Skyline view from the Chicago River
Chicago is one of my favorite American cities. Although I went to Northwestern and I’ve spent quite a bit of time in and around the city, I was completely blown away on my last visit by the quality of the development and renovations to parks, buildings, and recently, the riverfront walk.
We just added two fantastic hotel options for families on Ciao Bambino. Our goal is to highlight the best accommodation options in a given destination vs. all the possibilities. We are well on our way in Chicago!
The Affinia Chicago is a hip hotel in a phenomenal location off the Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile. This growing chain has a laundry list of special amenities for kids. Read our complete family-friendly review.
To be honest, I was shocked to discover this next option caters to families, but the Trump International Hotel & Tower created the Trump Kids program with over-the-top treats for kids like the personalized ‘kid’ business cards. Rooms have full kitchens plus one stand-out feature is the indoor swimming pool—an ideal way to take breaks between activities. I interviewed the family that stayed here a few weeks ago and they absolutely raved. After putting the Trump hotel review together for the website, I can see why! I’m a view gal and the views from those rooms look outrageous.
The main attractions in Chicago are accessible via walking, public transportation, and taxis. Although the city overall is enormous, it’s easy to navigate. The heart of the city is urban, although, the vast lakefront development, as well the parks, provide excellent opportunities to be active with kids.
Esther Lee of Trekaroo and the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile
Our friends at Trekaroo had their KidsMobile stop in Chicago last week. Here’s a summary of the great tips and advice from moms around the country.
First up, Minnemom shares how to have Fun in Chicago with Young Kids. This is a mom extraordinaire who has traveled through big and small towns all over the midwest with her 4 kids. If you need advice about how to have a lifestyle of travel with a large family, she’s your go-to gal and you can follow her adventures on her fantastic blog: Travels With Children
Amie O’Shaughnessy of Ciao Bambino brings us some Family-friendly Tips from a Local Mom for Exploring Chicago. Ciao Bambino is a one of Trekaroo’s favorite partners because we share a common passion – inspiring families to travel. Ciao Bambino provides vetted reviews of the best accommodations when traveling with children of all ages around the world.
Free and Cheap Entertainment in the Suburbs of Chicago - sign me up! The bargain hunting mom behind Bargains Rock has no hesitation sharing her best finds in her home town of Chicago. She’s passionate about saving money and loves passing on good deals to her blog readers. If you like deals too, be sure to bookmark her blog.
Bridget Stern also has a list of the Best FREE attractions in and around Chicago. Bridget works with families day in day out capturing the most wonderful photos of children and families as a professional photographer. She is also an active mom who loves exploring with her daughter. To see great pics and read about their family’s adventures, hop on over to Bridget Stern’s blog.
Other Chicago Resources:
Next stop, we’ll be heading to Seattle, Washington for another big launch the week of Halloween.
The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while
1) expressing their unique point of view
2) getting a web of link exchanges.
Join us for one of our next stopovers.