JJ5 & Exiled Princess covered most of my thoughts.

I regularly took 2 children from WI to Chicago on a very limited budget.Priceline, southshore train, brings snacks & drinks, eat at the WaterTower Place Food Court,Corner Bakery & pizza, do lots of walking and gawking-all are great suggestions that worked for us.

A car in the city is a real challenge which I try to avoid when possible.Hotel parking is just too high$40-48 a night. The southshore line puts you right in the Loop.

For Priceline read biddingfortravel.com very thoroughly.(You want North Michigan Av or Millenium Park areas ONLY)
The Hyatt Regency, a 4 star in Millenium Park area has been going for $60 a night lately.

There are other posts on this board on how to use Priceline. We've enjoyed nice hotels in Chicago
Have a wonderful time!

Wow, great tips, thank you so much to EVERYONE! I'm going to check out the other train line mentioned by exiledprincess - thanks so much! I had no idea there was another train line available. Even if it means a drive to South Bend, it might be worth it.

I'm leaning more towards the train once again, as it seems they're starting to run specials on the fares this week and next, which wasn't the case in my last post - the price was going up, not down, which wasn't good for my budget! But it seems now that they're running a special on Amtrak, I'm either going to go that route or the South Bend train mentioned by princess.

JJ5 - I'm going to have to start posting in the Michigan forum. I've traveled all over our great state and have knowledge of nice (AND FREE OR LOW COST) attractions that are great for families. I also know which expensive ones to avoid! Marcellus is quite a bit south of us, down south of Kalamazoo, right? You should head north sometime if you get the chance - there's so much to see up there!

I'll update this thread once we get things decided, which will be within the next week. But of course, all advice and tips are welcome!

Just my two cents. The Central Loop hotel you mention is just a few blocks away from where I work, and it's definitely a nice place in a good loop location. And that rate? Grab it. It's extremely cheap for a hotel in downtown Chicago. Easy to walk anywhere in the loop/n michigan avenue area from that location as well.

Ditto the remarks about parking overnight. You will pay thru the nose. I live here and I avoid it at all costs. The South Shore train from South Bend is a very good solution and definitely worth looking into. It drops you off right near Millenium Park and is only a blocks away from the hotel. With kids casual dining is just fine, I'm sure. Michigan Ave near the Art Institute has lots of places that are cheap and have sidwalk dining at this time of year. There's usually a city sponsored trolley that takes you all over the city. The City of Chicago website can give you some idea about transporation and can also give you an idea about what's cookin' in the city during your stay. Have fun!

For those of you in the know, I just thought of another idea....would a boat cruise on the river be an option or is it too expensive?

It's worth it, but I don't know if affordable, RSTravelers on this budget and in this timeframe.

The one that goes down the River is truly a different look at Chicago.

Don't do the Amtrack. Do the South Shore. I have heard the Amtrack time and problem record is problematic, to say the least. I, myself, out of 3 trips taken on that line in the last 10 years, was at least 3 or 4 hours stuck or delayed twice. One time it because someone in Englewood and East area had thrown a huge sofa on the railroad track. If you are only coming for a short period of time- don't mess with Amtrack, IMHO.

Yes, I'm just South of Paw Paw too. Someday I will be roaming far North into MI- and I hope it won't be long.

If you are going to the Shedd- there is a white table cloth restaurant called Soundings that overlooks the water- and is extremely reasonable as far as downtown restaurants run. More reasonable than some of the faster food, downtown. They gave my little grandsons extra goodies while lunch was being prepared too, once. Better for a large lunch- than for dinner.

CAF- Chicago Architectural Foundation has a website to check out river cruise- if interested.

JJ5, I thought it might not be doable for Suebee at this time. Something I really want to do with DS the next time we go downtown. Speaking of MI, DH spent a week last June seeing a bit of Traverse City, but he especially enjoyed Saugutuck & Holland.

Quick comment....you can take the Chicago Water Taxi to/from Chinatown. Check it out: http://www.chicagowatertaxi.com. This is a more modest way of seeing Chicago from the river, which is really neat.

Thanks everyone for the tips on the water tours - I think that's something we'll tackle at another time, since our budget is limited and we also have limited time.

So far, here's what I've come up with:

-drive to South Bend, IN to catch the commuter train at the airport
-trip to Shedd Aquarium and possibly the Field Museum, or just a nice walking tour of the neighborhood
-we're meeting up at Union Station around 3 pm for my son to go with his dad (allowing time for tearful goodbyes -he wants to try living with his dad for a while...so this trip is a rough one)
-older son and I will have some time to ourselves to get checked into the hotel and grab dinner, possibly do a little more exploring before enjoying a quiet night at the hotel
-thinking of doing more exploring the next day.

I'd really like to make this at least an overnight trip, so we have time to explore a little. I could do it all in one day, but it would be a very long day!

Thank you all again for the tips, keep them coming! I'm finding lots of valuable info here. I'm sure it's helping others as well!

If you are staying over on June 19th, then you should take advantage of free admission to the Art Institute from 5 p.n to 9 p.m. Some of the most famous Impressionist paintings in the world are there, plus the newly opened modern wing. It's very near your hotel and right next to Millenium Park, which would be fun to do at night after the Art Institute. Both of these activities would be free and both are top attractions in Chicago.

Thanks isabellasu - I think we're definitely going to hit Millenium Park, not sure about the art museum - my older son's tastes run more towards cooking, so he wants to check out some of the various neighborhoods and restaurants. Not to eat in all of them, mind you, just to do a little walking to check them out. We're going to take advantage of the public transportation to get where we want to go!

Suebeehoney, If you son's tastes run more towards cooking, you might want to eat dinner at a Greek Restaurant in Greek town. We have walked many times from the waterfront (near the Shedd) to the Partheon which is about 12-14 blocks, a healthy walk but do-able, but I don't know the location of your hotel. Their Greek food is very good! http://www.theparthenon.com/restaurant-main.htm

Also, I have traveled on a budget many times and would always throw a bag of bagels and a sm jar of peanut butter in my bag. Kids ALWAYS want to snack at night and often that would be our breakfast.

I also agree on using Priceline for a good price, just be sure you bid on the right location.

Have fun and I wish you sunny weather for all that walking!

ps Forgot to tell you that the Pantheon has very reasonable prices for Chicago. Pull up their menu on their website and check them out.

Great, thanks CD! I'll take a look at that. Definitely considering the Water Taxi mentioned above as well.

Wow, what a day of research...and it continues.

Found some neat restaurants that I think we can squeeze into our budget - Joy Yee Noodle Shop is still on our list, but looking at Lou Mitchell's for breakfast (that's the one that gives out the Milk Duds, as someone was asking earlier in this thread).

I'm thinking we may narrow our trip down to just an overnighter, instead of 2 nights. That will save us money, so we're looking at the 19th-20th, and utilizing the South Shore train. The drive to South Bend to the station shouldn't be too expensive, provided the gas prices don't jump dramatically in the next 2 weeks. (Fingers crossed here.)

I was thinking of another idea as well - are there any open air markets in Chicago that we could go to, that would be open on Friday/Saturday? Just thought it might be something else we could take in.

Thanks!

Ok, here's what I've come up with so far, utilizing the great advice given by everyone on here!

Gas: $50

South Shore train tickets to & from Chicago: $45-ish
(3 adults, 1 child going to Chicago, 2 adults returning - and Amtrak was $150-$180, not including gas to get to the station, which is 60 miles away!)

CTA Day-Pass Cards: $34 (for transportation between hotel, Union Station, etc - (2) 3-day passes & (1) 1-day Fun Pass)

Hotel: $60-$100 (give or take a little, hoping to get a good deal closer to the travel date. I already have reservations but they can be canceled at no charge.)

Shedd Aquarium admission: FREE on June 19 (Community Day, no special ID required)

Water Taxi ride: $6 (for 3 one-way trips - still not sure we'll do this, but it's a possibility)

The rest can go for meals, etc. I know this puts me pretty close to the $300 mark, but I'm hoping we can get a hotel room for much less than the $100 I have budgeted, which will leave us some extra. I'm actually hoping to have closer to $400 or $500 for this trip, but $300 is the very least I will have to work with.

Any other ideas, given this tentative schedule, are most welcome!

Actually, I think that your South Shore tickets will be slightly more*. Did you check to see if you are eligible for the family fare rate? It's $10.75 each way for adults, I believe = $21.50 x 2 = $43.00 plus $10.75 = $53.75. Your 11 year-old would ride free if you are taking an off-peak train on the 19th - meaning that the train arrives in Chicago *after* 9:30 a.m. (You need only pick up the 8:48 a.m. departure, arriving at 10:15 a.m.) But keep in mind that you will have to include the $7-8 for overnight parking at the South Bend Airport. Even so, it is substantially less than Amtrak and you have more train options.

BTW, there is no drink or food service on the South Shore, so you might want to eat breakfast before leaving.

On the CTA passes, you should know that children 7-11 cost only $1 per ride (reduced fare) every day. So it might actually be less expensive for you to only get day passes for the adults in your group.

Suggestions:

1) When you first get into the city, go directly to your hotel, check in and/or (at least) drop off your bags - so you aren't lugging them around with you. Most hotels have a luggage holding room.

2) As soon as you come up the steps from Millennium Station (where the terminus of the South Shore is - and which is, BTW, right underneath Millennium Park) at the Randolph exit, you'll be right at the foot of the steps of the Chicago Cultural Center. The Chicago Cultural Center is a great place for taking in free exhibits and performances. It has a visitor's center where you can get coupons and information. It's where the free Instagreeter program originates, in case you'd like to go into one of the neighborhoods for a visit.

3) The Shedd Aquarium has free *general* admission - but the special exhibits are extra, albeit at a discounted rate. It is definitely worth the extra money, if you can afford it.

4) If you have the time after visiting the Shedd Aquarium, I really suggest a nice walk back to S. Michigan Avenue. This will be somewhat more than a mile, but maybe you'd like to stretch your legs after that train journey earlier. You start out at the terrace of the Shedd, which has a fantastic views of the city skyline (so take your camera), the lake and Navy Pier. Then you walk north, along Monroe Harbor for several blocks. To your left, you will then see the Buckingham Fountain, which just underwent a many multi-million dollar renovation. You can't miss this fountain because it is one of the largest in the western hemisphere.

You need to cross Lake Shore Drive westwardly to get to it. Do so only at a traffic light and be careful even then! - either before the fountain or after and then backtrack a little. Every hour on the top of the hour from 8:00 a.m., there is a water display at the Fountain; and at night (until 11:00 p.m.) there is a light show, which is quite lovely. It also has a really great photo op for you with the skyline in the background of the fountain.

After you are done there, to your right, you will see steps leading down into one of the rose gardens of Grant Park. Just go down those steps and then continue towards the northwest. You will probably see the steel ribbons of the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park over the treetops as you approach it. If you don't though, you need only walk northwest and you cannot miss Millennium Park. (In fact, if you walk to the west to Michigan Avenue - then north, you'll walk right past the Art Institute to get to Millennium Park.)

Along this route on S. Michigan Avenue, you will see the historic Santa Fe (aka Transportation) Building, across Michigan Avenue from the Art Institute. This is where the Chicago Architecture Foundation has their main location. Go inside, if you can. You'll see a listing of all the architectural walks that can be taken. They are pretty inexpensive (most in the $10 range) - and you can see a listing of them on their website.

If your budget doesn't allow that, here are a free couple of things you can do. A) Go to the Chicago Loop Alliance's website. There you will find the three "Loop the Loop" walking tours. These are free downloadable (to your computer or MP3 device) walking tours of the Loop. B) Go to the website for Millennium Park. It also has a free downloadable walking tour.

You have probably heard that Chicago is one truly bike-able (is that a word?) city. On the 19th is Mayor Daley's Bike to Work Rally, being held at Daley Plaza. There will be special events all day 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. in celebration of this. See http://www.explorechicago.org/city/e...ey_s_bike.html for more details.

5) Make sure you go to the Art Institute on their free evening. You will be glad you did, even despite the crowds.

6) The Shoreline River Taxi has a boarding area right across the Chicago River from Union Station - by the Sears Tower. Either take the River Taxi to Union Station (if your hotel is closer to Michigan Avenue) or from Union Station back to Michigan Avenue.

7) If you are looking for something free to do in the evening, the free SummerDance series will be happening. Go to the City of Chicago's website for more details.

I'm sure that you won't have any problems finding things to do for free (or low cost) during your visit here. Have a lot of fun!

P.S. Here's some information on the SummerDance series. http://www.explorechicago.org/city/e...mmerDance.html

Thank you SO much, exiledprincess! Great info. I was looking at the discounted rates for the South Shore train, maybe I miscalculated them. Thanks for the tip on the CTA rates for kids - you're right, it's probably cheaper for my youngest to just pay the fare instead of using a card. He'll only be with us for the first day, and then only until late afternoon.

I'm thinking we're going to do cheap eats as much as possible, so Lou Mitchell's for breakfast/brunch and one meal at Joy Yee - and the rest we'll just fill in as we go.

I think we can definitely do this for $300 or so, if we're careful. I plan on coming back and posting a trip report and letting you all know how this all worked out!

Just an update, as we come closer to our travel date.

We are going to make this a day trip instead of a 2-day or overnighter, simply because it will be easier on our budget. We will do what sightseeing we can in the day's time that we're there, and head back that night.

We are either going to drive to South Bend, IN and take the commuter train or drive straight into Chicago and park at the Union Station garage for the day. Leaning more towards the commuter train, but luggage may be an issue there. My son will have 2 large duffel bags to take with him. They meet Amtrak's carry-on requirements, but not so sure if they'll work for the commuter train. Going to check into that.

Shedd Aquarium is still on our list of things to see, but only the general admission, since the day we're going is a free day. Looking at Adler Planetarium and Millenium Park as well. Meeting my son's dad at Union Station at 3 p.m., so that's about all we'll be able to squeeze in, probably. Maybe a water taxi ride somewhere in there.

SueBee,

The planetarium is nowhere near as cool a museum as the Art Institute. The collection of battlegear and armaments through the ages is enough to keep any teen age boy busy for at least an hour. Then, you can expose him to the magnificent paintings. It is truly world class experience.

Have fun,

Kevin