Chicago Travel Forum

HI...I JUST PURCHASED TICKETS TO THE RED SOX GAME ON SUNDAY AUGUST 10TH FOR MY HUSBANDS BIRTHDAY....I AM TRYING TO FIND A FUN HOTEL WITHIN AN HOURS DRIVE OF THE FIELD THAT IS FAMILY ORIENTATED, POOL, ACTIVITIES ETC...

No one stays near US Cellular Field, there aren't many hotels if there are any at all. Most people stay downtown and take the el (subway) down to the park. If you are not looking to stay in the city, it would be helpful if you specified which direction outside of Chicago you wanted to stay (ie are you coming from Wisconsin? Michigan? Indiana?)

If you are looking for an indoor waterpark (in case it is very hot and humid on 8/10/08) there is a fairly new one located at a Holiday Inn in Elmhurst a Chicago suburb about 1/2 hour from US Cellular Field. You can check out their website at: http://www.hielmhurst.com/

You are also not that far from Brookfield Zoo which is one of the top 5 zoo's in the country.

If you were to stay in Elmhurst you are also about 1/2 hour drive to downtown Chicago (don't drive in rush hour) or Elmhurst is on one of the train rides into downtown Chicago which could be another experience for your family.

If you want any more hints, tips, etc let me know. My 4 kids are now all in their 20's, but we have been to many family places when they were growing up.

The hotel closest to the ball park is the Hyatt Regency at McCormick Place. It more business than family oriented and is far from inexpensive, but it has all sorts of amenities. See its web site;
http://www.mccormickplace.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

But in August it seems a shame to do all your playing in a hotel when you could be enjoying the city's many attractions, such as beaches, outdoor concerts, zoos, etc.

The area surrounding the White Sox ballpark is not exactly a tourist friendly area. (Sorry, old school fans like our family call it “Sox park” we can’t seem to embrace calling it “the Cell”).

Unlike Wrigley Field on the Northside, there are very few family friendly places to go, aside from a hot dog stand and sports gift shop, that are on 34th street by Sox park. The rest of the area is a blue-collar residential neighborhood with a few neighborhood bars.

I would recommend two different options in the downtown area:

1 – a hotel in the south loop or south Michigan Ave., closer to the museums, such as the Hilton at 720 S. Michigan. In addition to being closer to all the major museums, you are close to either CTA buses on Mich. Ave or the CTA Red Line on State Street. There are several CTA options that will get you to places downtown like Millennium Park or Navy Pier. The CTA Red Line goes north and south covering nearly the entire length of the city. You can get to Sox park on the south side, or Cubs park (Wrigley Field) on the north side using the same line.

2 – a hotel close to Navy Pier. This is really the place folks gravitate to with their kids. There are also a bunch of free trolley buses that go around the downtown area from here as well during the summertime. Check out the W Hotel Lakeshore. If you want a pool…there’s a big one right across the street….Lake Michigan.

Here is a link to the free trolley buses that run during the summer:
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago-free-trolley.htm

Hi - I was just looking at buying tickets for that game myself ... I was born a Red Sox fan and have been living in Chicago for over 20 yrs now.
I would shop downtown Chicago hotels and spend your time in one of the easiest cities to navigate in the world - Chicago! An amazing lakefront, unique architecture and neighborhoods, museums, tourist friendly attractions, theater, music ... it's all here.
In fact, why rent a car ? Take the "L" to/from either airport and certainly to/from the Sox game.