We are taking our first mini trip in June to Chicago. We will be visiting friends outside of the city and then spending a day in the city with LO who will be 9 months old by then. We have been to Chicago a few times, but I feel like we visit the same things every time we go there. Now that we are going with LO I am looking for some tips/ideas of things to do!
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With kids I would say Navy Pier or the Architecture boat tour. Lincoln Park Zoo is really great too- it's a fairly short cab ride from downtown and free.
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@dookie32: The zoo would be so fun, I will add that to the list
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Shedd Aquarium or Planetarium are two of my favorites.
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Navy Pier has the Children's Museum as well. Millennium Park typically has free concerts during the day during the summer.
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@ninja: @cascademom: Thanks for the suggestions!
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I second Lincoln Park Zoo. There's also a wonderful greenhouse also free, (just north of the zoo) which makes for nice background for photos. Also, the Notebaert Nature Museum is also just north of the zoo - the best thing there is their live butterfly room. You walk into it and are immediately surrounded by flowers and butterflies!
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I hope you don't mind if I jump in on this thread, where are the best placed to eat (downtown Chicago). Particularly pizza places!
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Yes, the zoo is great - and free! There's also a park in walking distance called Oz Park, featuring statues of all the main Wizard of Oz characters.
@Emsmems: When we were in Chicago last summer, I had to try most of the deep dish pizza places (ahem, 5 months pregnant!) My favorite was Giordano's, but we also tried Lou Malnati's and Gino's. Yum
For non-pizza, Hopleaf and Lillie Q's were both great too!
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@fancyfunction: Lillie Q's had a fire about two months ago. I miss it. Only BBQ in the area is on Western called Fat Willie's Rib Shack (so good). The Southern is right near it and is excellent. On Wednesdays, they have their fried chicken special. If you're in Wicker Park/Bucktown, there's Big Star for tacos, Violet Hour for cocktails, Santullo's Eatery for sandwiches, Hot Chocolate for dessert, Club Lucky for an Italian dinner to name a few.
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@Emsmems: Downtown pizza places are Giordano's, Pizzeria Due's (avoid Uno's, Due's is better), and Lou Malanti's. I recommend Due's since it's just off of Michigan Avenue and still in a busy area on State Street.
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We did a day trip and it was lots of fun! It was just DH and I so we did a lot of walking but here is what we did:
Start the morning at the LP zoo which is great because you can catch some animal feedings.
We walked along Lake Shore Drive all the way to Navy Pier. This was a REALLY long walk so you probably want to take a cab or something.
We explored Navy Pier and got some lunch. From there, we took a boat ferry taxi (really cheap like $2 per person) over to the Field Museum. Its a great way to get fresh cool air on the water and great views of the city.
We loved the Field museum but check and see what they might have for kids.
After that we walked past the Buckingham Fountain over to Millennium Park and walked around there until it was dinner time and we found a place for dinner.
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@cascademom: Oh that's sad to hear.
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@fancyfunction: Yeah, they just opened up a shop in the French Market too. My husband and his coworkers went to it a few times right as it opened. They got their food from the main restaurant. I miss Lillie Q's and Brand BBQ.
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I'd vote for the boat tour.
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With a nine month old, I echo the zoo suggestion, plus right near it is the Lincoln Park Conservatory - gorgeous gardens and greenhouses, fun atmosphere and very kid friendly. Navy Pier's childrens museum is also a great option. I think that on a weekend with such a little baby, the bigger more popular museums (Shedd, Field, etc.) are overcrowded and not so enjoyable for such a young kid (plus navigating the throng with a stroller can be quite the pain).
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Also in LP is the Nature Museum, which is cool and geared toward kids. They have a stunning butterfly room that C loves.
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