Milwaukee and Chicago

First, if you do not have a car then McCormick Place may work. I would call them and ask about “event hours”. You really do not want to drive you RV around Chicago to see the sights. Rent a car and enjoy all the attractions mentioned above along the lake front.

There is one very good campground northwest of the city. Paul Wolff Campground is located just northwest of Elgin, IL. Again, rent a car so you can get to the commuter train stop in Elgin or just drive into the city on I90. To get to the lake front takes about an hour (double that time in rush hour).

http://kaneforest.com/ForestPreserveView.aspx?ID=11

I used this campground many times when my son lived close to Elgin. If not being able to reserve a site is a put off. Know this, even on weekends it has never been full. Only once did I have to stay in the new section without trees.

rockhillmanor wrote:

That is the reality of RV'ing into Chicago.

SIGH.
No it isn't.....necessarily.

It is your PERCEPTION, based mostly on 15 year old information and from a different situation no less (an "event" is different than just parking). You also overlook public transit.

One should be able to "survive" for 3 days without hookups.
Parking there would be super convenient to a lot of stuff.

It would be nice to know the cost ahead of time.
I bet there is more than one way to find out (including the post from tonyandkaren).

Depending on how long you want to stay in Chi-town might help you decide where to stay. If you have a toad you can stay south of the city there is an rv park there name escapes me. Drive to train station and ride train in. Also the park in Kane County sounds good again the train. Parking can be a nightmare and expensive. Once downtown if you don't like walking get a bus schedule. Also taxi ride may work between attractions.

rockhillmanor wrote:

Funny no one wants to list what they paid to park in that parking lot

Last time I took my MH to McCormick place for an event the RV parking was $100.00 to park in a concrete parking lot with NO hookups. And I can't remember if you can't stay overnight or if it was the CP that told me it wouldn't be a safe place to do so.

That was over 15 years ago so I am going to guess it's most likely more today and you would still need a car or pay for a taxi everyday. Or perhaps they've added hookups? My guess is not.

From the link I provided - "Bus and RV Parking is available in Lot B which is an outdoor surface parking lot located at 31st Street near Lake Shore Drive South and Moe Drive. The parking rate is a flat fee of $35 per day with in-and-out privileges. This parking lot is open throughout event hours. Overnight parking is permitted."

This is what we paid. It might be more during events. From this lot we were able to access both the bike trail and the city streets. There's a self service bike rental stand on the bike trail near the parking lot. McCormick Place is also serviced by city buses, elevated trains and the METRA.

Staying in a lot in the city might not be a good option for many people but we loved the easy access to the city and would not hesitate to stay there again.

DrewE wrote:

rolling_rhoda wrote:
We really enjoyed the City Museum in Milwaukee. It has nice variety in it's exhibits -- something for everyone.

Is that the Milwaukee Public Museum? The "City Museum" that I know of by that name is the St Louis City Museum, which is also a neat stop but obviously isn't in or near Milwaukee.

.

Yes, the Milwaukee Public Museum. Thanks.

As the Wizard of Oz said: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. I don't know if the above comment was being serious or not,..

:?

Yes it was. And for an RV'er that has never traveled to Chicago it points out the difficulty going there in an RV. I know I would appreciate the heads up knowing that fact 'before' I headed into it.

As others have said, you can stay at McCormick place..(parking lot and pricey,...

Funny no one wants to list what they paid to park in that parking lot

Last time I took my MH to McCormick place for an event the RV parking was $100.00 to park in a concrete parking lot with NO hookups. And I can't remember if you can't stay overnight or if it was the CP that told me it wouldn't be a safe place to do so.

That was over 15 years ago so I am going to guess it's most likely more today and you would still need a car or pay for a taxi everyday. Or perhaps they've added hookups? My guess is not.

If you have a 'car' and are 'staying at a hotel' YES Chicago is a GREAT place to see. Museum, Shedd, and Planetarium are the only places a kid might enjoy and quite frankly IMHO those type of venues can be seen in most cities that are far more RV friendly to access.

But it is NOT RV friendly and the closest CG with hookups is NOT close. Which means you would have to have a car to go there everyday. OP states they are traveling in a MH. Even with a TT or FW driving/parking a truck within the city limits poses it's own problems. Driving a MH is not conducive to sightseeing in Chicago.

That is the reality of RV'ing into Chicago.

rockhillmanor wrote:
I'm from there and if I were you I'd drive right by Chicago and wave at it as you head to Wisconsin. Nothing really there to see and your kids would be bored to tears if you took in any of the cultural sights you might like.But then again you won't be able to go downtown with your RV and there are no close by CG's. There is one in Zion on the lake but it's nothing to write home about.

Take the extra time and spend it all in Wisconsin. Endless stuff to do there, CG facilities abound and the scenery is just down right spectacular. Stay in small towns there is so much activities planned all summer especially during Dairy Month. Each town a big farm sponsors Dairy month. You get to really see how a diary farm operates and all of them have 6 foot frying pan and serve up breakfast in it! I try and make one every year. Lake Geneva, Door County good spots too.

The Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis (right outside Milwaukee) is the BEST fair of all the states. They have a full hookup CG on site. It's like no other fair you have been to. The kids will love you for the rest of your life if you take them to that! :C

As the Wizard of Oz said: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. I don't know if the above comment was being serious or not, but there are incredible things to see and do in Chicago. As others have said, you can stay at McCormick place on the lake (parking lot and pricey, but very convenient). And if you have kids, they will absolutely love the Museum of Science and Industry, the Field Museum (dinosaurs and mummies), the Shedd Aquarium (dolphin shows, beluga whales), the Adler Planetarium (space!), if you bring your bikes you can bike on a paved bike trail up the entire shoreline and almost never cross a road. Just north of the Loop is Lincoln Park with a large and free Zoo. In the suburbs is Brookfield Zoo, even larger and more animals. As others have mentioned, the Art Museum (near downtown Grant Park) is great. Also near downtown is Navy Pier a fun tourist attraction that juts out into the lake. Take a boat tour. Someone mentioned Auditorium Theater - I saw The Who perform there in the early 1970's! :)

In short, there are tons of things to do right near downtown Chicago, and many are in walking distance from each other. Shedd, Field and Adler are all together at the Museum campus on the lake.

But Milwaukee and Wisconsin have great places too. But you'll be sorry if you by-pass Chicago.

Some decent responses so far...except the one about ignoring Chicago. Wow.

I live in Milwaukee, know the State and its campgrounds VERY well, and Chicago is one of my favorite cities.

Personally, I learn a lot about "things to do" in any given city using Tripadvisor and tourism websites. And both Milwaukee and Chicago offer so many things, I cannot begin to answer the OP's question without knowing more travel details and personal (family?) interests.

I'm from there and if I were you I'd drive right by Chicago and wave at it as you head to Wisconsin. Nothing really there to see and your kids would be bored to tears if you took in any of the cultural sights you might like.But then again you won't be able to go downtown with your RV and there are no close by CG's. There is one in Zion on the lake but it's nothing to write home about.

Take the extra time and spend it all in Wisconsin. Endless stuff to do there, CG facilities abound and the scenery is just down right spectacular. Stay in small towns there is so much activities planned all summer especially during Dairy Month. Each town a big farm sponsors Dairy month. You get to really see how a diary farm operates and all of them have 6 foot frying pan and serve up breakfast in it! I try and make one every year. Lake Geneva, Door County good spots too.

The Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis (right outside Milwaukee) is the BEST fair of all the states. They have a full hookup CG on site. It's like no other fair you have been to. The kids will love you for the rest of your life if you take them to that! :C

rolling_rhoda wrote:
We really enjoyed the City Museum in Milwaukee. It has nice variety in it's exhibits -- something for everyone.

Is that the Milwaukee Public Museum? The "City Museum" that I know of by that name is the St Louis City Museum, which is also a neat stop but obviously isn't in or near Milwaukee.

In Chicago, I would highly recommend the Art Institute, though not in any way to the exclusion of some of the other recommendations. Among many other things, they have an absolutely superb collection of impressionist paintings.

As a somewhat theater junkie, I would love to catch a show and/or a tour of the Auditorium-Theater in Chicago.