My love affair with the “Windy City” is no secret. I have raved about many of the city’s unique family-friendly attractions in previous blogs… and I’m not done yet. The following a few more of my family’s favorite “Second City” pit stops:
NAVY PIER
Navy Pier holds the title of Chicago’s most-visited tourist attraction. And it’s easy to see why. After all, where else in the world can you find a 15-story Ferris wheel, a Shakespearean Theater, a children’s museum, a stained-glass museum, an IMAX Theater, and a miniature golf course sitting on a half-mile man-made peninsula extending out into a lake? Navy Pier once served as a military training site during both world wars. Now it’s dedicated to pure entertainment, with 40,000 square feet of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. During the summer months you can board ferries for a tour of Lake Michigan or rent a bike to cruise down to Concrete Beach. Navy Pier is located just off Gateway Park in downtown Chicago.
MILLENNIUM PARK
Located at the northwest corner of Chicago’s Grant Park, Millennium Park is a 24-acre tribute to the 21st century. The centerpiece of the park is dedicated to illustrating the works of superstar architect Frank Gehry. Just as he did in Bilbao, Spain, and downtown Los Angeles, Gehry filled the park with his one-of-a-kind steel creations. In one area of the park Gehry framed an outdoor stage in ribbons of titanium. However, the design that gets the most stares is Gehry’s space age fountain, which includes changing video images. Millennium Park is also home to beautiful flower gardens and a 300-seat cafe opposite an ice skating rink.
THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
Even if you don’t have children the museum is a place you don’t want to miss. Where else can you find a full sized submarine, a miniature fairy castle with 2,000 furnishings, a model railroad that depicts the journey from Chicago to Seattle, a working coal mine shaft and Apollo 8? It typically takes our family about 5 hours to navigate the entire museum (and we have been there at least a half dozen times). My tip: pre-order tickets online to bypass the lines that at times snake around the building. Museum admission is $11 for adults, $7 children 3-11. Other special exhibits (including the submarine tour) cost extra, typically about $5.
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