What area in Chicago is most central to the major attractions?|121589

I will be visiting Chicago with my two children, boys ages 11 and 14. When searching for hotels, I am not familiar with the areas such as the loop, north michigan, etc. We visited once before and stayed on North Michigan, but weren_t in walking distance to any attractions. And we won_t be shopping! But, Navy Pier, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd_s, etc.

The Loop or downtown Chicago. Everything is pretty close there.

You_ll want to be downtown, close to Michigan ave, but maybe a little further south than you were before. You might try the international hostel on Congress. I_m not sure about hotels in the area.

The Field Museum, The Shedd, and the Planetarium are all south just off of Roosevelt.

The Museum of Science and Industry is not with in walking distance from any of the other attractions. You_ll have to take either the Metra from Millennium Station to 55th/57th St. or a bus that drops you off in front of the museum.

If something is not in walking distance, Chicago has a good public transportation system. You can purchase day passes to ride the L or the buses all over the city.

A good place to start is the Chicago Cultural Center at Michigan and Randolph. There is a tourist information center there and they will be able to help you with the specifics of how to get where you want to go.

The major attractions are spread out a bit - it is possible to walk but some of the walks are long.

If you stay in the central Loop area, you will be reasonably close to North Michigan Avenue shopping, the Art Institute and the Bean. Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum are not too far. There is a hop-on, hop-off trolley that you can take to get to these.

The Museum of Science and Industry is down in Hyde Park, not too far from the University of Chicago. You can take the El or a taxi to get there.

I would suggest the Gold Coast or Lincoln Park area after looking at the original question but later you mention 3 sites that are not near each other. The only site close to my suggestion is Navy Pier.

Unfortunately Chicago has several attractions...there are 53 museums alone! They are spread out throughout the city and suburbs.

Check out the Museum Campus area in Grant Park...Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum of Natural History. They are within walking distance of each other...but a fairly long walk to the planetarium. These can be seen in one day although the Field Museum can be a day by itself. By the way, the Oceanarium exhibit in the aquarium is closed for construction until May 22. Check them out online:


http://www.fieldmuseum.org/



http://www.sheddaquarium.org/



http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/plan/ind��


This time, why not stay near Millenium Park? It_s part of Grant Park and is an attraction itself with many things to see and experience:


http://www.millenniumpark.org/



http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago_m��



Below are some nearby hotels. Some have museum packages:


http://www.bestwesternillinois.com/hotel��



http://www.essexinn.com/



http://www.fairmont.com/chicago/?cm_mmc=��



http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/CH��



This would leave the Museum of Science and Industry. This place is about 6 1/2 miles from the others. There are attractions near there....Obama_s home, Univ of Chicago, Oriental Institute...if your kids are into ancient history.

stay in _the loop_ or theater district.
go to hotels.com and type in navy pier for hotels closeby.
take the double decker bus tour. you can hop on and off
at each stop.

Get a room at The Drake.