Weekend Vacations in Chicago

Shopping Weekend

The Magnificent Mile on Michigan Mile is a legendary shopping extravaganza, with more than 100 shops, including Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, and American Girl Place, which features merchandise of the American Girl dolls. The Magnificent Mile also features top-scale spas and restaurants, including Cafe Spiaggia, which serves traditional Italian cuisine like homemade gnocchi in tomato sauce. The Courtyard Marriot offers a Magnificent Mile shopping package with accommodations for two, breakfast at Viand Restaurant, and a $50 gift card for the shops at North Bridge. The Whitehall Hotel also offers a shopping package for the shops at Water Tower Place, which is part of Magnificent Mile, and the package features accommodations, a signature gift, a $50 gift card, and premier discounts throughout the shops.

Chicago boasts some of the finest museums in the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago, which features more than 300,000 works of art, in over 15 themes, including Renaissance Era, European Sculptures, and Thorne Miniature Rooms. Chicago also houses the Field Museum with the largest T-Rex dinosaur, and the Shedd Aquarium, featuring thousands of fishes and reptiles, in addition to the United States largest shark exhibits. The Chicago Museum Adventure Package includes accommodations at the historic Congress hotel and tickets to five of Chicago's infamous attractions: the John Hancock Observatory, Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and Adler Planetarium.

Chicago caters to families, especially with Navy Pier along Lake Michigan, which features the 150-foot high ferris wheel that is open year-round. Navy Pier also includes a musical animal-themed carousel, an old-fashioned wave swing, a miniature golf course, and an IMAX theater showing the latest family favorites in three-dimension (3-D). The attraction offers themed dining, including Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., featuring movie memorabilia from Forrest Gump. The LEGOLAND Discovery Center allows children of all ages to experience the fun of LEGOs whether they are getting their photo taken next to a life-size LEGO sculpture of Harry Potter, building a LEGO race car, or exploring hundreds of DUPLO LEGOs. With the Go Chicago Card, visitors have unlimited access to attractions like Navy Pier, LEGOLAND Discovery Center, and the Chicago Children's Museum, with rooms at the Affinia Chicago Hotel.

Chicago hosts some of Broadway's finest musicals, including classics like "Les Miserables" and family favorites like "Beauty and the Beast" or "Peter Pan." At the Wit, a Doubletree Hotel, discounted accommodations are offered to theater patrons, as well as discounted spa deals at the hotel spa. Broadway in Chicago spa deals include 15 percent off any spa treatment, or express manicure, express pedicure, and a martini for only $70. Located only steps from the Broadway Theater, Francesca's on Chestnut features rustic Italian cuisine and will prepare theater dinner menus.