Annual Event: Macy's Flower Show

Important note: The 2019 show is over, but read up so you know what to expect for next year!

I never knew how neat the annual two-week Macy's Flower Show is in Chicago! The theme for 2019 was Journey to Paradisios - Operation: Inspiration.

For starters, Macy's website for the flower show is great. They created a short, entertaining story, had a 360 degree video tour, and nice interactive map.

Noteworthy:

• This is a fun, "we are in the area" event. We live close by so it was easy to pop in to take advantage of it (and maybe scope out some backpacks).
• The experience is enhanced for younger kids if you read the story & watch the video to get them excited for store.
• Macy's creates interactive aspects throughout the exhibits: 
• Count the Paradigms (little aliens) throughout the store [we counted 12, pretty sure we missed another 10-50]
• Selfie area at the teleporter
• Decode the Paradisian secret (we did it!!)
• The store hosts a lot of events and offers throughout the show. To name a few:
• Galactic Characters
• Floral Workshops
• Cooking Demonstrations
• Kids Camp
• Special drinks at the Walnut Room

Age Recommendations:
All ages!

Cost Savings:
FREE!

Location/Transportation:
Loop / Downtown - 111 North State
Plethora of access by L and Bus.

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
The kids liked seeing the story we read come to life, looking for the Paradigms and really enjoyed decoding the alien language! Though we didn't find a backpack we liked, but can't hold that against the flower show.

Annual Event: Bristol Renaissance Faire

Guest Blog Post by fellow Chicagoan, Carrie - view bio
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We had an enjoyable day with friends at the Renaissance Faire, located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This event is a reenactment of the 16^th century with kings, queens, swordfighters, jesters, even Robin Hood and more on 30 acres of land!

This annual event goes from around the second week of July thru Labor day on the weekends, Saturday/Sunday and the Monday of Labor Day.  It is a fun day get away a little north of Six Flags.

If you are looking for something different, it is an experience to go back in time. There are several kids games, rides, market places, food, shows and people in costumes to keep you very entertained for the day.

Noteworthy:

• Be prepared to bring cash or bring your debit card to use the ATM for a fee!  All food and activities are cash only. The food is great but be prepared for some lines during peak times. Non-Alcoholic Beverages are comparable to airport pricing, maybe more and depending on the day your young one can work up a thirst. 
• Check the website prior to going, you may be able to bring your own unopened bottle of water. 
• Sunscreen is highly recommended.
• I suggest reviewing the map before you go so you have an idea of a plan. However the list of their fun shows are not listed until you get there. Grab a few maps/list of events at the main entrance. Kids had fun looking at the map and picking out what they wanted to do and what area they wanted to go to. 
• Shows can get crowded, if you want a seat suggestion is to get there prior to shows starting. 
• There are porta potty privies (restrooms) and there is one set of flushable privies with a changing station.

Age Recommendations:
Best suitable for ages 5 and up. Unless you have a jogging stroller with huge wheels it will be a challenge to get around for smaller kids.

Cost Savings:
We purchased our tickets online to keep our sanity from the long lines… even with the small ticket fee it was worth it. They do have an online coupon for an adult ticket if you want to purchase your tickets at their box office. This activity can be moderate to expensive depending on how many activities you do and how much you want to eat. Each kids activity/ride (excluding shows) has a fee per child.

Location/Transportation: Kenosha, Wisconsin
Grass lot parking is easy and was affordable. The faire is ~50 miles from downtown Chicago and on a Sunday morning it took a little over an hour to get there.

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
My son loved the Archery, Climbing Tower, Coin Challenge Games, Dig for Treasure, eating a giant turkey leg, and watching the Mud and the Joust Shows! 5 Stars, he would go again.

Annual Event: Chicago Dragon Boat Races

If you are wondering the best weekend to experience Chicago's Chinatown, my vote is the weekend of the Chicago Dragon Boat Races for Literacy.  We attend this every year and enjoy the races and overall ambience.

It's a great day to see the races and tour the Chinatown neighborhood! Just steps away is the Joy Yee restaurant for lunch, dinner, or try one of their huge smoothies!

If you missed the races this year, there is still plenty to see and do while in Chinatown.



< Enormous smoothie list equals the size of the smoothies. 


Noteworthy:

• Located on the River, at Ping Tom Memorial Park.
• The park has a nice playground and beautiful green space with Chinese-themed paths and bridges.
• Cultural Performances take place throughout the day
• Includes food trucks, neighborhood vendors/sponsors, and kids' activities

Cost Savings:
Free!

Location/Transportation:
Chinatown
Access to the area is great: Red Line Cermak/Chinatown Stop; Numerous bus routes; and even the Chicago Water Taxi!

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
Every year is fun

Annual Event: Holiday Activities

The holiday's are here and with all that is happening in the city, it can cause a little anxiety determining what to do.

We have narrowed our focus to a "top 8" with reviews of each activity throughout the month. Zoolights and Garfield Park we will hit up after Christmas as they run all month long.

Rating scale: One to Five Snowflakes

The Goals and Ratings (if checked off our list):

• Navy Pier Winter Wonderfest - ❋❋❋❋❋
• Polar Adventure Days - ❋
• Sledding - ❋❋❋❋❋
• 12 Days of Santa - ❋❋❋❋❋
• Holiday Train - ❋❋❋
• Zoolights - ❋❋❋❋
• Garfield Park Holiday Flower Show - post Christmas

Navy Pier Winter Wonderfest: ❋❋❋❋❋
This is the highlight of our year. Every. Year.  The best indoor playground to take the kids with a ton of activities fun for the whole family.  Highlights include:

• Inflatable slides and bounce areas, 
• Ice skating rink (with rental)
• Unique rides: inner tube sledding 
• Ferris wheel and other carnival style rides, 
• Toddler train (best version yet, this year), 
• Multiple photo opportunities (includes Santa with Ms. Clause)

Our kids were split in some of the activities they could do, based both on height an interest, so my husband and I divided and conquered the night.


Note:  Be prepared to wait in lines and plan accordingly (phone games, books, etc).



Polar Adventure Day: ❋
This event was fine. The park had made a great effort - from roasting marshmallows in a fire pit. to arranging a dog sled company and wildlife organizations to bring birds (vulture, barn owl), snakes, and more.



The dog sledding was neat to see, but the mushers didn't speak about the dogs or interact with the kids. My son latched onto a dog (Hawkeye) so we spent a lot of time watching him pet the pup.

The wildlife group brought a wolf, coyote, and porcupine, which couldn't be touched...but we were able to get our hands on a skunk and ground hog!

Two more dates available throughout the winter. There are nice paths for walking or snowshoeing.





Sledding:  ❋❋❋❋❋
With a perfect amount of snow fall, we headed to the Soldier Field sledding hill -- though the link above provides a variety of options which may be closer to you. The boys had a great time and will go back the next time conditions are good.

Notes:

• Free parking next to the hill 
• sled area is wide, allowing for multiple people to go at once.
• Our 6 and 4 year old where both able to go down by themselves.
• No one was injured!

The Santa Experience - 12 Days of Santa: ❋❋❋❋❋
From the moment the Shops at Roosevelt Collection opened, it has been a positive impact on our city living experience. The ICON theater, Nando's, The Container Store, the playground...the list goes on and on...there is so much to love about this small and mighty collection.

While the stores alone are great, they knock it even further out of the park with their events. They are always well done and this was no different.  Nestled into a storefront (INSIDE!! next to the Loft Store), it is adorably decorated to feel like a small winter path, entering Santa's home. There are some small ornament crafts as well.

Santa is great - incredibly friendly, talks with the kids, and takes several (free) photos. A very different experience from the "hustle-in-take-photo-go" standard we have grown accustomed to.

And no lines (when we went)!!



CTA Holiday Train - ❋❋❋
The CTA Holiday Train has been a Chicago staple since having children, but let's set expectations. It is, at it's best, a unique experience.

Our past rides have been harried, jam-packed, and one year the train actually zipped right past us -- leaving confused parents and crying kids in it's wake.

This year was the best year yet, thanks to our new tactic: Ride in the evening. We took the 7pm train and it was the first time we found a seat and actually saw the entire train. Even snuck close enough for a Santa photo.

The city added a second train: Elves Workshop Train, which follows Santa's train and helps with overflow. The only difference is the Santa car has...Santa.  Everything else is the same!




Zoolights - ❋❋❋❋
Another Chicago staple and we love hitting up the Lincoln Park Zoo!  We lucked out with great weather this year, which makes the whole event more enjoyable. There is a new Polar Bear exhibit we were able to see (and the bear) and quite a few of the animals were still out and about. 

We love going to the zoo in general, and this night was the most packed we had seen it (again, due to the nicer weather), so we hit up our highlights, walked down candy cane lane, and headed home.  

Worth the trip!

---- What holiday activities do you have as "not to miss"?

Annual Event: Open House Chicago

Embarrassed to admit, after living in Chicago for over 1.5 decades, this is the first year I learned of the Chicago Architectural Foundation's ("CAF") Open House Chicago.

It is an annual event in the city, taking place over 2 days with 200 buildings participating.  No matter what neighborhood you are in, or if you want to see a new one - there are options for you:  The buildings this year were as far North as Northwestern University (Evanston), West for Frank Lloyd Wright Homes (Oak Park), and South for WGN Flag & Decorating (South Shore).

The CAF event website is spectacular, giving a map of all the locations and the neighboring Divvy stations if you prefer to bike around in order to squeeze in more sites.

With the kids in tow, we focused on locations more with their attention span in mind:

• Jay Pritzker Pavilion - cool photo op
• Chicago Architectural Foundation - mini Chicago replica in the main lobby 
• LondonHouse - rooftop with views of the river and lake
• Marquee at Block 37 - nice rooftop views 
• Chicago Cultural Museum and Chic-fil-A - both not on the official tour, but hey, we love em. 

Tomorrow we are targeting McCormick Place Rooftop Farm, GEMS World Academy, and Zap Props

Noteworthy:

• A few locations are incredibly popular, so the long lines were a deterrent (AON is an example). Though we skipped those, you can purchase a CAF membership to gain priority access and skip the lines.  Most locations were no issue.
• Some locations have docents or activities
• The kids loved the rooftops and the mini city replication

Cost Savings:
FREE!

Location/Transportation:
Something in essentially every neighborhood!  Get out there!!

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
The kids' attention span is a little short, so we have to pace ourselves.  I am already counting the days until this comes around again next year!

Annual Event: Midnight Circus

This is the second year we have attended the Midnight Circus in the Parks show and we plan to make it an annual tradition.

In short, it is a legit, talented, and entertaining Circus group under a "little Big Top," performing in Chicago parks all throughout the city.  There are tightrope walkers, hula hoopers, jugglers, acrobats, and perfectly timed comedy (see the photos on their site).

Performance proceeds go toward Chicago Park improvements, so everyone wins! We get a good show, and our parks are improved!

Noteworthy:

• Tickets are inexpensive, showtimes are plentiful
• Arrive early to find a good seat, as they are not assigned
• At the end of the show, families can meet and talk with the performers.  I may have used my children to speak with certain performers :)

Cost Savings:
Ticket prices vary by location, check here for remaining shows and details!
There are a few shows remaining for October...

Location/Transportation:
Various locations - we typically attend McKinley Park

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
Parents also get to vote: 5 stars!

Annual Event: Touch a Truck

If the weather is beautiful and you have a 3 year old interested in anything on wheels -- Glen Ellyn's Touch a Truck event.

Figuring my 5 year old son may be too old, my youngest and I left him and the husband at home.

There was a huge variety of trucks and vehicles, including a tow truck, emergency trucks, and a steam roller.  With the great weather, we were not the only ones seeking activities outdoors.  The attendance was strong, and turns out everything my son wanted to see was exactly what every other child was interested in touching.

So lines were not in our favor at the fire truck or ambulance.

Fortunately, we were content poking around the other options (favorites were the tow truck, train, and steam roller).  Additionally, Maryknoll Park is beautiful and had a lot of entertainment options.  We could have made the trip into a full day.

The park had two separate playground areas (including a small-person zip line (photo below) and unique merry go round climbing structure), large grassy knolls, platform tennis courts, mini-golf, picnic tables with plenty of shade, and public bathrooms.

Noteworthy: 

• The steam roller was interactive.  If you had an aluminum can, they would crush it and this was a favorite, as we saw many a soda breathe its final breath.
• Food trucks are available on site, which is great when you have a kid that although they have had a huge breakfast suddenly gets the munchies.
• There is a 3 minute train ride through part of the park ($1 per person).
• Remember: when the sun is out, a good mom brings sunglasses and sunscreen.  I am not a good mom.

Cost Savings: 

Free event, free parking, and $1* to ride the train??  Nothing better!

*One dollar, that is, if you don't have an angelic stranger approach you with their left-over tickets.

Location/Transportation:
Glen Ellyn
It was a 45-60 minute drive for us (we are in the South Loop), plenty of free parking is available and signage is good.  They had volunteers to help direct traffic as well.

Kid's Jury: 3.5 stars

The long lines meant we missed getting into the fire truck and ambulance, yet enjoyed the trucks we did get too.  And they provided several entry points to allow more contact options - the back of the ambulance; side of the fire engine.

Fortunately, the park has a lot to offer, so we had fun in the shorter lines and then headed to the train and park playground areas afterward.  

Annual Event: ReptileFest

Every year, our family starts to get antsy as Spring is technically here, but the promise of warmth tends to be delayed.  Come April, we get restless and need something unique.  And indoors.

This year, ReptileFest came to the rescue!

This is an annual Chicago event hosted by the Chicago Herpetological Society -- or the Reptile Reps as I call them to avoid the "What does hurtogogo mean?" questions.

It is a great chance for kids to be nose to nose with boa constrictors, turtles, lizards, and alligators (or maybe they are crocodiles?  I should pay better attention next time).

The people working the fest are incredibly nice and knowledgable.  They love to share information and interact with the kids -- most even allow you to pet or hold the little guys (animals, not my children).

Missed it this year?  It's annual, so keep an eye out for April dates!

Noteworthy: 

• There were two rooms and a majority of the closer interaction opportunities were in the second room.  Make sure not to tucker out before getting to this room, or you will miss holding turtles, tortoises, alligator/crocodiles, snakes, and lizards.
• A food vendor is on site -- Italian Beef & Hot Dog type of food, so pack fruit or alternatives if you prefer.  
• Pre-purchase tickets to avoid the entrance line. The line is pretty long every year, so avoid it if you can!

Cost Savings: 

A Coupon is available on the ReptileFest site!

Location/Transportation:
North Park
Closest El stop: Brown Line / Kimball, then a 25 min walk for adults.
So obviously we drove -- bonus of free parking!  Arrive early to find a spot.

Kid's Jury: 5 stars

Kid's loved it, hence we go every year.
Parents love it too, as it gets said kids out of the house for a few hours.