Just a couple a few weeks ago I took these three on a trip to Chicago during fall break. My 13 year old daughter was in Washington, D.C. on her 8th grade class trip. My husband had business in Chicago and flew there early in the morning. That same morning, I started driving from Minneapolis in my minivan with three kids. You are probably wondering what bet I lost. But, really it wasn’t too bad. Truly. We went from Chicago to visit my brother’s family so we needed the van. There is nothing like driving up to a nice hotel and a bunch of your husbands colleagues after you’ve been in a van for 5 hours with 3 kids and lots of snacks, McDonald’s, blankets and pillows. It’s not a pretty sight. But, the drive was worth it! We had one day to see the city before driving to see our my brother’s family and the cousins!
Here’s what we did. I highly recommend this if you have just one day in the city.
Shopping: We took the morning to do a little shopping. We hit American Girl and the Sanrio store.
Or, as my little “Fancy Nancy” puts it, “Miss Kitty-Ah!” with lots of effect.
Then, we hit the Nike Store, which the boys really liked.
And, so did my little girl…she’s so gangsta’ for her age.
Then, after some shopping we waited for the bus to take us to the aquarium. Something in my suburban mother’s heart just loves seeing my kids wait for a bus in a big city.
The bus system in Chicago is super easy to use. The buses travel from downtown back and forth to the museum area . And, taking the bus allowed us to see a little more of the city.
And, the city to see a little bit more of us. (This is Tony Tassets’ “Eye”, a temporary work set up in Pritzer Park.)
Our destination the Shedd Aquarium.
Right outside the Shedd, there was some sort of car promotion event going on. Here is were I relax and remember that travel is about surprises in the journey. The car promotion interested my kids. They got free hats and toys and won a free iTunes card.
The Shedd Aquarium brings you close up and personal to tons of fish and their habitats.
My kids ages 1st grade through high school aged, stayed interested the whole time we were there. We spent four hours in the Shedd which was just about perfect.
We had plenty of time to gaze at the wonders under water.
We had time to enjoy the Aquatic Show.
We were even lucky enough to even get a chance to see the octopus who was alert and moving. The guide told us that 99% of the people don’t get to see it because it is nocturnal and usually hiding during the day.
We ended the day with going to the theater. We saw Disney’s, The Lion King. So worth it. Wonderful for any age. 
Chicago in a day. It was jam packed itinerary and a great visit for kids of all ages!
