Need help planning mini Chicago vacation

[disneynewbeemom]

We are hoping to visit Chicgo over Fall Break for a few days. Our boys are 8 and 10. I am not sure where to stay, how to get around, etc. We would rather not drive once we get to our hotel. We are looking for a budget friendly hotel. I have heard that the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Navy Pier are must see attractions. Any suggestions would be great!

 

[erincon23]

Search this board -- since this spring, there have been at least 4 threads about visiting Chicago (one very recently, actually). Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium (the Shedd is VERY expensive, $26.95/person without some of the extras like the whale show) are great, Navy Pier doesn't really live up to its hype, but there's no admission fee (some attractions have their own cost, like the giant Ferris Wheel and a 3-d alien encounter-type show; restaurants are VERY expensive). Museum of Science and Industry is fantastic, requires some kind of transportation to get to -- I'm sure there's a bus. Adler Planetarium is right by the Shedd and the Field. Find those other thread! Lots of good info. Have fun! Chicago is fantastic.

 

[DRRluvsWDW]

The Shedd is really great, but expensive.
There is a Chicago "Pass" that offers a variety of sites. I don't know the exact name or cost though.
There is a water taxi (nice boat ride!) from Navy Pier to the museum area.
The Navy Pier web site has a lot of links and info.
HTH a bit!

 

[treeface]

We always use the trains (or busses sometimes) to get around Chicago when we go. You can print maps ahead of time from the web site ( I can't remember what it is, I just google it) and you can also get point to point directions from there. For a hotel, you might be able to try Priceline if you're not brand particular. There are a lot of very nice hotels in the loop area and you can usually get them for about 1/2 off. Please remember though that most charge you to park and that can be up to $30/day, maybe a little more. That is not included in your bid price.

There are a lot of things to do in Chicago, the museums, Shedd and the Adler Planetarium are all great places with boys that age. They will enjoy whatever you decide to do.

Food is pretty expensive in town, I always budget about 2x what I spend at home (South Bend IN) when I go and that is without alcohol. My DH is always shocked when I ask for $20 for myself to have lunch with a friend in town.

Hope this helps and have a great time on your mini vacation.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

I am in chicago land and just want to add our favorite museum is the museum of science and industry. We love it! I bought a season pass to Shedd and we used it one day. out of the whole year. DS was very bored and we saw the entire place including the dolphin show in about 5 hours. We go every now and then but overall it is not a must see.

If you do a search on "visit chicago" kinda like "visit florida" you might be able to get coupons. I remember them advertising alot because of the downtown of visitors with the recession and the high taxes downtown had for a while so they were promoting discounts and whatnot

 

[tinkmom2]

All the Chicago museums have a free day. You can find out by going to their websites. That way you save big on admission. Also some places of employment like Walgreens give you discounts to places such as the Shedd. We stayed at the Congress across from the fountain at Grant Park. It was central to everything and we took the busses or taxi everywhere. We even walked to the HardRock and the Art museum. Visit the Chicago tourism site to get some hints. We are lucky enough we can take a train down. Once you are in Chicago you can also take the L train to places like China Town. Check trip advisor for family friendly hotels. There are double decker tour busses that take you throughout the city. It is a big city to visit. Have a great time
Here's the site for the Chicago Art Institute the free days are listed on the front page http://www.artic.edu/aic/
The Field Museum Free days are here http://www.fieldmuseum.org/plan_visit/free_days.htm

 

[3BoysRDisneyFreaks]

Get the CityPass for Chicago. You will save a ton and be able to see a lot of things.

You might be able to get a good deal on a hotel, but parking at the hotels are expensive.


Have a fun trip.

 

[pmarkley]

I recommend City Pass: http://www2.citypass.com/chicago

The Storm Science exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry is great.

Lincoln Park Zoo is free.

Public transportation is very good, especially if you avoid rush hour(s). Wear good walking shoes and wear layers of clothing.

Have a great trip.

 

[Kimmumum]

Bring a soccer ball, frisbee or football and have the kids play catch in Millenium Park. You might even catch the orchestra practicing. You can walk to Buckingham Fountain. Walk along the lakefront. See the "Bean". Have the kids play in the "Face Fountain". It has walls with faces on them that have water coming down (and out) of them. Bring a towel and let the kids have fun. They will get soaked which is nice on a hot day.

I took my boys downtown on Friday and did most of these things (we change it up on different visits). Millenium Park is central for all of it. Everything I mentioned is free too. Yippee!!

Have a great time. There is tons to do in Chicago.

 

[mousermerf]

For where to stay let me toss out the Blackstone as an option.

Stayed there and the Palmer House Hilton and the Blackstone was the hands down winner for me. I loved that hotel.

 

[mkrober]

The Museum of Science and Industry is two blocks from the Metra station. We stayed at the Hyatt Mccormick Place which has a Metra station adjacent to it. Also, the Field Museum is nearby. Parking in the hotel lot is expensive, but I parked for free on the street a block away near a neighborhood of townhouses. We got a great rate using Priceline. Give it a try.

Also, if you are a member of your local science museum, many of the Chicago area museums have a reciprocating admission program. It may be worth looking into.

 

[purple_pixie]

Although I didn't personally stay there, there were no rooms available when I Went, I would say check out the Best Western River North hotel. It is within walking distance of Navy Pier and the Magnificent Mile, close to the train/bus stations, has an indoor pool for the kids and FREE parking with reasonable rates. The cost to park is rediculous in Chicago!

There are two attraction cards for Chicago, the City Pass and Go Chicago Card, the website chicagotraveler.com has the breakdown on each of these cards so you know which would work best for your family. It also tells you when the free days are at the different museums, so it is a useful sight for planning your trip.

My kids are also 8 and 10 and they each enjoyed the Museum of Science and Industry a lot, the Field Museum a little and Shedd Aquarium not at all. The MOSI was very hands on, the Field Museum was not so much. The Field has a really cool Egyptian display and my son loved seeing Sue. We went to the Field Museum and Shedd on free days and it was SOOOOO crowded so that is part of the reason we didn't really enjoy the aquarium. We didn't pay extra to see the better displays and it was shoulder to shoulder crowds at both venues. Budget and Chicago don't go hand in hand, but with a little research and going in the off season you can have a good time that doesn't break the bank! Just remember to take some time to enjoy a walk along the lakeshore (it helped my husband and I to maintain our sanity during our trip!) and have a great time!

Oh hey, I just saw that you are from KY and I am from southwestern IN. Since you will probably be taking I-65 through IN I would suggest that you spend some time exploring the Indiana Dunes. It was by far our favorite part of our trip to Chicago! We stayed at the new Best Western Portage Inn and Suites. It had a nice indoor pool, free breakfast and was close to the Indiana Dunes State Park and not too Far from the national park. Also, be sure to take plenty of change and dollar bills to pay the tolls!

 

[ilovebassets]

We stayed at the Whitehall hotel on the north end of the magnificent mile--very easily accessible to public transportation (bus and train) and also walkable to many places just depending on how much you like to walk! There's always taxis available, too. I find Chicago taxis to be very reasonably priced. Check out the Chicago visitors center. For example, we got big discounts for the John Hancock building (highly recommended, a lot more fun than I thought it would be) ad free maps and stuff like that. It's easily within walking distance of the hotel.

We used Rough Guide Chicago to help us get around. It had very good maps and lots of good information. Used an older edition (got it cheap at a used bookstore) and it wasn't a problem.

At museum campus, you have Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and the Adler planetarium with the art museum nearby (have never actually made it to the art museum despite several trips to Chicago but hear it's fantastic). The Field Museum is by far the best of the remaining three. It's always impressive and you could probably spend a whole day there alone. The planetarium is my next favorite although there isn't a whole lot there. We always enjoy the shows though. The Shedd Aquarium is more hit and miss and very expensive. If you don't want to do all three, it's the one I would skip unless you have some very compelling reason to see it.

 

[Inigo]

Get a Chicago Transit Authority bus/train pass before you go, or stop at and get one on your way into town. See http://faremedia.chicago-card.com/store/main.aspx?DepartmentId=34 . We always just park once we get to Chicago, and ride the bus and train everywhere we go. A pass is good for unlimited rides for the 24 hour period, starting from your first use, and is a lot cheaper than paying parking fees at each venue.

Since we usually stay in a hotel on the loop (Priceline, 4 Stars, I usually get hotel for $55-78 a night) we buy the one-day passes, and spend a couple days just walking to locations near the loop. That way we don't pay for passes on the days we don't use them.

For parking, hotels charge so much. We usually park in private lots or in one of the city lots in the loop, and just pull our wheeled suitcases a block or so to the hotel. It saves up about $20 for each 24 hour period. Google something like Chicago Parking Public to see if you can find cheaper parking near your hotel.

Have fun!

 

[Tanzanite]

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency it was a nice hotel but we flew so dont know about parking.We loved the Hancock centre what a loveley view from the top.