Chicago Weekend - family

blondie42107 · October 2016

We might be headed to Chicago late spring/early summer. We know the kids would love the aquarium, Field Museum and planetarium. We thought about staying close to the attractions so we can walk as much as possible. However, H wants to take the kids to Legoland. It's about 40 miles from where we were hoping to stay. Any transportation recs?

brij2006 · October 2016

Will you have a vehicle there?

blondie42107 · October 2016

brij2006 said:

Will you have a vehicle there?

SITB
No, we were hoping to take the train into Chicago.

smerka · October 2016

Metra goes from Union Station to Schaumburg. That will take at least an hour. I assume there's a bus from the train station to Woodfield Mall where Legoland is located. Honestly though, Legoland isn't that great for that much work. And it is pricey. I'd recommend Brookfield Zoo instead (Metra goes there too).

brij2006 · October 2016

smerka said:

Metra goes from Union Station to Schaumburg. That will take at least an hour. I assume there's a bus from the train station to Woodfield Mall where Legoland is located. Honestly though, Legoland isn't that great for that much work. And it is pricey. I'd recommend Brookfield Zoo instead (Metra goes there too).

All of this. If you wanted to go then I'd take the train there and either use a taxi or bus. However, LEGOLAND there isn't really worth it. The zoo is amazing though.

blondie42107 · October 2016

Thanks! Sounds like it's best to skip it. We're not that interested in going to the zoo. We have four that aren't far from us so that's an easy day trip.

brij2006 · October 2016

Yeah I'd stick with downtown attractions.
Navy Pier can be pretty cool and we love the Science and Industry Museum as well.
Another option, Millennium Park is a neat area and there are usually events going on there. There is also a splash pad the kiddos could enjoy if the weather is warm.

blondie42107 · October 2016

brij2006 said:

Yeah I'd stick with downtown attractions.
Navy Pier can be pretty cool and we love the Science and Industry Museum as well.
Another option, Millennium Park is a neat area and there are usually events going on there. There is also a splash pad the kiddos could enjoy if the weather is warm.

Thanks!

julieanne912 · October 2016

If you did want something where the kids could get outside and run around and stuff, the Lincoln Park Zoo is free, you just wander in and out. I used to live by it and would just go wander through there for an hour or two. It'd be a quick bus ride up from downtown where the other attractions are.

ETA (whoops just saw Brij mentioned this already) Millennium Park would also accomplish the same thing (getting the kids outside to run around after being inside at museums), and is right downtown.

short+sassy · October 2016

I don't know if this is your kids' taste, but I loved the Natural History museum there. They have the real lions (stuffed) from the events depicted in, "The Ghost and the Darkness". It just so happened I had watched that movie shortly before I went. So it was fun for me to see that.

It's such a great movie. I think most older kids would like it, but it would be super scary for little kids. Essentially, they were a pair of lions who stalked a large camp of railroad workers in Kenya, in 1898. Over that season, there were 135 deaths from lions in that area with 31 definitively attributed to that lion pair on display.

That's the creepy, gory part not suitable for young children! But the movie is an interesting, historical drama.

mmabe · October 2016

There is a Children's Museum at Navy Pier, but it does get crowded on the weekends. However, if you are staying near the Field Museum and the Aquarium, it would be a bit of a hike to Navy Pier since they are about 2 miles apart. It is a great walk, if you can do it!

http://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/

You can take the el - -blue line - - from downtown to Rosemont and then take a Pace bus to Legoland. It would not be the easiest trip, so I would not recommend it.

Maggie Daley Park, which is connected to Millennium Park is a park downtown that is a lot of fun for kids. It has several play areas including a climbing wall.

http://maggiedaleypark.com/

abrewer5 · October 2016

Late to the party but make sure you get some pizza while in Chicago! (if you like pizza) I've been 2 times and I still dream about their pizza. We went to Giordano's and it's incredible.

I've actually considered having one of their pizzas overnighted to me but it's around $100 ... Maybe for my birthday one year.

short+sassy · October 2016

abrewer5 said:

Late to the party but make sure you get some pizza while in Chicago! (if you like pizza) I've been 2 times and I still dream about their pizza. We went to Giordano's and it's incredible.
I've actually considered having one of their pizzas overnighted to me but it's around $100 ... Maybe for my birthday one year.

Yes! The Italian food, in general, is amazingly good in Chicago.

jtmh2012 · October 2016

abrewer5 said:

I've actually considered having one of their pizzas overnighted to me but it's around $100 ... Maybe for my birthday one year.

$20 for the pizza, $80 for shipping?

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