Even if we leave after we catch a fly ball at Wrigley in the first inning...

September 5, 2009 1:09 PM

Travel-Filter: If my wife and I stay downtown in Chicago, how long would it take to see all the tourist-y sights we want to see?

My wife and I want to go visit Chicago, but we can't do an extended stay any time soon. We were thinking that we'd take advantage of the Labor Day holiday to go and see our favorite museums.

We want to go to:

Shedd Aquarium
Adler Planetarium
Museum of Science and Industry
Field Museum (Don't need to see Real Pirates, already saw that)
Sears Tower

Could we do this all in a day or two? I have a feeling that the answer is "Ha ha, no.", but how long does each one take to go through if you're pretty aware of the time but still enjoying yourself? Have we Ferris Bueler'd ourselves just by virtue of distance between them?

posted by QUHZK to Travel & Transportation around Chicago, IL (9 answers total)

Best answer: The good news: three of these (Shedd, Adler, Field) are next to each other. The Sears Tower is downtown; the MSI is an el ride to the south.

Don't try to do them all in a day; you'd just get exhausted and won't have seen much. The MSI is a day in itself. I'd suggest leaving one of the others out if you just have two days.

If you want to take in the sky show at the Adler or an Imax at the MSI, get tickets ahead of time.

Have fun!
posted by zompist at 1:27 PM on September 5, 2009

Best answer: Definitely doable in two days. Shedd, Adler, and the Field Museum are all on the "Museum Campus" at the south end of downtown Chicago. MSI is in Hyde Park on the South Side (a quick bus ride down Michigan Ave. from downtown--double check on transitchicago.com, but I think the #6 CTA Bus will take you right there). The Sears tower is about a mile west of Michigan Ave. and slightly north of the Museum Campus, not sure what bus would take you there, but it won't be hard to do. I'd recommend two days just so you can enjoy the museums.

(Personally, I'd want to cut one or two of the tourist stops and just sit and eat lunch or have coffee at some point because, man, that's a lot. But if you really want to do it all, I think it's certainly possible.)
posted by Meg_Murry at 1:32 PM on September 5, 2009

Best answer: ^1 zompist. Shedd, Adler, and Field Museum are all in the same park. If your legs and brain can stand three museum tours in one day, you will have to time to do them. Perhaps pack those into one day (or omit one-- NOT Shedd), then hit the Sears Tower the next morning (with a walk down Michigan Ave), and go to the MSI the rest of the day. I don't think it's too crazy if you really want to see all those things.

But you need to squeeze in the Art Institute of Chicago Museum if you want to do a true Ferris Bueller tour. If you like all kinds of art, it's worth a visit.
posted by parkerjackson at 1:32 PM on September 5, 2009

Best answer: If you're staying downtown, the big issue, transportation-wise, will be the Museum of Science and Industry, which is near the U of C in Hyde Park, but it's not all that far away; on the CTA, take the #10 bus (which will let you off right at the Museum) or the #6 (which will let you off within immediate walking distance). The #10 also stops at the Museum Campus.
posted by thomas j wise at 1:35 PM on September 5, 2009

Best answer: Unless you're already here and doing this great trip, do the Field and the Aquarium in the morning, skip the Planetarium and stroll through Millenium Park instead. Finish the day with whatever concert they're playing at the Pritzker Shell.

Sears Tower and MSI next day.

We used to do nearly this exact itinerary once a year with our kids for "tourist day." (We live in Chicago.) Hope you're having a great time.
posted by nax at 2:53 PM on September 5, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks for all the help everybody! We'll have to do it some other time (other things came up) but you guys were awesome.
posted by QUHZK at 5:55 AM on September 6, 2009

For future reference, take into account standing in line to get in, which on a holiday weekend might add some significant waiting time. The Shedd has very little indoor space to wait to get in - you might spend your time waiting outside the building, so be prepared for the weather. And of course on a clear day, the line to get into the Sears Tower will be much longer than on a cloudy day. (Don't even bother if it's too overcast.)
posted by SuperSquirrel at 6:29 AM on September 6, 2009

One thing that I haven't heard mentioned above is that some of the Chicago museums (especially the Field museum) are ridiculously large. If you wanted to see the Field Museum in its entirety, actually looking at the exhibits rather than just walking by them, it would probably take you most of a day on its own. Same goes for the Art Institute. An itinerary in which you tried to see the Shedd, the Field, and the Adler in the same day would necessitate a fair amount of picking and choosing amongst the exhibits therein.
posted by Johnny Assay at 7:28 AM on September 6, 2009

I headed to the MSI this weekend and forgot to book my Harry Potter ticket in advance. I got there at 1pm and the earliest ticket time was 4:50pm. Plan ahead if you're going to any special timed entry exhibits. Good thing I brought a book!
posted by Bunglegirl at 8:24 PM on September 7, 2009