When considering great vacation spots, my family and I always try to look for things out of the norm. Getting away to ‘big’ cities like Chicago has always been great fun for me and my family. We enjoy going for an overnight stay or even a long weekend that allows us to explore one or more of the many Chicago attractions we enjoy, including the Shedd Aquarium, the Planetarium, Millennium Park, and the Chicago Children’s Museum. While we’re a growing family, we can enjoy the Windy City without running through our entire vacation budget.

Shedd Aquarium

For around $30, our family can enjoy an afternoon at the Shedd Aquarium. General admission doesn’t include special exhibits at the aquarium, but our children are currently more interested in the year-round ocean life displays. As they get older and develop more patience for special shows and visiting exhibits, we might consider a family membership that will grant us access to these features.

The Planetarium

As general admission to the Planetarium is close to $50 for our family, we save visits to this particular destination for special occasions, such as celebrating one of the children’s birthdays while we’re in Chicago. That said, a visit to the Planetarium is a fun and affordable possibility if we fill out the rest of our weekend with free activities like a picnic or an outing like Movies in the Park. The film selections are great for our kids, enjoyable for me and my husband, and a great place to sit down as a family and talk about what we saw at the Planetarium earlier in the afternoon.

Millennium Park

One of our favorite venues in Chicago, Millennium Park has a wealth of offerings that are great for the whole family – and has free admission. We can spend the afternoon taking in art exhibits and enjoy a concert in the evening. We like to participate in family-friendly events such as making seasonal crafts or ice skating (even if some of us spend the entire time clinging to the side of the rink). We tend to finish up with a dinner from foods we pick up at a local farmers’ market, benefitting the local economy and saving us the money we’d normally spend on dinner at a restaurant.

Chicago Children’s Museum

As you might guess, the Chicago Children’s Museum is our children’s top pick when it comes to Chicago visits. Because it’s so popular with our family, my husband and I bought a family membership (around $120) as a family Christmas present that pays for our visits throughout the year. I’m sure my boys would spend their entire weekend in Kids Town if my husband and I let them. Visiting the CCM is a great way for the kids to have educational experiences that are also fun, which is a perfect way to introduce them to museums.

No matter where our family goes in Chicago, we always have a good time. I’m glad that my husband and I have instilled a love of learning in our kids. We certainly don’t mind repeating some of the same activities when we visit the Windy City, simply because everyone enjoys them so much and because we can supplement a visit to an attraction with other low-cost or free activities. I look forward to future visits to Chicago, especially as the kids get older and more options open up for our family.

Author Bio:
Holly Watson is a stay at home wife and mother of 3 boys, with one precious baby girl arriving in October. She was a financial adviser until she ‘gave it all up’ to stay at home with the kids. You can follow some of her mantras at www.eatbreatheblog.com.