We love traveling to Chicago to visit friends. In addition to the great people, this city is full of awesome sights to see and fun things to do. Be sure to read our post on whether to fly or drive (spoiler: it depends!). Also, read our post on our recent November 2021 trip, we used credit card perks for a free hotel stay!
Planning a Realistic Itinerary
Because we’ve made this trip many times over the last 10 years, we’ve seen a ton in quick weekend spurts. Resist the urge to overschedule with kids, especially in the age group that needs naps. Pick 2 priorities a day, map them out, group them by location, and go with the flow. All those posts you’ve seen on how to see all of Chicago in one day. You won’t. Those posts are not for people with tiny feet to herd.
We also like to mix in friend-visiting time on our trips to Chicago, but even if you don’t have friends in the city, downtime is important, even with short trips. On our recent trip in November 2021, this was our itinerary with a 4-year old, 7 year-old, and a broken Ben (He fractured his toe and was on crutches for this trip):
- Friday evening: Pizza dinner and friend hangout time.
- Saturday: Hotel pool time, early lunch, several hours at the Museum of Science and Industry, dinner at home with a different set of friends.
- Sunday: Dim Sum for lunch in Chinatown, afternoon at the Nature museum, board games at our friend’s house and then off to the airport.
This was a reasonable amount of things to fit in a weekend trip. The list below is not a list for you to do it all in a weekend. This is a post to give ideas so you can pick a few and save the rest for your next trip. Ok ready? Let’s do this thing!
Favorite Museums
First of all, prior to your trip. you should check if you have an ASTC reciprocal science center membership card, and if you don’t have one, get one. Having a membership at any of these science centers will give you free admission to museums all over the country, including some really awesome ones in Chicago. This is a huge tip and will potentially save you hundreds of dollars. Admission to some of the museums in Chicago range from $15-$30 a person. Instead of paying that cost, you could get in for free instead. I also like using a membership because it feels like there’s less push to get your money’s worth, especially if you need to see only half of it or leave with a kid melting down. Also, free admission could help you be less grumpy about paying parking costs.
In Nashville, the Adventure Science Center is a reciprocal ASTC member. Alternatively, you could do what we do and specifically plan a trip to a cheaper museum to get a family membership to use primarily for museums while traveling. The membership could be worth paying for just for this trip alone. We recently traveled to the Owensboro science museum and purchased a family membership for only $40. Other nearby options can be found in Murfreesboro, TN, or Paducah, KY. If you’re not local to Nashville, there’s probably a museum near you.
Field Museum
The Field museum is one of our favorite museums! Right when you enter the lobby, you’ll see a huge Titanosaur dinosaur fossil. So cool! There’s a ton to see throughout the museum. Pick a few highlights to prioritize. Our kids love playing with dinosaurs and meeting SUE the T-rex was definitely a must-do. Other cool sections include the sections on mummies and geology.
As Carter learns more in school and reads magic treehouse adventure books, he has started to show his own interests in where he wants to explore. In the playlab section, there is also a hands-on area made for toddlers. At several of the Chicago museums, there are mold machines that print out small plastic toys for $3. We have several from different locations and they make fun cheap souvenirs. Admission to this museum is $19-$26 per person or included with a reciprocal pass.
Museum of Science and Industry
The MSI is full of exhibits on transportation and science. On our recent visit, we spent 4 hours and only saw about half the exhibits. We saw a large model train area, an exhibit showing transportation from trains to electric cars and a large real plane anchored to the balcony on the 3rd floor. The kids loved the baby chicks in the genetics area and the hands-on area on weather.
A surprising favorite was found on the lower level where the kids watched a giant pinball go through a track that was also an advertisement for Switzerland. They sat and watched this for several iterations. Usually, I would try to hurry them along to another area, but they were happy and there were seats nearby for Ben and I to sittervise (supervise from a sitting position). Other areas we didn’t see on this trip include a submarine, coal section, water play area, farm learning, and special exhibits. Base tickets are $12-$21 per person or free with a reciprocal pass.
Children's Museum at Navy Pier
The children’s museum is full of activities just for kids. There is a large ship-themed climbing area, water areas, a car-building lab, areas to dig and other cool things to do. There are a lot of kids on weekends so be prepared. The kids loved it. This museum is also a reciprocal ASTC museum.
Peggy Noteabart Nature Center
We visited this nature center for the first time on this recent trip specifically because we wanted a smaller museum since Ben was slow-moving (He had fractured his toe). Unlike some of the other larger museums, we were some of the only people there on a Sunday afternoon visit. The kids loved the butterfly exhibit, the baby turtles, and the water area. (A common theme in many of the museums). This museum is on the Northern side of the city and could be good to mix in with a Lincoln Park visit, if you’re not too exhausted. This museum is also a reciprocal ASTC museum.
Other Downtown Chicago Faves
Lincoln Park Zoo
This zoo is free! There are all the standards, including lions, rhinos, and giraffes. The chimpanzees and seals were some of our favorite animals. Like some of the science museums, there is a unique souvenir plastic mold of various animals that would be fun to scavenger hunt and collect.
Millenium Park
The Bean, aka Cloud Gate is a popular spot to take photos. Often, Ben’s races will end near the area, and we will explore the wide open spaces while waiting for him to finish. In the Summer months, there are fountains that have faces spitting water and in the Winter, there are multiple skating rinks in the park. Nearby is Maggie Daley park, another fun area for kids.
Fun at the Lake
Did you know Lake Michigan is the 5th largest lake in the world? When you’re standing on the shore in Chicago, it’s several miles across to the nearest shore. Many Chicago locals like to spend time at the beach. (I have strong opinions about beaches being reserved for oceans, but for lakes with waves, I’ll make an exception). We like to go to the 31st location, but there are multiple options along the coast so pick what’s best to fit in your schedule.
Other Ideas
Eat Delicious Chicago Foods
Many have strong opinions on Chicago deep dish pizza. I love pizza. As do the kids. Although there are many options, our favorite is Lou Malnati’s. Their deep dish sausage pizza is thick and buttery and delicious. We often get it to go and eat at a friend’s house but have eaten in the restaurant as well.
Another Chicago fave is Portillo’s. A popular chain, they serve Chicago-style hot dogs, hot beef sandwiches, burgers, milkshakes and more.
You won’t find this on other’s top restaurant lists but it is a visit we do every time we are in Chicago: Dim Sum in Chinatown. Nashville’s Chinese options don’t compare to bigger cities’. Dim sum is small plates served off of carts pushed through the restaurant. Various types of dumplings, meats, and other standards are eaten as fast as we can refill our tables. Our favorite in Chicago is Phoenix Restaurant.
Final Thoughts
Traveling to Chicago is something our family does often, so we’ve done a ton. Even though it can be overwhelming to go to a big city with so much to do, especially with kids, pick a few highlights. You’ll just need to come back again to enjoy another visit to the Windy City!
