Chicago visitor ideas

Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lapradem

Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
13
Location
cvs
Taking a vacation to Chicago for 5 days in a few weeks. Have three kids - ages 6,8,10 - would love any good ideas for them. Fun, food, music, etc, etc. Have been to Chicago several times without kids and love it - would appreciate any ideas from the experts or locals. Will not have a car (of course not!) so getting there by public transpo is a must. Staying in River North area.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There is also the Chicago Art Institute (if your kids are into that), the Adler Planetarium, the Lincoln Park Zoo (Free!), and the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower). There are pleanty of beaches along the Lake Michigan Coast if you feel up for a dip.

The Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, and Field Museum are all on what is known as Museum Campus, which is a pier jutting out into Lake Michigan. Which while makes it easy to go from one to another I would plan at least a day for the Shedd & Field Muesums. Both the Field and the Museum of Science & Industry have way more stuff on display then most can do in a day so it's always a good idea to plan ahead as to what you want to see. Also most museums in Chicago have a free day (although I think this is being phased out), while it is nice to be able to get in for free it is also the day most Chicagoians go to the museums and so they will undoubtedly be much more crowded & busy. The Lincoln Park Zoo is always free and so draws less of a crowd on one particular day,

peter
 
another vote for Navy Pier. Somewhere downtown is the fountains that faces. I can't remember the real name, but the fountains are made within digital faces and periodically they spit water out of their mouth. Saw tons of kids there and they were having a blast.
 
jb64 said:
another vote for Navy Pier. Somewhere downtown is the fountains that faces. I can't remember the real name, but the fountains are made within digital faces and periodically they spit water out of their mouth. Saw tons of kids there and they were having a blast.
Click to expand...
That would be Millennium Park. Another good place to spend some time at which I usually forget as it wasn't there when I lived in the Windy City. Millennium Park also has a large band shell so I would check to see if there are any events going on there which would be fun to catch.

http://explorechicag...millennium.html

I've personally never understood the attraction to Navy Pier. With the exception of the couple stages it's not much more then a mall with a Ferris Wheel & some boat rides.

Chicago also has a ton of various tours available run by different companies. Some on the River, on the Lake, on both, by foot, or by bus. I would recommend trying to find an interesting river & lake tour of Chicago.

peter
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I second all the votes for Millenium Park. The "bean" sculpture is fantastic (it reflects everything around it). If you want to shop, the American Girl Store in Water Tower Place is fun if you have girls, while the Lego store on Michigan Avenue is good for boys. The observation deck at the Hancock Building (North Michigan avenue) has super views and weather permitting, there is a "breeze-way" where you can be semi-outdoors (there is a cost to get to the observation deck). The water taxis are a great way to see the skyline whether or not you go to Navy Pier. And, the Picasso in Daley Plaza is always cool to see. Chicago deep dish pizza is a must - Pizzeria Uno or Gino's are traditional Chicago pizza places, and the Rosebud chain of restaurants (there is one on Rush Street) has great Italian food.
 
I have taken the hop=on hop=off tour bus around the downtown area.

It takes about 3 hours and costs about $25 the time I took it.
 
lapradem said:
Taking a vacation to Chicago for 5 days in a few weeks. Have three kids - ages 6,8,10 - would love any good ideas for them. Fun, food, music, etc, etc. Have been to Chicago several times without kids and love it - would appreciate any ideas from the experts or locals. Will not have a car (of course not!) so getting there by public transpo is a must. Staying in River North area.
Click to expand...
I took a trip to chicago last summer and agree with all of the suggestions already given. I would also recommend taking a fireworks cruise/tour. We did this our first night there and it was a blast. We didn't have any children with us,but the kids I saw on the tour seemed to really love it. Plus our tour ended at Navy Pier,which is beautiful at night. Plus there is a cab stand there so transportation won't be a problem. Here is the company we used,but there are others http://www.shorelinesightseeing.com/fireworkscruises.html Also,especially if you are going to a lot of the places mentioned,I would highly recommend considering buying a citypass. http://www.citypass.com/chicago?mv_source=partnerfusion&cmpid=google_CityPass&gclid=CJ7_0-i-vqoCFYiC5QodDDzShg Besides saving a lot of money,most of the attractions have a special line for city pass holders,which are always shorter than regular lines,especially at places like the Shedd,or the Field Museum. We really saved HOURS of time not having to wait in line. I am sure with children that could come in handy:)
 
If the kids are like I was at that age, they might enjoy the trip on the 'L' to get to or from tourist attractions better than they enjoy the attractions themselves. :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top