Chicago with kids during 4th- am I crazy?

We are thinking of bringing our 3 boys, age 2 1/2, 5 and 7 to Chicago July 3-6th. We would arrive afternoon of the 3rd (driving from Nashville). We plan to visit Shedd, Field, Navy Pier. Staying at Embassy Suites Lakeshore (free reward stay). My questions:

1. Are we nuts to go during Taste of Chicago? How much will that interfere with seeing other sites downton? Will it be impossible to get to our hotel if we are driving in around 3 or 4 on the 3rd?

2. What is a decent place to see fireworks on the 3rd without major crowds? Would we be able to see them from the Embassy? My kids have mild interest at best in fireworks shows, so I%26#39;m not interested in major crowd fights to get the ';best'; view.

3. Any other sites with kids you would recommend for very active boys? I read about a pirate boat tour, but can%26#39;t find any info on it. I know there is a medieval times in Shaumburg that we may have to go to because they are sword obsessed (I KNOW how cheesy it is, we%26#39;ve been to one before, unfortunately). We%26#39;ll probably have to take them for at least one ride on the train too.

Chicago with kids during 4th- am I crazy?

I personally would make the trip another week.

I live relatively close to that hotel, and can tell you that the area is a pain on July 3 and July 4. It seems like every drunken idiot in Illinois wants to be down there at that time. They think that the streets are a trash can (or worse). It is always great to wake up on July 4 and July 5 to see the sidewalks covered in broken glass and chicken bones.

Any other days of the year (except New Year%26#39;s -- same deal but no chicken bones) the area is wonderful. For those day though, I would prefer to be someplace else.

With regard to the specific question about traffic: Traffic will be very heavy on July 3 around 3 or 4. At least the roads will be open at that hour. Lake Shore Drive closes (with cars stuck in place!) around 8:00 or 9:00. Traffic is also a complete mess on Illinois and Grand that evening (I believe, but can%26#39;t specifically recall) that those streets are partially shut as well for part of the night.

I stayed at that hotel while I was in the process of moving into my current place. It is a pretty nice hotel. I would just go on another weekend.

Chicago with kids during 4th- am I crazy?

My husband always takes my kids on bikes from Lincoln Park down to see the fireworks and they love it. It is crowded though. For me, I would avoid the Taste more - can never really see the point of it and it gets crowded.

For active boys, just walk them around all day!!! Always works. As well as the places you%26#39;ve listed, there%26#39;s also Millenium Park on Lower Michicagn Avenue, just next to the Art Institute. A great place to walk around and they%26#39;ll love the giant steel bean thing - (I must find out what it%26#39;s really called!).

1. You%26#39;re not nuts to visit during TOC, though traffic will be tough on the afternoon/evening of 7/3. In general, you%26#39;ll probably have more fun if you park the car and stick to local sites.

2. That hotel advertises lake views, so you may be able to see fireworks from higher floors of Embassy that face E or SE.

3. Not on the 3rd (it will be too crowded), take them to Crown fountain in Millenium Park to play in the water. I think they have suits of armor, weapons, etc. at Field Museum - also mummies. Also Lincoln Park Zoo and nearby lakeshore is a good place for active kids to blow off some steam.

That weekend is ridiculous in Chicago. If I stay in town, I normally head to the burbs for the weekend! Its nuts. The taste is way too crowded to being three young kids too. its something neat to see, but not with kids...you%26#39;ll be more stressed about keeping an eye on them rather than enjoying ur trip. Trying to find a place in Chicago for the fireworks that isnt crowded is IMPOSSIBLE. They shutdown lake shore drive for the show!! Your kids will probably enjoy the shedd, science and industry museum. Navy Pier is a must see (not sure i%26#39;d go on the 4th, and definitely not on the 3rd -itll be a nightmare). There%26#39;s also the Lincoln Park Zoo which is north of you in Lincoln Park . ESPN Zone might be a ';cool'; place for the 7 year old. Check and see if the cubs are in town and go to wrigley field for the game.

Its probably not the best weekend to visit Chicago if you have yung kids...

';giant steel bean thing - (I must find out what it%26#39;s really called!)';

It%26#39;s called ';Cloud Gate';

Here%26#39;s the info about the Pirate Boat Tour.

http://www.tallshipwindy.com/

I believe it%26#39;s based at Navy Pier, so it might be kind of hard on the 4th.

Good luck!

I love Chicago and think you should definitely go there someday, but in case you%26#39;re reconsidering driving to Chicago for the 4th after reading the previous posts and are looking for something else to do, I thought I might give you an alternative.

Because nearby Louisville has its big fireworks show on the 4th, Cincinnati has its big fireworks on Labor Day, so it%26#39;s usually not terribly crowded on the 4th. There are still plenty of smaller fireworks shows in Cincinnati though.

It%26#39;s a much shorter drive for you, and there are plenty of kid-friendly activities too.

Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship at the Cincinnati Museum Center. The Museum Center is in a gorgeous restored train station. Several museums are in this building. www.cincymuseum.org

The Newport Aquarium is ranked #1 in the Midwest.

The Cincinnati Zoo is one of the top zoos in the nation.

The Loveland Castle is a VERY small castle, and if they like medieval things, they would probably like it. (Check hours to be sure it%26#39;s open.)

There are also riverboats, Sawyer Point park along the river and the Purple People Bridge where you can walk from Ohio to Kentucky and watch barges, riverboats, tugboats and sailboats go right underneath you. I have a feeling little boys would like that.

Cincinnati has great ice cream, Montgomery Inn BBQ, Cincinnati Chili, and a bunch of other things. You%26#39;ll find plenty of other ideas on the Cincinnati forum.

This is a great link for other activities and events.

www.cincinnatiusa.com

I hope you have a great 4th wherever you go!

The pirate thing in Cincinnati is even cooler than I had originally thought. Cincinnati Museum Center hosts the World Premiere of Real Pirates which opens on June 30, 2007, an exhibition of National Geograpphic.

nationalgeographic.com/mission/real-pirates/

';Actual artifacts recovered from the wreck of a unique ship鈥擳he Whydah鈥攖ake visitors on a voyage back to the days of piracy in the early 18th century Caribbean, a time when the region was the economic engine of the early modern world. See the actual ship%26#39;s bell that was the proof that the ship was the Whydah. Weapons and armaments, objects including clay pipes, a teakettle, wine spigots and an inkwell, and golden treasure bring this world to life. These artifacts, recovered by underwater explorer Barry Clifford, tell the compelling story of the slave ship that became a pirate ship commanded by ';Black Sam'; Bellamy. Meet many of the real people who populated this world: artisans, musicians and gold workers from West Africa, slave ship captains, Native American divers, impoverished sailors from all over Europe, pirates of all origins, and not just men but women and a boy of no more than 11 years.

The Whydah, filled with treasure, sank off the coast of Cape Cod in April, 1717, in a storm. ';

http://www.cincymuseum.org/

Sorry to post another Cincinnati thing on the Chicago forum! I just thought that if I were a little boy who liked pirates, I would think this would be awesome.

The arms and armor exhibit is at the Art Institute of Chicago. (My teenage son loved it.) Admission is free for children under 12 and admission for adults is $12. However, it is also open for free to all on Thursdays and Fridays from 5pm to 9 pm until August 31st.