{"id":14792,"date":"2011-06-03T07:00:30","date_gmt":"2011-06-03T12:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=14792"},"modified":"2016-12-15T10:47:50","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T16:47:50","slug":"wooed-by-the-windy-city-summer-vacations-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2011\/06\/wooed-by-the-windy-city-summer-vacations-in-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"Wooed by the Windy City: Summer vacations in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chicago\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By <\/em>Emmy Conway<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chicagoans don’t waste one second of summer. After months of dealing with chapped skin and icy roads, the locals shed\u00a0their down coats and spring into public parks, street fests and that gorgeous lakefront trail. Head to Chicago<\/a>\u00a0for a memorable summer vacation. You’ll soon see that it ain’t no Second City.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Getting there:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you arrive via plane or car, take the \u201cL,\u201d Chicago\u2019s elevated train system to get around the city. Stations at both O\u2019Hare and Midway airports make it cheap and easy to get into the Loop.\u00a0 For a road trip, park at the city\u2019s Park & Ride<\/a> lots to avoid pricey downtown parking costs. A ride on the CTA L train costs $2.25 per person or $20 for a 3-day unlimited ride pass.<\/p>\n

Where to stay:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Chicago

Chicago Athletic Association | Photo courtesy of Chicago Athletic Association<\/p><\/div>\n

The best summer deals for Windy City hotels are in July and August. Stay near Millennium Park and the Art Institute of Chicago\u00a0at hip new properties\u00a0like the Chicago Athletic Association<\/a>\u00a0or the first of its kind Virgin Chicago<\/a> which hosts all kinds of cool events in its public spaces.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere around town, there are shabby chic\u00a0budget\u00a0options like the Freehand<\/a>\u00a0(which is helping to redefine the hostel concept) and the ACME Hotel Company\u00a0<\/a>as well as luxury options including the Langham Chicago<\/a> and the Peninsula<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What to do:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Visit

Visit the Modern Wing at the Art Insitute of Chicago | Flickr CC: Patrick Morgan<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Chicago offers a myriad of free things to do.\u00a0 The lakefront includes 18 miles of open pathways, parks and beaches. One favorite stop is North Avenue Beach with its boat shaped bath house with a bar and live music on the top deck. There\u2019s also the Lincoln Park Zoo, where admission is free year-round.<\/p>\n

Another option is to join the locals and attend one of the many free summer festivals including\u00a0Taste of Chicago (July 6-10) or the\u00a0Chicago Air and Water show (August 20-21) among many others.\u00a0Most cultural institutions also have free days\u00a0designated throughout the year including the Art Institute of Chicago (every Thursday, 5-8pm), the Chicago History Museum (July 4, August 22-25 and August 29-31) and The Field Museum (August 11, 27 and 29).<\/p>\n

Navy Pier, which is also free to walk around, has a fireworks show Wednesdays at 9:30pm \u00a0and Saturdays at 10:15pm\u00a0through Labor Day weekend.<\/p>\n

From one procrastinator to another, it\u2019s never too late to book your summer trip to Chicago!<\/p>\n

\"Orbitz<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cheap summer vacation ideas for Chicago. Great deals for hotels, free attractions, and how to get there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":44719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5,21],"tags":[2219,880],"class_list":["post-14792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-travel","category-midwest","tag-chicago-vacation","tag-summer-vacations"],"acf":{"api_active":null,"api_title":null,"api_excerpt":null,"api_featured_image":null,"api_lob":null},"posts_api_cpm_point":"","yoast_head":"\nWooed by the Windy City: Summer vacations in Chicago | Orbitz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2011\/06\/wooed-by-the-windy-city-summer-vacations-in-chicago\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wooed by the Windy City: Summer vacations in Chicago | Orbitz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cheap summer vacation ideas for Chicago. 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