the Visit Neighboring States Series
Our family took a winter trip to Chicago in late February. Chicago is full of famous museums and indoor entertainment – it is very fun to visit, even in the winter, and worth overcoming the 2 worst things about visiting Chicago!
The very first stop was at the top! Even though it was foggy, we made a trip to The SkyDeck and went out on The Ledge at The Willis Tower.
Pro Tip: Print off some of the quizzes or coloring sheets for kids to make that long car ride into the city more fun.
Expense
The 1st worse thing about traveling to Chicago is the expense: parking, hotels and other things in Chicago are a little more pricey than in central Iowa.
- However, we found a wonderful affordable hotel right near all the museums we wanted to visit. Chicago’s Essex Inn was just what we were needing for our family.
- We followed the suggestions on TripAdvisor and parked in the parking garage just north of the hotel and did not use the hotel parking. This helped save us money, along with parking apps like SpotHero. We were planning to take the L-Train but due to the snowstorm that came up, we opted instead to just pay to park and have our own car.
- We saved hundreds of dollars by getting into The Field Museum, The Adler Planetarium, and The Museum of Science and Industry for FREE using our SCI membership with the reciprocity program.
Traffic
The 2nd worse thing about traveling to Chicago is the traffic getting into the city!
There is even stop-and-go traffic on the interstate at 1 pm on a Wednesday afternoon in February.
For our family, it took an hour to travel just a few miles into the heart of the city and an hour back out in the middle of a Friday afternoon.
Once we got to the downtown area, traffic wasn’t bad. It wasn’t hard getting from the hotel to the museums or to restaurants or even back to the interstate, but gosh, that interstate is insane!
Pro Tps:
- Make a rest stop just before getting to the edge of the city. That way you don’t have to try to pull off and get back on.
- Know it’s going to be a long slow drive and be mentally ready.
- Bring an extra fun surprises for the kids to help keep that last hour moving!
- Be Patient.
- And be PATIENT.
What are your Chicago Travel Tips? Please share in the comments below.
Check out these two helpful blogs from other family’s who traveled to Chicago with kids and overcame the 2 worst things about visiting Chicago
O the Places We Go & Kids are a Trip with great articles like 15 Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Chicago and More! I wish I had seen this article before our visit.
Other Desinations
Looking for fun outside of the city? Stunning waterfalls and a unique creek path made our Family Hike in Matthiessen State Park perfect!
We spent a fabulous 24 hours in Wisconsin Dells without visiting a water park. From toddlers to teens, here is a quick and fun itinerary.
