I hope to go to a baseball game tour of 5 Midwest cities this summer.
I want to get in Chicago a day early, rent a car and see things that are driving distance from the airport. I have already visited downtown Chicago before and want to see other attractions in the area for a day.
We will get a Wrigley Field tour on the trip.
Thanks.
Depending on your interests you might look at going to one or more of these:
Frank Lloyd Wright sights in Oak Park
Cantigny with the First Division Museum
Morton Arboretum
Naper Settlement
Brookfield Zoo
Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe
Try a Chicago dog at Gene & Judes
Thanks for all the ideas. The suggestions given sound great, especially the Frank Lloyd Wright sight. The Arboretum may take too much time, if I try the others. The dog sounds like a good one too.
It's 100 miles away, but Starved Rock State Park is worth a visit if you like hiking.
Osk park frank Lloyd Wright is accessible by the commuter train if you are on the fence about renting a car. It's paying for parking that grinds my gears. 😁
Navy pier is another option, art museum and the Bean all on the lake front
You should get a toll reader with the car. You will end up on a toll road at some point almost for sure. If you don't have one and you miss paying a toll, there is usually a sign after the toll booth with a url where you can pay and avoid a hefty fine - compounded by the rental company's fees.
Driving early in Chicago on a week day means driving in traffic. Parking is often hard to find in neighborhoods. Traffic around the ball parks gets pretty bad before and after games. Allow enough time. I haven't been to Oak Park for 2-3 years, but I remember finding street parking. Watch the signs - some is for residents only. There are several options for a Wright visit. Book a guided tour of the home and studio in advance. I've done neighborhood tours thru the Trust, both guided and self-tour (with map and audio guide). There are a number of Wright homes in Oak Park and a church too.
Won't his rental have plate pass? You're testing my memory, but I don't think you need to rent an iPass unit.
The big Frank Lloyd Wright housewalk is in May. If you're a FLW geek, it's pretty great because you get to see a lot of interiors. But other weekends have offerings as well. The FLW Trust is a good starting place for info.
As others have stated, FLW in Oak Park is a solid option. You can occupy yourself w/ the self-guided tours. The surrounding blocks have many magnificent homes. Oak Park also gets you in the neighborhood of the #1 Italian Beef (Johnnies in Elmwood Park) and hot dog (Gene and Jude's in River Grove) in Chicago. Yes, both are the best. Do not challenge me on this. All these places are easy to get to without having to deal with highways or tollroads. Just take River Road from the airport.
If you're interested in minor league ball, the Chicago Dogs play in Rosemont, which is right next door to the airport.
Oak park also features the Ernest Hemingway birth place and lots of other fun stuff
I got back a few weeks ago. Our White Sox game got postponed due to weather (rain and lightning). We got a game day tour of Wrigley. I walked around Wrigleyville before the game and got a beef sandwich at Sluggers.
In Chicago, our hotel was on Mannheim Road, so it was easy to catch a bus and get connections. One day I visited Brookfield Zoo, which was historic but rather small (fine by me). Great polar bear and grizzly bear experiences. The cloud leopard jungle setting was great too.
The next day I went to Oak Park and toured the Frank Lloyd Wright historic office and walked the surrounding neighborhood. I really liked that. Very similar to South Pasadena and San Marino near my home. When I got on my last bus, it started to sprinkle. By the time I got off, it was a full downpour. The timing fit well.
I also took an architectural tour of Chicago before the White Sox game. In St. Louis I rode up to the top of the Gateway Arch.
The ballpark tour included Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City and the Field of Dreams in Iowa. A lot of time traveling in the bus. The games were great though.
A good trip. Our bus rides into each stadium was so much easier than games in So Cal, which can be a nightmare.
Thanks for the advice.
it seems you are into architecture. An unusual style and lovely place to be is the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, right near the lake. Nice gardens too.
lakertone40, what for did you take? I'm trying to figure out a way to hit a bunch of the Midwest teams in one trip.
Allan:
This is an amazing site that finds games than work and will minimize driving. A tour does make it a lot simpler. I would drive it from Calgary but I like road trips and dislike flying.
https://www.baseball-roadtrip.com/
A lot of time traveling in the bus.
“A lot” is relative but no single drive should have exceeded 6 hours, although the detour to Field of Dreams would have lengthened one day.
Have you thought about taking the train from the airport into Chicago and skipping the car rental? Chicago has many great places to visit. Driving and parking in Chicago can be very trying.
Our tour was Diamond Baseball Tours, out of Texas. The seat quality was good, the bus nice. Hotels 3 star. We had 42 people. Because of the driving distances, we only got extra time to see a few things in St. Louis, Milwaukee and Chicago. Our White Sox game was postponed, which makes the ticket valid for the rescheduled game or a refund to the original buyer (i verified). I opened a credit card dispute against the tour company because they have not processed a refund to me yet for that game and are giving lame excuses.
