• Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Hays County News Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Travel

Chicago With The Kids: 5 Ways To Make It A Perfect Trip To The Windy City – WJXT News4JAX

chicago-with-the-kids:-5-ways-to-make-it-a-perfect-trip-to-the-windy-city-–-wjxt-news4jax
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Be flexible, eat the pizza, do all the touristy things

Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate”, with buildings from the Michigan Avenue skyline in view in Chicago. (Raymond Boyd, Getty Images)

Whether you’re just a road trip away from Chicago, you go there on business every so often, or you’d love to visit someday, it’s truly a fantastic city, with so much to offer.

There’s culture, food, history and more. It’s a Midwest staple, and as someone who grew up visiting the Windy City, it only recently occurred to me (especially based on my family’s proximity!), that my husband and I should help make our kids fall in love with Chicago, too. From a young age, I want them to soak in the hustle and bustle of such a rich city.

So we took a weekend! My kids are 6 and 4, and I’ll include what worked for us — along with some context as someone who has frequented Chicago a LOT over the years. I say …


1. Do the touristy things.

We took our kids up to 360 Chicago, which is an observation deck (formerly the John Hancock Center, which looks like it switched names in 2018). I thought the littles might be freaked out by the fast elevator ride up, or the view itself, but they were pretty awestruck by it all! It was cool to witness. Plus, no matter how many times you’ve been up, the views are incredible. My husband and I had a cocktail while the kids ran around, and it was a good hour spent — plus, the bottom of the building is packed with Chicago history and exhibits. I don’t remember that part from when I was younger, so we actually took some time to enjoy it.

Ad

My son at the observation deck (this picture doesn’t do justice to the view). (Michelle Ganley/GMG photo)

Some other touristy things you can do include … eating Chicago-style pizza (what’s not to love if you’re a kid?). Shopping. Staying in a centrally located hotel or Airbnb so your children can take in the sights and sounds of the big city. We would have definitely done a Cubs game if it were that time of year, but maybe next time!

2. Make it a trip your kids will enjoy.

This one might sound obvious, but don’t drag them to too many stiff places that will make them groan.

We DID persuade our kids into walking just more than a mile to an adult-leaning brunch one morning (just meaning, it was more geared toward grown-ups than children), but we still made sure there was plenty on the menu that they could eat, and then we rewarded them afterward with an Uber back to the hotel, and then a trip to the Shedd Aquarium.

There’s so much to do in the city for kids. Here are some recommendations:

  • Any of the major attractions of the Museum Campus: As mentioned, the Shedd Aquarium; or the Field Museum; or Adler Planetarium, which are all tied together by green space and right on Lake Michigan. They’re all kid-friendly, especially the Shedd, our personal favorite.

  • Shopping — I’m still putting off our first American Girl Store trip, only because my daughter doesn’t seem to care much, and I’m postponing the wallet-emptying experience as much as possible, but there are obviously a million places you can shop in Chicago. We let our kids pick out a few things at the Water Tower because there was gloomy weather that day, and I didn’t want to get drizzled on, but they were wildly overjoyed by the experience. And yes, the Water Tower is just like a mall, but it’s right on the Magnificent Mile, and it does pack some cool stores that you most certainly don’t have at home.

  • Parks — As someone who grew up visiting Chicago fairly regularly, I can tell you from experience that especially in the warm months, there’s just something always going on, especially at the parks. Taste of Chicago, art exhibits set up, cool fountains and music, gardens … just look at everything Grant Park entails, and then go from there.

  • Go see the Bean! We actually spaced on this one, but I think our kids would have loved it. Again, a little cliche, but it’s a fun photo-taking opportunity, and we’ll most definitely keep it on our “next time” list.

3. Eat some fun meals, but make it easy on yourselves, too.

As you likely know if you’ve traveled with children, it’s best not to think of your trip as a typical vacation. I read somewhere once, something along the lines of, “It’s not a vacation. It’s a memory-making trip.”

Ad

Between the logistics, tired little feet and feeling a bit restricted in what you can and can’t do, you might be TIRED by end of your days.

Here’s what I recommend: One night, just DoorDash yourselves some dinner from a local restaurant: Remember, you’re in Chicago, which is restaurant heaven. No one said you had to make it boring or fast-food!

This frees you up from at least one night of reservations, wait times and navigating a menu while your server’s waiting on you along with five other tables.

It might feel good to relax in the hotel and check out the pool (if you have one!), and your kids will probably love the change of pace.

We ordered in Small Cheval, and the burgers absolutely lived up to the hype!

Other places to check out IRL include: Ann Sathers (multiple locations; you and your kids will adore the homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast) and Giordano’s (this is the classic pizza; order right when you sit down, considering pies can take up to 45 minutes in the oven), and if you have a sitter or someone in the area to help with the kids, I’d send you to Trivoli Tavern, RPM Steak and/or Siena Tavern. Or if you have something else in mind … give it a Google. Guaranteed, Chicago’s got it.

Ad

4. As mentioned, stay on the Mile, if you can!

We did the OMNI, and it was great. We valeted our car right away, and didn’t snag it back till the end of our long weekend.

The walking was fine, even with the little ones, and everything seemed relatively close to our hotel, even with some not-so-ideal weather.

It was nice to be able to run across the street to Walgreens, too, when we realized we forgotten our hairbrush.

Otherwise, if you stay at a hotel or Airbnb farther from the attractions, it might save you some money — but you’ll also have to think about travel logistics, just within the city. The ‘L’ train (a now-official name originally short for “elevated”) is fairly easy to navigate, although I haven’t done it in years, and I believe we used city buses as a kid, too. Plus, Ubers and taxis are always an option.

Ad

These are all just things to think about! You likely DON’T want to deal with finding street parking, or paying for lots, too much over the course of your stay.

Analisa, 6, at left, and Robby 4, at the Shedd Aquarium. (Michelle Ganley/GMG photo)

5. Be flexible.

Chicago is a huge place, and if you need to adapt, adapt. There are so many places you could be exploring at any given moment — and pop-ups, new restaurants and weekend events.

If your kids aren’t up for whatever you had planned, hop on your phone or tablet, ask around, and depending on the time of year, you’ll likely find another option. Don’t fret!


Final note: You’ll want to check on this if and when you actually plan your trip — but when we visited, in late January 2022, there was a mask mandate inside most, if not ALL city buildings, and we had to show our vaccine cards to enter most indoor establishments, as well. I don’t think this applied to our hotel, but it did include all the restaurants, and this went for all children ages 5 and older (meaning, of vaccination age). Just thought you should know! Happy travels.

Graham Media Group 2022


Hays County News Online

© 2021 Hays County News Online

Navigate Site

  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DMCA Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use

© 2021 Hays County News Online

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT