In my previous blog I listed some of the spectacular outdoor activities that await you in Chicago this winter. I failed to mention that the city also offers a host of family friendly events for those of you who can only tolerate the cold for a short period of time (that would be me).
I can’t stand the cold (being born and raised in Hawaii does that to a person), but my love for Chicago outweighs my distaste for Mother Nature’s brutal winter assault so my family makes the trip no matter what the weather. We just stick to the city’s warmer attractions such as the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier, and the Museum of Science and Industry, which has so many hands-on interactive exhibits we easily spend 6 hours there each time we visit.
And nothing makes these attractions more appealing than when they are free. During the entire month of February both the Field Museum and the Art Institute waive their general admission fees. In addition, on February 16th, two new exhibitions will open at the Art Institute — one of the paintings of Edward Hopper and the other of Winslow Homer watercolors. Both can be seen for $10 until January 31st, after that the price doubles.
Winter savings can also be had at a number of hotels in the Chicagoland area. I can tell you from experience that hotel rooms downtown are much cheaper than they are in the spring and the summer.
For example, during the month of February the Homewood Suites Chicago Downtown is offering standard room rates as low as $139, which is about a third what the same room can cost during the summer.
Some of the city’s priciest hotels have also cut prices, and offer special winter packages. For example, the upscale Peninsula Chicago is offering winter packages through the month of February. Luxury rooms at the legendary hotel are being offered as low as $395 a night, or about $150 less than the starting price once the temperatures start to rise. The hotel’s “Winter Escape” package also includes complimentary breakfast for two and a night of free parking.
The Ritz-Carlton is also offering a winter fun package for families. The hotel’s standard rooms typically start at $515 a night during the spring and summer. In contrast the hotel’s current “Family Fun Slumber Party Package,” which features complimentary in-room meals and cookie-decorating kits for kids is being offered for just $350 per night.
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