Nina and Alex outside our hotel
NOTE: We went in September 2013 and 2015, but these suggestions are timeless!
Shedd aquarium
- largest aquarium in the world…Hands on and tons of fun!
- Can purchase fast pass tickets to jump the line
Hancock Observatory
- We planned to go to the Sear’s Tower, but we didn’t realize that in order not to wait in a crazy (!) long line, you must buy tickets in advance. Alex was SO disappointed. At the time he was really into tall buildings, so we tried our luck at the Hancock Observatory. We were not disappointed. The views were just beautiful!
- We went early and it wasn’t crowded at all.
The BEACH!!!
- There’s something really special about going to the beach in a city!
PIZZA! A very personal choice…
- Lou Malnati’s – We had the mixed (all fried) appetizer, the specialty deep dish pie with the famous butter crust, and an ice cream pizza dessert. We did not love any of it; we found the sauce to be too sweet and the buttery crust to be too greasy.
- Giordano’s Pizza – In 2013 when we tried to go, we couldn’t get in because the line was so long, but in 2015, we got smart and went early. We LOVED it!
Water Taxi
- Many boat tours were recommended to us, but we felt our kids were too young to endure a long, guided tour. Instead, we took a water taxi. It was relaxing and gave us a totally different view of the city!
Navy Pier
- A super fun (although very touristy!) place to visit day or night. There’s food (even a Giordano’s!), shopping, many treats, a Ferris Wheel, a Merry-Go-Round, remote control boats and more.
Millenium Park
- home of the famous bean
You can see Renato and me with the double stroller in the bean’s reflection
The Chicago Children’s Museum
- Very hands on and lots of fun for little ones, especially the water exploration area
The Original Pancake House
- Yes, there was a pretty long wait, but The Original Pancake House was WAY worth it!
Garrett’s Popcorn
- OMG Garrette’s popcorn is AMAZING!
- Try the “Chicago Mix” (cheese and caramel popcorn together)…I thought it wouldn’t be good, but wow, it was SO YUM!
Four Season’s Hotel on Miracle Mile
I highly recommend this hotel to families! They have the following amenities:
- a great play room for rainy days
- a pizza making class for kids in the actual restaurant with a chef (they baked the pizza and served it to us in the main dining room!)
- and an ice cream man that comes to your room with a cart! SO COOL!
On our list for next time we visit Chicago:
- Museum of science and Industry – largest science museum…submarine, coal mine
- Sears / Willis Tower – look down from step on glass…MUST get tickets in advance…there was a three hour wait and no fast passes to get last minute
- Lincoln Park Zoo (in the city)
- Brookfield Zoo – largest in the country (outside of the city)
- Performance places for kids – Steppenwolf Theater, Noble Horse Theater, Chic Kids Co, Chic Jazz Fast, Chic Children’s Theater
- Gino’s East Pizza, Pizza Uno, Pizza Due
- Sweet Mandy B’s – bakery in the heart of Lincoln Park
- Architectural River Cruise
Also on our list: Drive to Ketona Wisconsin!!!!
- Jelly Belly factory tour
- Electric street car
- Dinosaur discovery museum – dino dig
- Lighthouse
- Mars Cheese Castle
- Big Star Drive in diner
