So I’m not going to jump on here and act like I am a Chicago expert. Faaaar from it actually. My knowledge of Chicago is that of the few days we stayed there. BUT I fell in love and I also got SOOO many recommendations from YOU on the gram. I wanted to put the top recommends all in one place for easy access… for me and of course, YOU!
We stayed at the INCREDIBLY GORGEOUS Fairmont Millennium Park right in downtown Chicago in the middle of it all. It is in the BEST location, right on the water, next to restaurants, the park, if you know where the famous “bean” is, it’s right there. Yup, super central, great location. Get it? Got it? Good.
We were traveling with our kids, of course, so our list is pretty kid friendly. We didn’t get to do too much while we were there, it was such a short trip! But we packed in a lot for the time we were there! I couldn’t believe how many kid friendly activities there were to do there! I received so many great recommendations, so here they are!
Where to stay:
My one and only recommendation because 1. we loved it 2. Everyone was OVER THE TOP accommodating, warm and friendly and 3. They’ve got the best spa in town! (I had the seasonal sugar scrub treatment and it was so good.) Also, just to show how OVER THE TOP people were, the spa manager saw me at dinner, came to our table and asked how my treatment went and if we enjoyed everything. SOOO sweet.
Okay one more example: The CHEF at the restaurant in the hotel (Columbus Tap) came out TWICE during our meal to make sure everything was good and then didn’t mind staying for a minute while we yammered away with our millions of questions and raves about the incredible food. He was so kind and charming. We will definitely be back!
I had a few people asking about what we do with our kiddos when we travel and go on “dates”. It doesn’t happen often. Like once in a blue moon. BUT The Fairmont has a certified babysitting service… hand selected people they use that can come to your hotel room and babysit the kids while you go out for a bit! Clay and I got to go to the spa and dinner alone! Both were in the hotel which was nice… not too far from them and close enough if they needed anything.
Where to eat:
I just went on about this place above. But GO! It’s so good and a really fun atmosphere. Plus, if you are staying at the Fairmont Hotel, you’re right in your own lobby! Perks!
This 100% makes the list because I am all about that Nutella spread. YUMMMM.
What to do:
Want to float above the city up more than 100 stories high? You do, promise. The views are INSAAANE. And its really not at scary or sketchy as it looks. HAHA I had a few people calling me out for being a horrible mother for putting my children out on the ledge. For real. C’mon! But the photos came out pretty crazy… whoever cleans that glass deserves a raise! Just so we are on the same page: 100% safe, 100% AWESOME. 100% you should go.
Natural History Museum, wonderful for both kids and adults.
We took the kids here and I have gotta tell you… we were completely misled. In a good way. We walked around the first level of the aquarium and were like, “yeah, cool! This place is pretty neat!” We were just about to leave and someone said in passing, “you don’t want to be late for the dolphin show!” DOLPHIN SHOW? HUH?! THERE ARE DOLPHINS HERE?! We just about missed the dolphins. And belugas. And penguins. And the interactive play submarine for kiddos. And EVERYTHING ELSE! If you go to Shedd Aquarium, don’t miss the lower level. That’s where they are hiding allll the good stuff. HAHAHA
Museum Of Science and Industry
Ice Skating Millenium Park (Winter Months)
Christkindl Market (November + December)
Are you convinced yet that you need to take a trip to Chicago? Because I totally convinced myself that I need to go back. ???? If you missed our first blog post about The Seeker Project, you can catch it here! We chose Chicago after taking a short online interactive quiz about where we should travel. It is such a cool experience, you have to try it! It measures your heart rate, your response times, photos you are drawn to, all of these things combined to tell you what type of trip/vacation you need and where you should go. Take the quiz by clicking here and see what your heart REALLY wants out of your travel experience!
Huge thanks to Accor Hotels for making this all happen for us and for The Fairmont for hosting! We will be back!!!
You have put a lot of work into this post. I read every word, and was remembering our girl’s trip to Chicago. We should do it again. I do remember how cold it was, though. Shiver, shiver.