Visiting Chicago with a 6 year old (Lincoln, Industry: hotels, buying, theater)

[Duk123]

My 6 year old daughter and I will be spending a couple of days in Chicago between Xmas and New Years. We'll be staying at a hotel on the Mile and we plan on visiting the Aquarium, The Natural History Museum, and The Sears/Willis Tower.

I'm looking for suggestions on some other lesser know attractions to visit while we're in town. I'm also looking for suggestions on where to eat. For a six year old she's a fairly adventurous eater so ethnic food suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

[chet everett]

Hancock is closer to where you'll be staying, the trade off is that the whole experience at "The Skydeck" is very "managed" / touristry and expensive -- Facts About the Ledge Hancock is more affordable -- JOHN HANCOK OBSERVATORY - ADMISSION - PRICE - CITYPASS - SKY ANNUAL PASS - FAST PASS Some folks prefer the views from the Hancock too...

Museum of Contemporary Art is close too, and is generally a lot of fun -- Visit | MCA Chicago

Lots of iconic images at Art Institute too -- Visit | The Art Institute of Chicago

Can't really stay on Michigan Ave and not go shopping:

http://www.shopwatertower.com/visit

The Shops at North Bridge : Visitor Info : Visitor Incentives

American Girl Place Chicago | American Girl Stores | American Girl ®

Might want to take in a live theater production -- Find a Show | Broadway in Chicago

These might be fun for a sophisticated little foodie:

Gaylord India Restaurant - Near North Side - Chicago, IL

Wow Bao - Near North Side - Chicago, IL

Jellyfish - Near North Side - Chicago, IL

Fornetto Mei - Near North Side - Chicago, IL

Baisi Thai - Near North Side - Chicago, IL

Mei's Corner - Near North Side - Chicago, IL

M Burger - Near North Side - Chicago, IL | Yelp

[Stillers]

The Lincoln Park Zoo is free and has some pretty cool-looking displays right now. Not sure if they take the decorations down right after Xmas or what, though.

Lincoln Park Zoo Christmas Lights

[MoItaly]

The Museum of Science and Industry seems good for kids and has plenty of interactive stuff.
Welcome to The Museum of Science and Industry

If you are using public transportation go to the nearest Red Line stop and take the red south (toward 95th St) to Harrison. A short walk south to State and Balbo and you can catch the Bus # 6 which take you to the museum.

[Attrill]

The aquarium is great, but the lines can be absolutely insane (especially around the holidays). Get to the aquarium early, and if the lines are already bad that day just know that you can jump the lines by walking in the membership entrance and buying a membership (not cheap, but on bad days the lines can be so bad that it's worth it).

If you're going to be around for brunch on a Saturday or Sunday The Publican is great, and they're one of the few good places that take reservations for brunch. It's a short cab or bus ride from Michigan Ave. hotels. It was our daughter's favorite place when she was 5, and she still picks a trip there for pork rinds as one of her potential rewards for doing something really well.

The Gage is also a great place just North of the Art Institute, and they have a kids menu if you ask for it (really good stuff, and much cheaper than ordering off the main menu). The Purple Pig is the other really outstanding place on Michigan Ave., but it can get really busy. It's worth checking into, but after 6 or 7 it will be crazy packed. Cafe Spiaggia is an awesome place for lunch, and if you want blow a lot of money on a dinner the main restaurant is also excellent, but the Cafe for lunch is a great deal and is pretty casual. Slurping Turtle and Xoco are also great.

For very convenient and decent places around Michigan for dinner with a kid I'd recommend checking out Grand Lux or Weber Grill. Both are solid places that have a nice big city feel, decent food at decent prices, and are fairly easy to get into. There's nothing outstanding about either place, but if you're in the area looking for an easy option they work well.

If you're checking out the Bean the Cultural Center right across the street usually has some good exhibits, as well as a basic cafe to grab a coffee and hot chocolate to warm up. The Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo are definitely worth checking out, and the zoo is great any time of year.

[marothisu]

Gaylord, from what Chet mentioned, is a decent Indian restaurant (there's only a small handful of them in the greater area the OP is staying). They have an all you can eat buffet during lunch. For an adult it's like $13, and I'm sure it's less for kids.

Jellyfish is a good spot, albeit quasi expensive. There is also Vora two blocks west of that which also has expensive sushi but has other more "affordable" things on the menu too. It's also right next to a Dave & Buster's.

If you want something slightly adventurous and Chinese, then go to Chinatown. For dim sum, I would recommend Cai. It is a large banquet hall type of place and pretty decent, but on weekends either get there before 10am or after about 2pm because it can get VERY busy (and it's mostly locals) between 10 and 2. On weekdays, you'd probably have more luck during regular hours. Chinatown is easy to get to - either about a 10-12 minute train ride south on the red line to the Chinatown stop, or a fairly quick and not too expensive cab ride. Chicago has a lot of ethnic food, but most (not all) of it of the non expensive ilk is not downtown (For example, for some good, cheap, authentic Vietnamese food too, take the red line north to the Argyle stop).

There is also Xoco in River North which is a Rick Bayless casual eatery. Seating is limited and it can get busy at some times too, but the food is good. They serve tortas and caldos, and also have things like freshly ground hot chocolate which can be good and different than the average hot chocolate you'll have in the US (thick and very rich). Their churros with chocolate sauce are good too.

[GoColts]

When my kids were that little they could not tolerate the crowds in Chicago and museums during Spring or winter break. They loved Lincoln Park zoo in the winter because it wasn't crowded and because it was unlike other zoos because it's in the city so the exhibits were close and they did not have to walk a lot to see all of the animals. After we got real cold we went next door to the botanical gardens?? (I forgot what it's called.....conservatory?) and looked at the plants - it was a pretty big place but I think the hours of operation were shorter than the zoo. My kids are now teenagers and when I think about that visit I remember it as a little boring but they remember it as being the most fun. Every time we visited grandma I would take them to a different attraction and this was very age appropriate.

[Duk123]

Thank you for all of the ideas. My daughter is really excited about this trip and your ideas and suggestions will help to make it a very memorable experience for her.

[jdiddy]

Take the Brown Line to Western. This section is elevated the entire way, so its a nice way to see the north side, and is usually exciting for kids (plus, me). Then walk half a block north up Lincoln to Chicago Brauhaus.

Chicago Brauhaus - Lincoln Square, Chicago - German food, German beer and German Music - German Restaurant

[chet everett]

Some of the places listed above do serve lots of wine / beer / liquor and tend to have a high noise level even at lunch. Granted none of them are anything like "dive bars" and even the worst dive bars are lot less gross then they used to be before the bans on tobacco took effect, just a heads up about the noise / crowd...