logo

The Global Domain Name (url) Families.com is currently available for acquisition. Please contact by phone at 805-627-1955 or Email for Details

Springtime in Chicago

I just returned from a family trip to Hawaii, which included connections at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. While there my 3-year-old daughter paid her dinosaur pal a visit in Terminal One and once again ran her little legs off at the “Kids on the Fly” play area. The 2,000-square-foot indoor playground features a two-story control tower, airplane with interactive cockpit and cargo hold, luggage slide, a ticket counter, a helicopter, and my daughter’s favorite feature a pint-sized ice-cream stand where tots can scoop their own mock sweet treats into paper cones.

We had more than two hours to kill between flights and even that wasn’t enough time for her to tire of creating triple scoop treats for random passengers (and one very nice city policeman) who happened to walk by the play area. The only way I could get her out of there and on to the plane was to promise to take her to the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier (they are the ones who helped design and create the airport play area).

If you have youngsters (10 and under) and have never been to Navy Pier or the Children’s Museum I would highly recommend doing so the next time you are in Chicago. What’s more, spring is one of the best times of the year to visit the Windy City. The weather is pleasant and the crowds are not nearly as large as in mid-summer.

Next week the city goes green just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. The holiday calls for the annual dyeing of the Chicago River green by the plumber’s union, followed by the St. Patrick’s Day Parade through Grant Park. Both events take place on the Saturday closest to the actual St. Patrick’s Day and are free to the public.

In May you can take in the Chicago Gospel Music Festival at Millennium Park. It’s also free and open to the public. The city also offers a number of superb restaurants where you can treat mom to a Mother’s Day feast.

Finally, Chicagoans officially bid good-bye to spring and say hello to summer with the extremely popular (mainly because it is free) Chicago Blues Festival, which takes place during the first weekend of June in Grant Park.

Related Articles:

Chicago’s Must-See Attractions

Five Reasons You Should Visit Chicago

Five More Reasons You Should Visit Chicago

Shedd Aquarium Savings Tips

Day Trip: Brookfield Zoo

Visiting Chicago’s Sears Tower

Mother-Daughter Vacations

Visiting Chicago’s “Concrete Beach”

Marathon Vacations

Grilling Up A Mother’s Day Treat

“Taste of Chicago”-The Ultimate Food Festival

This entry was posted in Illinois and tagged , , , , by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.