To do:

• The top things to do in Chicago is an architecture river tour. When its cold, you can even get hot chocolate on the boat. You can sometimes find good deals on Groupon.

• If you are here for a few days, the city pass is a good deal.

• Skydeck at Sears Tower (there are some good restaurants on the main floor of the building as well)

• The museum campus has 3 great museums all very close to each other

  • Field museum - which has the largest T-Rex in the world

  • Shedd Aquarium - really fun dolphin show with awesome views of Lake Michigan

  • Adler Planetarium

• My favorite museum in the city is the Museum of Science and Industry. It is the largest science museum in the western hemisphere. Very interactive for kids and adults. It also has some great exhibits around Christmas time.

  • It can be reached from public transit, but it is a little more difficult. If you have a car, I would recommend just driving.

• Chicago has two great zoos.

  • Brookfield is bigger and has some great animal exhibits

  • Lincoln Park Zoo is free and much closer to down town. It has really beautiful landscaping as well. They have my favorite Lion exhibit.

• Millennium Park has lots to do, especially if the weather is good and you are walking around

  • You can start with the bean (cloud gate)

  • Next to the bean is Crown Fountain. Its both parts weird and fun. Its a giant obelisk that displays people spitting water. Bonus points if you brought swim suits and towels for kids.

  • Walk over to Maggie Daley Park - My kids love this playground. Its gigantic and really fun.

  • Buckingham fountain is also right in the Millennium Park area.

• The Lakefront Trail is nicely paved and runs for almost 20 miles along the Chicago shoreline. You can rent a bike to explore the trail.

• In the summer, the river walk is my favorite thing to do in the city. You can pop up at different restaurants. The west end of the path is a beautiful section where the different sections of the river come together and has fun seating to sit and watch the river.

• The 606 is an old train line that they converted into an elevated park that runs through the city. This is a great way to walk or bike through the city.

• Navy Pier is a great place to catch one of the river tours but it also has some Chicago themed shops, restaurants, and great views of the city. You can walk around for free, but the attractions are fun to try as well.

• Art Institute downtown has a great spread of exhibits. They have a large collection of impressionism as well.

• Magnificent Mile has many great shops and some interesting stops

  • Tribune tower has artifacts from around the world built into the building at street level like a mini outdoor museum

  • We usually like to walk from the apple store to the bean to get some nice views of the city across the bridge

• If you are here around Summer, then try visiting the Cubs. The whole area around the stadium is incredible with lots of good restaurants

• If you can't make it to a Cubs game, Chicago Dogs in Rosemont are also a fun team to root for.

• Blackhawks are also an easy team to snag tickets to.

  • I like to park in the X lot. Book parking ahead of time.

• If you are here around Christmas time, here are a few extra things that we love

  • Visit the tree! Its right next to the bean.

  • Check out the Christkindlemarkets. The Aurora one is less busy but I like the Chicago one more. Although, it can literally be shoulder to shoulder the entire time.

• Garfield Park Conservatory

• You can try the raffle for Broadway in Chicago to see a show

• Visit a beach on Lake Michigan

  • Ohio beach is great if you are at Navy Pier

  • North beach has beautiful views of the city

  • From the suburbs, we like to swim at Gibson beach

• Water taxi is a fun activity and a great way to see Chinatown

To eat:

• Pequods is the best for deep dish. I recommend the Morton Grove location. It was rated #1 best pizza in the country on Yelp.

• Everyone has strong opinions on Italian Beef. I like Portillos, but Italian Beef is the true Chicago food. Much more so than deep dish.

  • You can also try a Chicago dog from Portillos as well!

• Tavern Style Pizza is also the more commonly eaten pizza in Chicago. I've been really into Spuntinos.

• Walnut Room is great around Christmas time. Good luck getting a reservation.

• Alinea is the most expensive meal i've ever had and it was worth every penny

• River roast is great in the city

• River north has some fun restaurants near the loop

  • Parlor pizza has been a favorite lately

  • Ramen san is good as well

• My go to quick Indian place in the city is Naansense

• French market is a great food hall with lots of great options. Its also an easy trip as its in the same building as Ogilvie station so you can take the metra in.

• Greektown has some good options. Greek Islands is my favorite. They have another location in the burbs but I prefer to just drive into the city.

• Thalaivas in Park Ridge is wonderful Indian. I like to get the thali.

• We love the food and staff at House of Cakes in Park Ridge. They treat our kids well.

• For Fat Tuesday, my favorite place for Pączki is Polish Pączki Café

• Rainbow cone is fun stacked ice cream in the summer. You can find these all over. Don't get a single flavor. Splurge and get the rainbow cone without modifications.

• Elias is a great Greek brunch place in Park Ridge

• Elis Cheesecake are sold all over, but you can go to the factory and get misfit treats for cheap!

• Do-Rite Donuts is my favorite donut place. They also have great breakfast sandwiches

• Lots of really great restaurants in Westloop. One that I really enjoyed was the Publican