Chicago with Kid's Hotel Field Museum?

Travel Info
Hi we are traveling to Chicago in August and I am wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a good value hotel near the Field museum. We have 3 kid's and will be going to the field and shed. Parking, eating and travel to the museum are the concerns.

Thanks!

Travel Tips

John, there are no good value hotels in downtown Chicago, however, if you go to Priceline (or other on-line travel/hotel sites) and reserve early (like today) you can get a decent rate.

To travel from your downtown hotel to the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium is absolutely NO PROBLEM. During the summer (from Memorial Day to Labor Day), there are FREE Trolleys that run all over downtown. The Green Trolley will drop you off right in front of The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium or the Adler Planetarium. The free Trolleys run every 15-20 minutes from about 9 am to 6 pm.

Blue Trolley will take you to Navy Pier
Purple Trolley will take you to Lincoln Park Zoo (also FREE)
Red Trolley travels all up and down Magnificent Mile and State Street
There is also a Brown Trolley and Gold Trolley, but I'm not sure of their routes

If you need to you can also take the buses/els. You can get CTA Visitors passes (1 day-$5, 2 day- $9, 3 day-$12, 5 day-$18 or 7 day-$20) for adults or kids 7-11. Children 6 and under riding with an adult ride free. For travel in downtown Chicago, buses/els and trolleys are a better bet then driving...traffic is terrible and parking prices are outrageous!
Others

I grew up in Chicago and there are no good value hotels downtown. Of course this depends on what you expect to pay. I recommend staying in a suburban motel and driving downtown. I have stayed in Elmhurst for a reasonable amount with free parking. The free parking and lower rates should make up for the cost of gas, although not carbon emissions. Many of the burbs are on the public transit which runs downtown on the Eisenhower Expressway. Cheaper than parking downtown!
Hi, I have visited Chicago many times and want to tell you about the Museum of Science and Industry. It is FAR,FAR more interesting to children than the Field Museum. The Shedd is great. You can take the el from anywhere in Chicago to both areas. There are also tour type buses that make a loop route and stop in both areas freguently...ask at your hotel. You can pick up a map that shows the routes for the el.. and buses , then you don't have to drive...and kids love to ride the el. Have a great time.
The Essex Inn across from Grant Park offers a museum pkg. Check the website:

http://reservations.ihotelier.com/crs/p_...

The free trolley passes by on the way to museums and connects to other attractions. Check it out:

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webpo...
First of all, dont stay at the Essex. My stayed there last time she was in town and the room smelled like pee. I think its big with the party and crash crowd. I stayed at the Congress last year (I live in Chicago, but didnt want to travel back and forth home) during lollapalooza and it was very clean an affordable, and very close to the museums. It is also right in front of Grant Park. THe service was a bit pokey and so were the elavators, and the restaurant wasnt very good, but its affordable and clean. You can also get decent packeage rates at the Palmer House Hilton every now and then, which is a nicer place to stay.

Also, the Museum of Science and Industry, is the best of the bunch. I totally recommend taking the Metra (not the cta train or a cta bus) from the Randolph and Michigan station. Traffic gets bad so you dont want to be stuck on a bus, and the cta trains dont go there.