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United Airlines Flights from Orange County (SNA) to Chicago (ORD)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on United Airlines, which operates 3 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Orange County (SNA) to Chicago (ORD), departing between 8:55am and 2:06pm, and one additional non-stop flight regularly scheduled to depart at 6:45am and arrive at 12:56pm, everyday except Sunday. Usually an Airbus A320 or Boeing 757-200 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Orange County, CA to Chicago, IL is 3 hours and 59 minutes.
During your Chicago vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Built into the rise of an ancient sand dune -- once the shoreline of Lake Michigan -- Chicago's newest museum bills itself as "an environmental museum for the 21st century." While that might sound fairly dull, most of the exhibits here are very hands-on, making this a good stop for active kids. Shaded by huge cottonwoods and maples, the sand-colored exterior with its horizontal lines composed of interlocking trapezoids itself resembles a sand dune. Rooftop-level walkways give strollers a view of birds and other urban wildlife below. Paths wind through gardens planted with native Midwestern wildflowers and grasses, and trace the shore of the newly restored North Pond.Inside, large windows create a dialogue between the outdoor environment and the indoor exhibits designed to illuminate it. Don't miss the Butterfly Haven, a greenhouse habitat where about 25 Midwestern species of butterflies and moths carry on their complex life cycles (wander through as a riot of color flutters all around you). Another top exhibit is City Science, a 3,000-square-foot, two-story "house" with functional rooms where visitors can view the pipes and ducts that connect our homes with power sources miles away. Water Lab is a model river system demonstrating the uses and abuses that a waterway undergoes as it meanders from rural to urban environments. It's probably safe to say that the Children's Gallery is the only place in town where kids can clamber in and out of a model ground-squirrel town or explore a beaver lodge from the inside.The sunny Butterfly Cafe offers fresh, healthy meals cafeteria-style. In summer, get there early to enjoy coffee and a muffin -- and the lovely surroundings -- with joggers and other locals.Allow 1 hour.
Six Flags Great America
One of the Midwest's biggest theme/amusement parks, Six Flags is located midway between Chicago and Milwaukee on I-94 in Gurnee, Illinois. The park has more than 100 rides and attractions and is a favorite of roller-coaster devotees. There are a whopping 10 of them here, including the nausea-inducing Déjà Vu, where riders fly forwards and backwards over a twisting, looping inverted steel track, and Superman, where you speed along hanging headfirst (with your legs dangling). Other don't-miss rides for the strong of stomach include the Iron Wolf, where you do corkscrew turns and 360-degree loops while standing up, and the American Eagle, a classic wooden coaster. Because this is a place that caters to families, you'll also find plenty to appeal to smaller visitors. The Looney Tunes National Park is full of kiddie rides with a cartoon theme; other worthwhile stops include the double-decker carousel and bumper cars. Six Flags also has live shows, IMAX movies, and restaurants. If you take the trouble to get out here, allow a full day.
Chicago Children's Museum
Since the Chicago Children's Museum moved to Navy Pier in 1996, it has become one of the most popular cultural attractions in the city. The museum has areas especially for preschoolers as well as for children up to age 10, and several permanent exhibits allow kids a maximum of hands-on fun. Dinosaur Expedition re-creates an expedition to the Sahara, allowing kids to experience camp life, conduct scientific research, and dig for the bones of Suchomimus, a Saharan dinosaur discovered by Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno (a full-scale model stands nearby). Face to Face: Dealing with Prejudice and Discrimination is a multimedia display that helps kids identify prejudice and find ways to deal with it. There's also a three-level schooner that children can board for a little climbing, from the crow's nest to the gangplank; PlayMaze, a toddler-scale cityscape with everything from a gas station to a city bus that children under 5 can touch and explore; and an arts-and-crafts area where visitors can create original artwork to take home. Allow 2 to 3 hours.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Chicago area, including:
Omni Ambassador East
The ring-a-ding glory days of the Ambassador East, when stars including Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, and Liza Minnelli shacked up here during layovers or touring stops in Chicago, are ancient history. But even though big-name celebs tend to ensconce themselves at the Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons these days, the Ambassador name still evokes images of high glamour in these parts. For the past 50 years, celebrities who have come to town to mingle with Chicago's Gold Coast society have done so most publicly from Booth One in the ritzy Pump Room restaurant.The Ambassador suffered a slow decline in the 1960s and 1970s, which didn't turn around until 1986, when Omni bought and renovated the property. Today, after a recent second face-lift, the Ambassador East has reclaimed its strut and splendor. Rooms here have been spruced up and bathrooms feature the usual higher-end amenities. Executive suites have separate sitting areas; celebrity suites (named for the stars who've crashed in them) come with a separate bedroom, two bathrooms, a small kitchen, and a dining room. Most extravagant is the Presidential Suite, which boasts a canopied terrace and marble fireplace.The Ambassador East has an excellent kids' program (including in-room Nintendo) and makes an extra effort for guests with disabilities, offering equipment such as TDD telephones and strobe fire alarms for deaf guests.
Holiday Inn-Chicago City Centre
Enter the soaring modern atrium, with its vases of blooming fresh flowers, and you won't believe that this place is kin to Holiday Inn's assembly-line roadside staples. Its location is a nice surprise as well: east of the Magnificent Mile and close to the Ohio Street Beach and Navy Pier. Although the rooms are pretty basic, the amenities make this one of the best values in the city.Fitness devotees will rejoice because the Holiday Inn is located next door to the Lake Shore Athletic Club, where guests may enjoy the extensive facilities free of charge (including an indoor pool). The hotel also has its own spacious outdoor pool and sun deck. The views are excellent, especially looking north toward the Hancock Building and Monroe Harbor. You might want to splurge on one of the master suites, which boast large living-room areas with wet bars, along with a Jacuzzi-style tub and sauna in the bathroom.The Holiday Inn is a good bet for the budget-conscious family: Kids under 18 stay free in their parent's room, and those 12 and under eat free in the hotel's restaurants. Leave the pay-per-view movies one night and head to the massive new AMC theaters next door, where all 21 screens offer stadium seating.
Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
The latest addition to Chicago's already-crowded luxury hotel scene, the Sofitel aims to impress by drawing on the city's tradition of great architecture. French architect Jean-Paul Viguier created a building that's impossible to pass without taking a second look: a soaring, triangular white tower that sparkles in the sun. But the place doesn't take itself too seriously, as you'll see when you walk in the airy lobby and check out the luminescent floor tiles that change color in a never-ending light show. The overall feel of the hotel is European modern; you'll hear French accents from the front-desk staff, and foreign-language magazines are scattered on tables throughout the lobby. The bright, stylish Café des Architects has become a favorite business lunch spot for locals.The guest rooms feature contemporary decor with natural beechwood walls and chrome hardware. All the rooms enjoy good views of the city (but the privacy-conscious will want to stay on the upper floors, where they won't be on display to surrounding apartment buildings). The standard doubles are fairly compact -- but thanks to large picture windows, the spaces don't feel cramped. The luxurious marble bathrooms (with separate tub and shower stall) are quite spacious. The amenities are top-notch. Recognizing that business travelers are the bread and butter of Chicago hotel profits, ample support services exist for working visitors. But this doesn't mean that Sofitel doesn't welcome families; in fact, up to two children can stay in a room for no extra charge (they'll even roll in a portable bed for the kids).
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