hotel advice for museum area

My husband and I and our 13 year old daughter will be in Chicago 7/2-7/5 with tickets for Wicked! We plan to go to the Field Museum and Museum of Science and Industry as well, and to Navy Pier, the Hancock Observatory and possibly the Shedd Aquarium. Is it better to stay cheaply 20 miles away and pay to park, (I don%26#39;t know what traffic is like either) or pay the extra to stay close by and pay for parking at the hotels too? We could go up to $200/night (I%26#39;d like to keep it there or under), but I really don%26#39;t want to spend too much, nor do I want to stay somewhere I%26#39;m really sorry.

Any suggestions are most appreciated. I%26#39;ve never been to Chicago before.

hotel advice for museum area

That seems like a pretty jam-packed itinerary you%26#39;re planning. Unless I had a hotel downtown, I would avoid bringing a car downtown on those dates if at all possible due to the Taste of Chicago (especially on the 3rd and 4th) and its incumbent traffic.

hotel advice for museum area

The only two hotels I%26#39;ve stayed at in Chicago were Hotel Burnham and Westin on Michigan Avenue. We took cabs to all attractions and it didn%26#39;t cost us a bundle. I recommend either of those hotels.

You will need to get to the museums at opening time to avoid waiting in line. This, plus the number of things you have planned, should convince you to stay downtown if you can. Traffic will be very bad around the museum area, with several streets closed for Taste of Chicago.

If you do stay in the suburbs, you may want to look in Evanston, Glenview, or another suburb, where you have the option of public transportation.

Hotwire is showing a lot of availability under $200/night downtown.

You don%26#39;t need a car here. Traffic downtown will be crazy during your visit.

Public transit is easy and abundant. transitchicago.com. However, if you must have a car, plan on paying up to $40/day for parking.

Thanks for everyone%26#39;s help. We booked at the Sheraton Downtown/Magnificent Mile. We will have our car with us since we%26#39;re driving up from GA on our way to MI, but it will be nice if mass transportation is able to get us around to the museums or if walking is an option too.