Shedd's Aquarium in Chicago

[kinntj]

We don't know Chicago that well and wanted to know more information before planning a trip for Spring break.

What are the best accomodations convenient to the aquarium that has a great indoor pool. The kids love to swim and they are 6 and 8 years of age. What are some other things to do that are in the immediate area? I told DH about going to American girl store.

I can't go due to caring for my mom. Can't afford to hire someone and MIL isn't available to come during that week.

Thank you!

 

[Inigo]

We don't know Chicago that well and wanted to know more information before planning a trip for Spring break.

What are the best accomodations convenient to the aquarium that has a great indoor pool. The kids love to swim and they are 6 and 8 years of age. What are some other things to do that are in the immediate area? I told DH about going to American girl store.

I can't go due to caring for my mom. Can't afford to hire someone and MIL isn't available to come during that week.

Thank you!

We priceline hotels when we go, and usually stay close to the North Michigan Avenue area, not near the Aquarium. Even if you can't get a hotel real close to the Aquarium, the buses and EL in Chicago are great, and the bus goes right to the Aquarium. Any hotel you get will be able to tell you which bus to take to get there. From the hotels we stay at, we can get on the bus that goes right to the Shedd without needing to transfer. The Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium are right there with the Shedd. I like the Museum of Science and Industry a lot, and it's a bit south of the others. There's a Children' Museum and a Zoo, but I haven't been to those in a while.

I always get my CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) passes on-line, but you can buy passes at the Chicago-area Dominick and Jewel stores, as well as the Currency Exchange. The one day all-use pass is something like $5, and is good for 24 hours from first use. If you purchase on-line, the shipping is free.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

We stayed at the Palmer House a few years ago - I can't say I recommend their pool for kids your age. There is not really a shallow end, my girls were 6 and 7 that trip and the youngest couldn't touch bottom. The location was great though - the bus stop was across the street from the hotel and I bought CTA passes. There are direct busses to the Shedd/Field/Adler area and also Science and Industry. These busses are the same routes that serve N Michigan Ave, we just got on in the Loop. We took Amtrak to Chicago and bought our bus passes in Union Station.

Don't forget that if you belong to your local science center or museum, you may get reciprocal admission to Sci/Industry and the Field museum.

 

[erincon23]

Look through the listings on hotels.com for downtown hotels. Or find the Chicago Board of Tourism website -- both should be helpful. I don't know of any hotels downtown that have kid-friendly pools--mostly they cater to business travelers. Some hotels have lap pools, and several don't have any pool. The museum campus and the AG store are at opposite ends of the "tourist" area -- not too far apart, about 2 miles, but you wouldn't want to walk it.

If your family will have a car, you may want to stay a little farther out in the suburbs (maybe Schaumburg area -- there's a great Lego museum), depending on whether the pool or the downtown attractions are more important. Keep in mind that the Sheraton in Arlington Hts., which had a nice water park, is closed or closing (too bad, since it's right at the expressway).

Have fun! Chicago is a great city to visit.

Erin

 

[golfgal]

I can't help much with the hotel but I would check with your local senior center or senior ombudsman or your county social services to look into respite care so you can go along. Generally the care is free through medicare (if she is on that). In our state you can get up to 2 weeks/year.

 

[Minnie824]

Look up the 'W Lakeshore' hotel. Its right near Navy Pier. They have an acura service that will give you a free ride anywhere in Chicago..you just need to get back. They also have a normal rectangular pool they kids can swim at. We got great rates there before also, and its a really nice hotel.

 

[kinntj]

Thank you guys for the information so far. I'm keeping tabs on all the information and will do some research tomorrow during a snow day.

 

[susykt4]

Over Christmas break we stayed at a La Quinta a couple blocks from the Sears Tower. It was relatively inexpensive, clean and had a small indoor pool my kids (9 & 7) loved. If your kids like Legos, there is a HUGE Lego store several blocks (walking distance) from the American Girl store that my kids loved so much we went two days in a row. The children's museum at Navy Pier is nice, but really geared toward preschoolers. We got in free with a reciprocal museum membership and I was very glad we didn't have to pay because we didn't stay very long. We used our own car to get around, but parking was insanely expensive. It was sort of a last second trip and I didn't feel like figuring out the bus system the night before we left. Next time, I will take that time!

 

[NotUrsula]

If you want an indoor pool for kids, one of the best hotels in the area is the Sheraton 4 Points. The heated pool is in a sunroom enclosure on the roof. It is next-door to Neiman-Marcus at the rear of the Shops at Northbridge, which is the mall that contains the Lego store. The location is very convenient to transport down to the Museum Campus and to Navy Pier. The Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier is not to be missed for that age group. (I know someone else said it skewed young, but that hasn't been our experience. Younger school-age kids tend to like the various building experiences in it, such as the foam airplane room, the water room, and the climbing ship, which doesn't allow preschoolers on unless they are freaky tall. Even my 12 yo still likes trying to build a fountain without getting drenched in the water room.)

The "Museum Campus" is the city's name for the complex that contains Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium -- and also Soldier Field. The #130 bus serves the Museum Campus, as does the #146. The #10 is the express bus to the Museum of Science and Industry, which is down in Hyde Park. The Campus is just south of Grant Park on the Lakeshore, which puts it more or less even with the South end of the Loop. I honestly would not recommend staying down that way with kids, as except for the theaters and the theatre restaurants, the businesses in the Loop largely shut down after 6 pm. There is a lot more tourist action on the street up in the Mag Mile, so it's more pleasant to walk around up there.

Just so you know, the lines on weekend mornings to get into Shedd can be UNREAL. In summer it can take 3 hours to get through the line on Saturday morning. We tend to avoid Shedd unless we can go on a weekday, because on weekends it is often too crowded to be able to see any of the exhibits for more than a few seconds. It is also VERY dark inside, and it's quite easy to lose track of a child when the crowds are thick -- I recommend very bright clothing.

FWIW, THE indoor hotel pool in Chicago is at the InterContinental. It's on the 14th floor, is Jr. Olympic-sized and done up like a Roman temple -- it looks like a set from an Esther Williams movie. It was quite the engineering marvel when it was built in 1929. However, it tends to be full of serious lap swimmers who are not too patient with kids just splashing around.