at enduring love and disfiguring grief, Meet Me at Dawn is about one precious moment and what to do with it.

About Snails: Snails on a Bike is a Chicago-based theatre collective specializing in performing plays in site-specific, found spaces. We are most excited about work that explores the intricacy of human relationships; all the messiness and beauty of what it means to love in our current social context. We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative and consent-forward environment, where each artist is free to contribute and advocate for themselves and their ideas. We previously collaborated with Urban Rivers on Eurydice in 2024, and we are so delighted to be back at The Wild Mile. 

snailsonabike.com

Instagram: @snailsonabike

Canal Origins Park Natural Area contains two acres of native prairie along the banks of the Chicago River and Bubbly Creek. In 2022, Urban Rivers in partnership with the Shedd Aquarium and the Park District planted 3,000 square feet of floating gardens including 3,000 native plants which support aquatic life below the water and animals and insects above the water. Learn how one the most polluted sections of the Chicago River was transformed and enjoy birding this unique location. https://www.theurbanbirdingfestival.org/ 

If you've ever had burning questions about the Wild Mile or Urban Rivers, look no further. One of our knowledgable Wild Mile Docents will take you on a tour of the Wild Mile, explaining the project's history, architecture, ecology, and more. The tour will take 30-45 minutes, with plenty of time for questions. We'll meet at the entrance to the Wild Mile, behind REI. This tour is entirely outdoors, so please dress warmly during winter months.

If you'd like a tour but can't make it to any available tour dates, email team@urbanriv.org, and we'd be happy to set up a time to show you around! 

This event is free and open to everyone. Walk-ups are welcome, but if possible, please RSVP using the link below.

The Wild Mile is the world’s first floating ecopark and a rapidly expanding haven for any wildlife that calls the Chicago river home. Join the team from Urban Rivers, the non-profit behind the Wild Mile, and Chicago Ornithological Society for a relaxing gathering on the river as we search for birds and other wildlife utilizing the floating gardens. Beginning birders welcome! There are some benches and seating on the boardwalk but participants are also encouraged to bring a lawn chair, picnic blanket, or other portable outdoor furniture. 

https://www.theurbanbirdingfestival.org/

The symphony where no one knows what to expect, not even the orchestra.

Instagram: @ChicagoImprovisedOrchestra

No registration required!

Whether you’re looking for an excuse to clean out your closet or sustainably add a new piece, this event is for you! Join Sustainable Fashion Week Chicago (SFWC), Funk-it, and Urban Rivers on the Wild Mile for a scenic clothing swap.
This is a size-inclusive event, meaning all size clothing are accepted as long as the garments are clean and in good condition. All gender clothing is accepted. $10 entry, unlimited swaps! Remaining clothes will be donated to a local free store for communities in need.

To stay in the loop about other Sustainable Fashion Week events, find SFWC on Instagram and sign up for their newsletter.

About the show: a day, a moth, a wish, a motor. The sun is setting and Robyn and Helen don't know where they are or what comes next. A flashlight beam angled at enduring love and disfiguring grief, Meet Me at Dawn is about one precious moment and what to do with it.

About Snails: Snails on a Bike is a Chicago-based theatre collective specializing in performing plays in site-specific, found spaces. We are most excited about work that explores the intricacy of human relationships; all the messiness and beauty of what it means to love in our current social context. We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative and consent-forward environment, where each artist is free to contribute and advocate for themselves and their ideas. We previously collaborated with Urban Rivers on Eurydice in 2024, and we are so delighted to be back at The Wild Mile. 

snailsonabike.com

Instagram: @snailsonabike

About the show: a day, a moth, a wish, a motor. The sun is setting and Robyn and Helen don't know where they are or what comes next. A flashlight beam angled at enduring love and disfiguring grief, Meet Me at Dawn is about one precious moment and what to do with it.

About Snails: Snails on a Bike is a Chicago-based theatre collective specializing in performing plays in site-specific, found spaces. We are most excited about work that explores the intricacy of human relationships; all the messiness and beauty of what it means to love in our current social context. We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative and consent-forward environment, where each artist is free to contribute and advocate for themselves and their ideas. We previously collaborated with Urban Rivers on Eurydice in 2024, and we are so delighted to be back at The Wild Mile. 

snailsonabike.com

Instagram: @snailsonabike

River Ranger Socials are monthly appreciation events for our volunteers. If you're a new/prospective volunteer, feel free to join us - this is a great space to meet our staff and connect with fellow River Rangers! Depending on the month, we might play some trivia or some board games, hold a potluck, or enjoy some pizza. Stay tuned to our volunteer newsletter for more information! 

Join CatJam Chicago for an acoustic jam session on the Wild Mile! This dynamic group of local musicians welcomes any passerby to join the jam. Come relax on the Wild Mile while enjoying the music, or bring your instrument and play with some of Chicago’s coolest cats! This event is alcohol-free.

No RSVP required! You can learn more about CatJam on Instagram, @catjamchicago.

Not your regular screenprinting workshop! Learn various screenprint techniques from screenprinting expert DJ Santos!

Wild Mile Projections - a collaboration between Urban Rivers and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Spectral Currents: Stories from the Chicago River

The Chicago River bears the marks of centuries of massive intervention. Its course has been reversed, its edges reinforced, its waters used to carry away the products and byproducts of urban growth and waste. Yet traces of earlier landscapes and histories persist within and alongside it. Spectral Currents addresses the river and its spirits through the many presences, treating haunting as a way of attending to what remains difficult to see: displaced communities, altered ecologies, buried infrastructures, and the enduring consequences of environmental change.

Rather than asking what has been left behind, Spectral Currents asks what continues to surface.

Featuring:

• Beate Geissler 

• Gwenny Geissler

• Oakley Harber 

• Rachel Havrelock 

• Eliza Marley

• Eric Pahre 

• Oliver Sann 

• Taylor Thornburg
  

September 10th - Spectral Currents, 8pm

September 17th - Spectral Currents, 8pm

September 24th - Spectral Currents, 8pm

BYOB - BRING YOUR OWN BLANKET

Join us for a day of kayaking and nature exploration at Bubbly Creek! This program is intended for residents of the communities directly surrounding Bubbly Creek, especially BIPOC residents, who have historically had less access to our local waterways.

Urban Rivers will be hosting walk-up kayaking for the duration of the event. This means our boats are first-come first-served! We’ll be joined by Shedd Aquarium, who will be running all-ages fishing workshops!

No experience is required for any activities offered! Children under 10 years old must share a kayak with a parent or guardian, as we are unable to offer tandem kayaks. If your child is under 30 pounds, you will need to provide a lifejacket for them! All participants must sign a waiver before kayaking, and/or have a waiver signed on their behalf by a legal guardian. Since we wrap up at 7, our last boats will go out no later than 6:00! Boats will launch in groups, at 3, 4, 5, and 6pm - if you arrive between those times, you may need to wait a bit!

Most activities, including kayaking, will have Spanish-Speaking staff available // La mayoría de las actividades, incluido el kayak, contarán con personal que habla español disponible.

These events will be cancelled in the case of dangerous or highly unpleasant weather. Updates will be posted on our Instagram story (@urbanrivers), and this event posting will be also be updated to reflect the cancellation - if in doubt, email team@urbanriv.org!

If you've ever had burning questions about the Wild Mile or Urban Rivers, look no further. One of our knowledgable Wild Mile Docents will take you on a tour of the Wild Mile, explaining the project's history, architecture, ecology, and more. The tour will take 30-45 minutes, with plenty of time for questions. We'll meet at the entrance to the Wild Mile, behind REI. This tour is entirely outdoors, so please dress warmly during winter months.

If you'd like a tour but can't make it to any available tour dates, email team@urbanriv.org, and we'd be happy to set up a time to show you around! 

This event is free and open to everyone. Walk-ups are welcome, but if possible, please RSVP using the link below.

Join us on the beautiful WIld Mile for a Sunday morning plein air painting session.

Enjoy a relaxed, creative Sunday morning hosted outdoors by Art City. Meet up at the Wild Mile and paint from nature with guidance from an experienced instructor.

Good to know:

• This Paint & Sip workshop is BYOB. Coffee and mimosas are welcome!

• Setup and all materials are included.

• All skill levels welcome.

• In case of bad weather, the event will be rescheduled to the following week.

Join us as we look for bats around our floating wetlands islands. No registration needed!

We will meet at Canal Origins Park, 15 minutes before sunset, at the river overlook portion of the park.

Join CatJam Chicago for an acoustic jam session on the Wild Mile! This dynamic group of local musicians welcomes any passerby to join the jam. Come relax on the Wild Mile while enjoying the music, or bring your instrument and play with some of Chicago’s coolest cats! This event is alcohol-free.

No RSVP required! You can learn more about CatJam on Instagram, @catjamchicago.

Come fish the Wild Mile!

During the worst of our waterway's polluted history, only 5 species of fish could be found in the Chicago River. Now, there are a whopping 77 - and many of them nest, mate, shelter, and feed around the Wild Mile! Pumpkinseed, bluegill, bass, carp, and bullhead are among the most common, but who knows what you might find! Join us monthly to learn how to safely catch them!

These events will be run by our River Ranger volunteers during the peak fishing months of 2026 (spring and fall). We'll have bait and fishing gear for you - though please bring your own pole if you happen to have one! We also have blanket fishing permits from the IDNR for these events, so anyone can participate.

To ensure a good experience for all participants and volunteer facilitators, we've divided the day into time slots with capacity limits - please try to arrive close to the beginning of your reserved time, since we'll need your rod back at the end of your time! Youth participation is highly encouraged, though parent/guardian supervision is required with a ratio of at least 1:3! 

Come fish the Wild Mile!

During the worst of our waterway's polluted history, only 5 species of fish could be found in the Chicago River. Now, there are a whopping 77 - and many of them nest, mate, shelter, and feed around the Wild Mile! Pumpkinseed, bluegill, bass, carp, and bullhead are among the most common, but who knows what you might find! Join us monthly to learn how to safely catch them!

These events will be run by our River Ranger volunteers during the peak fishing months of 2026 (spring and fall). We'll have bait and fishing gear for you - though please bring your own pole if you happen to have one! We also have blanket fishing permits from the IDNR for these events, so anyone can participate.

To ensure a good experience for all participants and volunteer facilitators, we've divided the day into time slots with capacity limits - please try to arrive close to the beginning of your reserved time, since we'll need your rod back at the end of your time! Youth participation is highly encouraged, though parent/guardian supervision is required with a ratio of at least 1:3! 

Join us on the beautiful WIld Mile for a Sunday morning plein air painting session.

Enjoy a relaxed, creative Sunday morning hosted outdoors by Art City. Meet up at the Wild Mile and paint from nature with guidance from an experienced instructor.

Good to know:

• This Paint & Sip workshop is BYOB. Coffee and mimosas are welcome!

• Setup and all materials are included.

• All skill levels welcome.

• In case of bad weather, the event will be rescheduled to the following week.

Come fish the Wild Mile!

During the worst of our waterway's polluted history, only 5 species of fish could be found in the Chicago River. Now, there are a whopping 77 - and many of them nest, mate, shelter, and feed around the Wild Mile! Pumpkinseed, bluegill, bass, carp, and bullhead are among the most common, but who knows what you might find! Join us monthly to learn how to safely catch them!

These events will be run by our River Ranger volunteers during the peak fishing months of 2026 (spring and fall). We'll have bait and fishing gear for you - though please bring your own pole if you happen to have one! We also have blanket fishing permits from the IDNR for these events, so anyone can participate.

To ensure a good experience for all participants and volunteer facilitators, we've divided the day into time slots with capacity limits - please try to arrive close to the beginning of your reserved time, since we'll need your rod back at the end of your time! Youth participation is highly encouraged, though parent/guardian supervision is required with a ratio of at least 1:3!