From Joplin to Chicago Trip Report

[StaceySue]

We returned from our family vacation to Chicago earlier this week, so I thought I would write a trip report. I love reading these when we're planning a trip, so I thought I would contribute. I also want to thank everyone for their advice before we left!

Day One

My husband, 10-year-old daughter, and I stuffed our mini-van with nearly everything we own, and we left our house in Joplin at about 7:30 in the morning. We wanted to get to Springfield, IL by the afternoon. I had never been to Springfield, so I was really excited to see all the Lincoln exhibits. I had been to Washington D.C. and his boyhood home in Indiana as a child, but I had never been here. Yes, I get a little excited about hisorical stuff.

But before we could get to Springfield, we had to pass through St. Louis. Last year, we drove through St. Louis on our return trip from Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. This year, we drove to the arch and had a look around. My daughter informed us that there was no way she was going in the arch, so we scrapped that idea. We did look around the museum at the base and took pictures. The museum is interesting, although it seemed to us that some things were not clearly identified. Maybe we were supposed to know what those things were. At St. Louis, the river is still up and the riverboat cruise from the arch is not in service.

After we looked around there, we got back on the road. We ate lunch along the interstate. After many miles of corn fields, we were in Springfield! We had made reservations at a Ramada with an indoor pool, so we checked in there. The motel is right on the south part of town as soon as you get there. After we checked in, we took off to see what we could see before things started closing for the day. We decided to visit Lincoln's tomb since it was open a little later and we thought we'd have plenty of time to see everything there. The tomb is getting a new sidewalk and patio area, so there was a little construction, but we were able to go inside.

After the tomb, we drove around the downtown area to get a feel for what we would do tomorrow. We then went for dinner at Cozy Dogs, a Route 66 corn dog diner. In fact, the original owner invented corn dogs and debuted them at the Chicago World's Fair. My husband loves corn dogs, so he was in heaven. While we were there, the original owner's son who does a lot of Route 66 artwork, came in. We bought a postcard he had drawn and asked him to sign it!

We then went back to motel for a swim. We thought we might want to find a Wal-Mart, but the only one we saw was under construction. Our trusty atlas listed two others in Springfield, but we didn't take the time to search for them. Surely we would run across one on the way to Chicago. . .

[Echoqueen]

I love reading trip reports, thanks

[Mellie]

I would love to go to Chicago, if only for a weekend. I did go to Joplin, last Friday and went to Springfield, today...does that count?

Thanks for the review.

[E's mom]

I have been to St. Louis we actually had a pretty good time. We went to Six Flags there that was a blast. Thanks, for sharing your vacation with us.

[LoveToTravel]

Great report!!!!! I live in St. Louis and agree with you about that museum under the Arch. It is also so dark in there! And we too have been to Cozy Dogs in Springfield, IL. Love those corn dogs!

[StaceySue]

Hey, thanks for the replies. It's taken me awhile to figure out how to post pictures on this board. Last year, it seemed easier. I finally had to save pictures from my photobucket account into "my pictures" and upload them that way. Oh well. Now for. . .

Day Two

We woke up about 7:30, ate breakfast at the motel, and packed up. We wanted to get to the Lincoln Presidential Museum early. We have found that getting everywhere when they open in the morning is almost always worth it.

I have to say this--the Lincoln Presedential Museum was awsome!! It was probably my favorite part of the whole trip. Of course, I love history. Still, I can't imagine how anyone could go through this museum and not think about aspects of Lincoln's life. I loved this museum, and I wish more museums were like this one. I know the creators of this have done a few other things, but I wish they would do more. The museum takes you through the life of Lincoln. The exhibit puts you there. They use technology in engaging ways and added so many details. The "statues" look so real; you can see the wrinkles in their hands. In one section, you walk through the White House kitchen, and you overhear the sevants gossiping about the Lincolns. The stove in that kitchen gives off heat. They've recreated many scenes from his life. You are just "there." They also have an film presentation with special effects and a presentation with an actor that also includes special effects. These are also included with your admission, which is a reasonable $10 for each adult. There is also a little cafe there, but we didn't eat there. We were probably here about three hours.

A couple of things to note if you ever go--they do not allow backpacks. I usually carry a little drawsting backpack. Since mine was small, they let me keep it as long as I kept it over one shoulder. It mentions this on the website (which has a lot of great pictures of the exhibits in the museum) and brochure you get with your tickets, but not in the little blurb in the tourist map of the city, so I missed this info.

Also, you can't take pictures inside the actual exhibit. They only allow pictures in what they call the "plaza" area. One picture you can take (or rather, a volunteer will take it for you with your camera for free) is your family with the Lincoln's as their family would have been when they went to Washington.

My daughter is a little sensitive when it comes to new things, and she did fine here. Just a little heads up for anyone with these issues. She was a little fearful in the film due to the special effects, but she held my hand and was fine. Sometimes she can have a little meltdown.

After the museum, we decided to see his house. His house and neighborhood are free to visit except for a $2 parking fee for the first two hours, I believe. We saw everything in this period. The tour of the house is guided, but it's only a 20 minute tour. The rest of the neighborhood is self-guided. I really enjoyed this exhibit, as well.

By this time, we were pretty hungry. We had a fastfood lunch and decided to continue on our way. I could have spent another day here, but it was time to head on to Chicago.

We drove past more cornfields, and suddenly we were on the outskirts of Chicago. Cities almost sneak up on you in Illinois. With our impeccable timing, we hit the outside of Chicago during rush hour. Luckily, the rest of the world was trying to get out of the city as we journeyed in. My husband saw the first of many 7-11s about this time. And so began his desire for a "real slurpee." At this time, we didn't dare exit the interstate due to traffic. We also realized that we never came across a Wal-Mart. . .

We called my brother-in-law to get directions to his apartment (one great thing for us in Chicago--free lodging!) We had to drive through some poorer areas to get to his neighborhood. I felt really grateful for what I have in my life as we drove through these areas. It reminded me of driving through Cairo last year. I can't imagine what it must be like to live in that kind of poverty. I also know we didn't see the worst.

We arrived near my brother-in-law's apartment and eventually found a parking place not too far away. We would leave our minivan here for the next two days. When we were settled, we walked a couple of blocks to eat dinner. We ate at a chicken and mexican fastfood kind of place. This was cool for me. The picky eaters (husband and daughter) could eat chicken and I could have mexican, and we were in the same restaurant!

We walked home and planned our attack for the next morning. We decided to start with Shedd's Aquarium in the morning.

The first three pictures are from the Lincoln Presidential Museum. The last picture is Lincoln's house.

[StaceySue]

Day Three

We woke up about 7:00 to get ready. We ate at my brother-in-law's apartment. My BIL decided to visit things with us when we planned our trip. He had only lived there since Februaury when he took a new job. He also worried that we wouldn't get around, I think. After everyone was ready, we set out. We walked about two blocks to a subway train station. We took that downtown. We still were a ways from the aquarium, so we decided to take a cab. We arrived there at opening. We decided to get CityPass tickets to the attractions. We researched this a little before we left. We were trying to decide which deal to go with. There is another deal--the Chigago Go Card, but in the end we thought it would be too much to try to see everything. Our deal was $30 cheaper. We thought we would be doing well to see the five attractions on the CityPass.

We had the aquarium to ourselves pretty much for the first hour. We spent a lot of time watching the doplhins and beluga whales. People started to trickle in more the second hour, including many summer program field trips with groups of kids. We watched a dolphin show, and then we noticed that things were getting busy. We ate lunch at the aquarium. They had Pizza Hut and other snack bar/fast food options. After we ate, the food area started to get busy. We wandered around looking at all the other fish. After awhile, we realized that we probably had our fill of fish and aquatic creatures. Plus, it was really getting crowded.

We decided to see Adler Planetarium next. We found out that there is a free trolley system to take visitors to the more tourist-like attractions. These were pretty crowded, but free. We decided to walk along the lake to the plantertarium. It wasn't very far, and we got some great pictures of the city as we walked.

The planetarium ticket that came with CityPass included two film presentations. We chose two based on the descriptions, and looked around. This place was a lot less crowded. It was a good place to be in the afternoon. We looked around until our first film. My daughter took one look at the huge screen and decided she was NOT going inside the theater. I tried to persuade her, but she would not consider it. So, my husband and brother-in-law went inside, and we stayed outside. My daughter hasn't had issues with movie theaters for a few years, so this surprised me a little. Still, she was already in a new place with extra stimuli, so something was bound to make her anxious. For the next film, my brother-in-law took her to get a drink while my husband and I went in. This film turned out to not be a film at all, but a presentation on constellations and how to find them. She probably would have liked this one, but I don't think she would have considered it if she had seen the huge screen on the ceiling.

We walked around a few more exhibits, but I really wasn't that excited about the planetarium. I'm not sure any of us thought it was a "must-see." If it wasn't on the CityPass, we probably would have skipped it anyway.

We decided to take the free trolley to the Hancock Building. The CityPass allowed you to visit the Sears Tower or the Hancock, and everyone said the Hancock was better. It took us awhile to get to there. It was rush hour, and the trolley makes frequent stops. We did get there. I was a little worried that my daughter may not want to go up it, but she marched right into the elevator. That is one fast elevator.

We spent awhile at the top and took may pictures. After we left, we walked towards the subway station. On the way, we stopped at McDonald's to eat. We rode the subway and finally got back to the apartment. It was a long first day, but fun.

The pictures: #1 is a beluga, #2 doplhin from the underwater observation area, #3 and #4 the city from the walkway between the aquarium and the planetarium, #5 the Hancock Building

[Blue Jay]

I am loving your reviews!!! Chicago is a place that I want to visit some time soon. Keep up the great review and the pictures are great!!

[LoveToTravel]

Now I definitely want to visit the Lincoln Museum. How old is your daughter? I am worried about my 5 year old daughter. She has autism but usually does okay especially if she can be in her special needs stroller. Are strollers allowed in the museum?

[Echoqueen]

Loving your report, I am originally from Rockford Il, I'm a Texan now 17 years. I love Chicago and the sight see there. My favorite is the museum of Science and Industry. There is a ice cream parlor that serves real banana splits chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce strawberry ice cream with strawberry topping and vanila ice cream with pineapple topping whip cream banana of course nuts and a cherry. Yummm OOhhhh

I will stay tuned, hope you get the banana split.

[StarsRUs]

What a fun trip repor to read. I'm really enjoying it. Sounds like you're having a great time.

We love Chicago and the surrounding area. So much to see and do.

My Sister and family lived right close to the downtown area for 16 years. She was an executive for an Ad Agency. BIL is a Headhunter. My nephew and his wife lived in an apartment across from Wrigley Field.

Great Museums. Art, Science, Nature.

The Magnificent Mile (in the heart of downtown) is some of the best shopping you will find anywhere. Fantastic restaurants. Very cool place to visit, but I could never live there.

Can't wait to read your next report. Have fun.

[Cheesecake]

I love this review...

My Uncle lives in Chicago...on W. Wrightwood....not too sure where that is, but he owns his own apt/condo....and has lived there for years and years....AND YEARS.

My Daughterinlaw grew up in the Chicago area..her folks live in a lovely suburb north of the City.

My daughter's boyfriend is there now with his daughter, visiting all his brothers and sisters..........

I haven't been there to sight see in many years, but when I did, I loved it.

Thanks for those reviews.

You know I think my Uncle lives/lived near Wrigley Field....I visited in a big apartment in the 70s.....however, he might be in another building now.
When I was there with him, we didn't use a car....we got to park in one of his' friends garage (under the building) and we used public transportation or walked.

Thanks for the pics too

[StaceySue]

Thanks for all of the replies.

Lovetotravel: The website says strollers are fine, and I remember someone going through on an electric cart when we went through. There aren't any stairs or anything. I would try to visit during a less crowded time, like at opening. I think the website gave some less busy times during the year. It also recommends that children by at least fourth-graders. But, you could go on the website and see what you think. There is a room of interactive things and dress-up for younger children. If you had several adults with you, maybe you could take turns going through if things were too much.

Day Four

We woke up at our usual time to get ready to visit the Field Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry. We wanted to get to the Field Museum at opening. We did! We took the subway and a cab again. For the first hour, we definitely had the place to ourselves. We began by looking at all the stuffed animals. This led us to the exhibit of Egypt followed by an exhibit on dirt. Both of these had elements that made my daughter anxious, but we quickly removed ourselves from those parts.

After we finished, it was time to visit our special exhibits that we got tickets for. My husband and BIL went to see "Nature Unleashed," and my daughter and I went to see "Mythical Creatures." After that, it was time for lunch. The museum had a McDonald's in it, and it had a little cafe. My husband can eat chicken nuggets every day, but the rest of us decided to try the cafe. They had mac and cheese for kids, so my daughter was happy to get that. While my husband went to get McDonald's, he noticed a crowd in the lobby. Stacy and Clint from What Not to Wear was filming in the lobby! They had surprised a young lady. We will have to look out for that episode. My husband took pictures, but I didn't get to see Stacy and Clint.

We then checked out the dinosaur bones and the exhibits on the Americas. After that, we decided to leave even though there were several things we still hadn't seen. We still wanted to check out the Museum of Science and Industry.

We waited outside for a little bit for a trolley, but then we decided to take a cab. When we got there, there were lots of people, but it was so large that the crowds were manageable. My daughter had a little meltdown, so I sent my husband and BIL to explore on their own. My daughter and I grabbed a drink and planned out what we wanted to see. This place is great for kids. She really liked a place that had a lot of interaction with water. We did find that main street place, but we didn't have ice cream. We walked all the way down the street where they had an old movie house. We sat in there for awhile and watched the silent movie. My daughter also liked the circus and farm areas. We walked aorund the submarine, but we didn't pay extra to go in. One thing we noticed in this place was that in some areas it was really warm. This was the only museum that we noticed this in. In other places it was really cool, so we just spent time in those places.

Later, we caught up with my husband and BIL. We decided to take a cab to Chinatown. We walked up and down the street there and looked inside some shops. We then caught the subway home. We had dinner at IHOP in my BIL's neighborhood. Then we went home to get some rest before our last day in Chicago.

Pictures: The first two are views from the Hancock observation deck. (This will only let you upload five pictures per post). The third one is the front of the Field Museum. The fourth is "Sue" inside the Field Museum. The last one is Stacy and Clint surprising a young lady for What Not to Wear.

[StaceySue]

Day Five

We had done all of the attractions on our CityPass. We decided to do the Lincoln Park Zoo for our last day. The zoo is free, but you have to pay to park in their parking lot. We decided to go ahead and drive to the zoo. One thing about Chicago--it really doesn't have a freeway loop to allow you to get around. You have to drive through the city to get anywhere. After visiting places like Dallas, St. Louis, etc. you certainly notice this when you want to get somewhere. We got to the zoo at opening. It was nice in the morning, but as it got closer to noon, it was getting hot! They had several big cats, primates, gorillas, giraffes, wolves, rhinos, and fish. They had reptiles and amphibians. They had flamingos and meerkats. It was a good zoo. This place was a popular destination for kids' groups. We were starting to feel hot and crowded after we had seen about half of the zoo. We went into one building that seemed to be about Africa. When we came out, the tempature felt like it had dropped several degrees! It was as if someone had turned on the air conditioning outside. I guess cool air had blown in from the lake. The sun even went behind a cloud, and we felt much better. We finished up the zoo, although we didn't see all of it. There was a whole farm area we didn't see, but we really didn't notice until we were driving out of the zoo.

We ate at a McDonald's that was easy to get to as we drove home. My husband and I vowed we would not eat McDonald's again for the rest of the trip. I guess he can't eat chicken nuggets every day. We went back to the apartment and packed up. We had wanted to see Navy Pier and maybe the art museum, but we decided to save these for another time. We were grateful for the lodging, but we were all starting to get a little grouchy with each other. My husband and I decided to swing over to Hannibal, since we hadn't ever been there.

We loaded up the car and started out. We hit some construction on the interstate, so things were a little slow moving for awhile. My daughter didn't mind; she took a nice nap.

I called ahead to some motels in Hannibal to get some rates. The Super 8 gave us the best rate for a place with a pool, but we didn't make a reservation. We wondered if there would be some other choices. We got to Hannibal around 7:00, and decided to check out the Super 8. When we got there, they didn't have any double rooms left. We were about to leave, when she told us to wait. She gave us a suite for the price of the double room! We hadn't ever had a free upgrade before.

We checked out the room. It was just what we needed after a cramped stay in Chicago! My daughter had her own area with a TV. My husband and I also had an area with a TV.

We were starving, so we drove around looking for dinner. We found a Golden Corral, so we pulled in. It was pretty good, especially when you've eaten at McDonald's more times than you care to remember. We then spotted a Wal-Mart. We were in heaven! I know this seems weird. It's not that we really love Wal-Mart, but we are used to just going to the store and getting whatever we need at any time. We saw a Target in Chicago, but it wasn't very close to the apartment. We learned that living right in the city would be a different life than what we have in Joplin.

After dinner, my husband and daughter went for a swim. I took the laptop down to the pool to do a little research on Hannial. I discovered that we could buy a combo ticket for Mark Twain's museums, a riverboat cruise, and a tour of the Mark Twain Cave. We decided to do that. After our swim, we went to our suite and relaxed.

Pictures: #1 Museum of Science and Indusry, #2 Chinatown, #3 Meerkat in the Lincoln Park Zoo, #4 Hannibal!, #5 Sandbags on the Mississippi at Hannibal.