Top 5 Travel Attractions in Chicago, USA

Guest Post by Lisa Fantino

Chicago is a great city no matter what time of year you visit.  Of course, the winters are rough with that lake effect snow but mid-westerners are a hardy bunch and take it all in stride…….so live like a local and catch the best things this city has to offer:

1. Architecture Tour on the Chicago River – The city’s varied history and architecture are among its biggest assets and the best way to see decades’ worth of beautiful buildings is by exploring them from the river.  The tour lasts about an hour and is worth every dime (but this is one thing best done in warmer weather!).  You can buy a land/river combo ticket and get the best of the entire town in about 3 hours.
2. Magnificent Mile (aka – Michigan Avenue) – no visit to Chicago would be complete without shopping the length of Michigan Avenue.  It offers everything from the luxury of Armani and Escada and the mall at Water Tower Place to discount stores and the usual chains.  There is something for every budget.
3. Shedd Aquarium – This is an amazing hands-on place.  You can watch Belugas dance in the Aquarium’s new show, Fantasea; pet a penguin waddling by; or look a dolphin in the eye.
4. Adler Planetarium – Close to the Aquarium is the Adler Planetarium, which juts out on a peninsula into Lake Michigan.  This is fun for kids and adults alike and has a number of interactive exhibits.  You can even find out how much you would way on the planet Venus.  I just may move!  This is a great place to spend half a day and the on-site cafeteria is a good find for lunch.  Adults get to play with the giant telescope on the third Thursday of every month in the Adler’s After Dark program………cocktails literally under the stars!
5. Field Museum of Natural History – Lions and mammoths and dino, oh my.  The Field Museum is loaded with fossils and bones and close enough to the Adler and Shedd that you can spend the entire day on South Lake Shore Drive and not run out of things to do.

Lisa Fantino is an award-winning journalist and New York attorney.  She is the creative force behind Wanderlust Women Travel, a solo travel consultant website, and the recently launched Wanderlust Weddings, for the perfect Italian honeymoon or Amalfi destination wedding.  She also writes for MNUI Travel Insurance and blogs as Lady Litigator.