Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2
Planning a Family Trip to Chicago
P
lanning a trip is half the fun—and when kids are involved, planning is a
chance to make them active participants in the upcoming family adventure.
Ward off any potential kid meltdowns (“I didn't know we were going to do
that!”) by talking through the activities you all can enjoy. In this chapter we'll
look at how to find up-to-date information on those activities, when to go, and
how to get here.
1 Visitor Information
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
The best source of information is the
Chicago Convention and Tourism
Bureau, which operates an informa-
tion line at
&
877/CHICAGO
and a
very helpful and up-to-date website at
www.877chicago.com.
The Chicago
Office of Tourism,
Chicago Cultural
Center, 78 E. Washington St.,
Chicago, IL 60602 (
&
312/744-
2400
or TTY 312/744-2947; http://
egov.cityofchicago.org), will mail you
a packet of materials with information
on upcoming events and attractions.
The
Illinois Bureau of Tourism
(
&
800/2CONNECT
or TTY 800/
406-6418; www.enjoyillinois.com)
will also send you a packet of informa-
tion about Chicago and other Illinois
destinations.
The number-one publication for
families in the Chicago area is
Chicago Parent
(
&
708/386-5555
),
a monthly magazine that has won
many awards as best regional parent-
ing publication in the nation. Contact
the magazine to request a copy of its
June issue, which is the annual “Going
Places” guide, a comprehensive listing
of what to do with kids in the six-
county metro area.
HELPFUL WEBSITES
Aside from official, government-run
websites, some Chicago publications
and other organizations have wonder-
ful websites, some targeted to families.
Check out
Chicago Parent
magazine's
website,
www.chicagoparent.com
,
prior to your visit, for a look at the cal-
endar of events and excellent features
on exploring Chicago with kids.
In addition,
www.gocitykids.com
provides a wealth of information,
including current calendars of events
for Chicago. You can search for activi-
ties, restaurants, and hotels, and see
what's happening in specific neighbor-
hoods. For information on baby gear,
play spaces, and kid-friendly commu-
nity events, check out
www.urban
baby.com
.
Go to
www.digitalcity.com/
chicago
for general information about
Chicago provided by the
Chicago Trib-
une;
www.metromix.com
is the
Trib-
une
's entertainment-oriented site. Also
check out
www.chireader.com
, the
site of the
Chicago Reader,
the city's
alternative weekly paper.
Many of the city's performing-arts
groups sell tickets online through
www.ticketweb.com
, so you can
reserve seats before leaving home.
