Navigating Chicago

Dozens of museums, two world-class zoos, 500 stores along North Michigan Avenue alone and hundreds of restaurants, from the inventors of deep-dish pizzas to the sorts of white-tablecloth places that kids will remember forever. All the reasons that you want to show your family the Midwest's largest metropolis also can make the trip seem overwhelming and unmanageable.

But navigating in Chicago can be relatively easy. Hotels and major attractions including Michigan Avenue's "Magnificent Mile" shopping and museums cluster in the downtown area along Lake Michigan. With some planning (encourage kids to help research the trip online), you can bite off a satisfying chunk in a long weekend.

We set out with several assumptions: You're relatively new to the city, at least as a family; you want to see as much as possible, without straining kids' attention spans and endurance; and most of all, you want to have fun. That translates to making choices and setting priorities: half days or less at major museums (you could spend a week at most of these institutions, so choose some highlights); minimal, kid-focused shopping; and time for other attractions unique to Chicago such as Navy Pier and the Lincoln Park Zoo. For more information and options, as well as restaurant and lodging recommendations, turn to the Chicago Details at the end of this article.

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