Chicago is a perfect vacation place for kids of all ages and you can fit in some of the best attractions into three days.

We arrived in the Windy City on a Friday morning and checked into the Four Seasons Hotel, located off Michigan Avenue.  We were greeted by a friendly staff as well as a plateful of homemade chocolates waiting for us in our room. 

We headed downtown and ate lunch at Piccolo Mondo, then headed across the street to the Museum of Science and Industry, one of the largest science museums in the world and home to more than 35,000 artifacts and all types of hands-on exhibits. Kids can learn about World War II in a 15-minute tour of a captured German submarine, completewith sound effects, dramatic lighting and a question and answer period at the end.  Another must-see exhibit is a re-creation of a working deep shaft coal mine that uses equipment from the 1930s, and be sure to stop by the Whispering Gallery, a room that introduces kids to the wonders of sound wave communication by allowing their whispers to travel from one focal point in the room to another.

Friday night, we ate dinner at The Signature Room at the 95th®, located on the 95^th floor of the John Hancock Center.  The restaurant offers diners exquisite food, impeccable service, and a dazzling skyline view from floor-to-ceiling windows with 360-degree views of the city.  We ended our night with a horse-drawn carriage ride down Michigan Avenue.

Saturday morning, we rode a double-decker  trolley to Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower).  After a fast elevator ride to the Skydeck on the 103rd floor, we could see for miles in all directions.  We also took advantage of the Sky Ledge, a "glass box" that allowed us take in an unobstructed view 1,353 feet directly below our feet.

Then we took the trolley to Navy Pier and went on a 150-foot-high Ferris wheel and an old fashioned carousel, then walked over to the Skyline Stage to see Cirque Shanghai, a troupe of young Chinese acrobats that dazzled us with their talent.

After the show, we ate lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co., a casual family restaurant based on the character (and the movie) "Forrest Gump."  As the name implies, shrimp is the specialty at Bubba Gump's, with items such as shrimp gumbo, fried shrimp, coconut shrimp, shrimp skewers and stuffed shrimp.  However, they also serve sandwiches, burgers, salads, children's meals and creative desserts.  Kids will especially enjoy the "Build Your Own Sundae!" dessert.

After lunch, we ascended 350 feet above the ground on a helium-filled Aero Balloon.  We stood with six other people as we overlooked Navy Pier and Lake Michigan. 

That evening, we at at Cite, a restaurant located 70 stories high atop Lake Point Tower, with spectacular panoramic views of the city.

We statrted our last day by treating ourselves to a little pampering at Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Salon in the historic Palmolive building, where we began with facials an manicures, and ended with a very relaxing couple's massage.

Then we went back to the Four Seasons for its famous Sunday brunch and then, with our bodies relaxed and our stomachs full, we visited Chicago's "museum campus" of the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium, America's first planetarium, which opened in 1930. The Shedd Aquarium (pictured above) is perhaps the most spectacular of the three, with six galleries ranging from the Waters of the World - rivers and reefs, lakes and oceans -  to the Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising's flooded forest, the Oceanarium's Pacific Northwest coast, Wild Reef's Indo-Pacific reef and the delightfully cold Polar Play Zone. Shedd also has an aquatic show you don't want to miss.

We ended our day and our Chicago visit with dinner at the Peninsula Hotel, then said goodbye to a wndy, wonderful city with a promise to ourselves that we'd be back soon.

Chicago is a perfect vacation place for kids of all ages and you can fit in some of the best attractions into three days.

We arrived in the Windy City on a Friday morning and checked into the Four Seasons Hotel, located off Michigan Avenue.  We were greeted by a friendly staff as well as a plateful of homemade chocolates waiting for us in our room. 

We headed downtown and ate lunch at Piccolo Mondo, then headed across the street to the Museum of Science and Industry, one of the largest science museums in the world and home to more than 35,000 artifacts and all types of hands-on exhibits. Kids can learn about World War II in a 15-minute tour of a captured German submarine, completewith sound effects, dramatic lighting and a question and answer period at the end.  Another must-see exhibit is a re-creation of a working deep shaft coal mine that uses equipment from the 1930s, and be sure to stop by the Whispering Gallery, a room that introduces kids to the wonders of sound wave communication by allowing their whispers to travel from one focal point in the room to another.

Friday night, we ate dinner at The Signature Room at the 95th®, located on the 95^th floor of the John Hancock Center.  The restaurant offers diners exquisite food, impeccable service, and a dazzling skyline view from floor-to-ceiling windows with 360-degree views of the city.  We ended our night with a horse-drawn carriage ride down Michigan Avenue.

Saturday morning, we rode a double-decker  trolley to Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower).  After a fast elevator ride to the Skydeck on the 103rd floor, we could see for miles in all directions.  We also took advantage of the Sky Ledge, a "glass box" that allowed us take in an unobstructed view 1,353 feet directly below our feet.

Then we took the trolley to Navy Pier and went on a 150-foot-high Ferris wheel and an old fashioned carousel, then walked over to the Skyline Stage to see Cirque Shanghai, a troupe of young Chinese acrobats that dazzled us with their talent.

After the show, we ate lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co., a casual family restaurant based on the character (and the movie) "Forrest Gump."  As the name implies, shrimp is the specialty at Bubba Gump's, with items such as shrimp gumbo, fried shrimp, coconut shrimp, shrimp skewers and stuffed shrimp.  However, they also serve sandwiches, burgers, salads, children's meals and creative desserts.  Kids will especially enjoy the "Build Your Own Sundae!" dessert.

After lunch, we ascended 350 feet above the ground on a helium-filled Aero Balloon.  We stood with six other people as we overlooked Navy Pier and Lake Michigan. 

That evening, we at at Cite, a restaurant located 70 stories high atop Lake Point Tower, with spectacular panoramic views of the city.

We statrted our last day by treating ourselves to a little pampering at Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Salon in the historic Palmolive building, where we began with facials an manicures, and ended with a very relaxing couple's massage.

Then we went back to the Four Seasons for its famous Sunday brunch and then, with our bodies relaxed and our stomachs full, we visited Chicago's "museum campus" of the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium, America's first planetarium, which opened in 1930. The Shedd Aquarium is perhaps the most spectacular of the three, with six galleries ranging from the Waters of the World - rivers and reefs, lakes and oceans -  to the Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising's flooded forest, the Oceanarium's Pacific Northwest coast, Wild Reef's Indo-Pacific reef and the delightfully cold Polar Play Zone. Shedd also has an aquatic show you don't want to miss.

We ended our day and our Chicago visit with dinner at the Peninsula Hotel, then said goodbye to a wndy, wonderful city with a promise to ourselves that we'd be back soon.