Being so close to Chicago, we take our kids to the windy city pretty much every year. This time, my oldest (14) suggested that we go to Chicago to visit the Shedd Aquarium. She loves the beluga whales and wanted to see the newborn dolphin (which we didn’t get to see).
I was really hesitant about taking the kids to the city on my own. I usually travel through big cities with my husband or a friend; one person drives, the other navigates. So, I made some adjustments I’d like to share with you.
Directions
[one_half]Take I-74 East to I-57 North. Go north to University Park, IL. Take IL-50 to S Governors Hwy. Park in the University Park Metra Station lot. Make sure you park in the commuter spots and take note of your spot number. It will cost $1.25 for 12 hours of parking in this spot.
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Because I was nervous about getting around in the city on my own and because I’d heard good things about taking the train into town, I decided to give it a whirl. Parking in the city was $35 that weekend and I was able to get three Metra tickets for $7/trip each. My son, who is 9, rode the Metra for free. (Children under 11 ride free with a paying adult.)
I am so happy we decided to do this! It took about 50 minutes to get into the city, and the train took us right to the Museum Park entrance so we only had to walk a few blocks to Shedd Aquarium.
The Metra goes all the way up to Millennium Park from University Park. And there is so much to do FOR FREE in Mellennium Park: you can hang out at the Bean, the kids can play in Crown Fountain, see many statues, flowers or Buckingham Fountain. Really you can spend the whole afternoon!
The Shedd Aquarium
If you haven’t been to the Shedd Aquarium, it’s definitely a spot to visit…especially with the kids. There’s nothing like watching your children’s face light up when they see a funny-lipped fish or watch beluga whales. And if you took your children when they are small, it’s also nice to watch them light up when they are teenagers as they stand next to sharks or marvel at the way jellyfish work.
My first piece of advice for going to the aquarium is purchase the tickets in advance! Not only does this save time waiting in line, it also saves you money. You can also plan out your day by scheduling your show times when you purchase your tickets.
Taking your family to the Shedd Aquarium is expensive; as is going to any museum or Chicago site. So, purchasing your tickets ahead of time will $15-$20 per visitor.
You’ll see all kinds of animals at the Shedd Aquarium: turtles, fish, jellyfish, star fish, sting rays, sharks, whales and dolphins. Of course it’s peaceful and comical to watch fish swim.
So, instead of describing all of these things, I took some video for you. Please notice at the end of the video, you will see two eggs with fetal sharks inside.
shedd from dani tietz on Vimeo.
The Grand Lux
We had planned to take a picnic up to Chicago, but because I decided to take the train, we did not bring our cooler.My oldest daughter suggested that we eat at the Grand Lux Cafe.
This is her favorite spot to eat in Chicago as their food is exceptional. Again, it’s very expensive to feed a family here.
The day was very nice, so we walked 40 minutes from the Museum to the restaurant. I couldn’t imagine doing this with the little ones, but if you want to follow the same route, you could take the Metra from Museum Park to the Millennium Park station. That would leave you with only seven blocks to walk.
While the streets were packed with Chicago visitors, I really enjoy walking through the city with my children. Not only do they get to see art vendors and historic landmarks, but they get to look at the faces of hundreds of people. My son asked questions about the man yelling about God on the street corner, they watched a couple of artists draw crowds as they pretended to be statues which woke up and danced to music.
They saw a homeless woman with see through blue eyes, a Muslim mother and her daughter asking for money and many, many wealthy people on Segways. There are so many places to visit in this world, but there are even many more faces to see. And the city kind of forces you to do that.
With a vast menu of excellent food, the Grand Lux Cafe is a fantastic place to eat! For breakfast, the girls really like chicken and waffles. Because we arrived after 5 p.m., they could no longer order breakfast, so we had chicken quesadillas, a grilled cheese with bacon, chicken Parmesan and chicken fettuccine Alfredo. Soooo good!
