Museums and views in Chicago

[caption id="attachment_4602" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Us at Millennium Park[/caption]

As you will know if you read the blog posts by Jess and Robert, we spent a wonderful week in Chicago this summer. They have both written posts on what they particularly enjoyed and now it's my turn!

It seems pointless to go over the same ground that my children did! After all, I too loved the Escape Room (which Robert writes about in detail in this blog post) and the brilliant Chicago-themed Mini Golf. And, although I'm not a teen, I especially loved the bike tour which Jess describes, the trip to the beach and comedy at Second City. But there was also a lot more that we did, and which I am going to share with you here.....

A city of beauty

Chicago is, as both my children said, beautiful. It's a gorgeous place for a city-based holiday, and enhanced by the fact that it has extras you would never normally connect with a bustling metropolis - like its own beaches. It's also blessed with magnificent museums and other must-dos.

And fabulous views

I always love a view when I visit a city and in Chicago, we found that the best viewing point was the Skydeck at the Willis Tower (once known as the Sears Tower) which is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, at 1,353 feet. We headed there after a busy day out, doing our cycling tour, and a quick walk along Navy Pier, which is also great for views of the city (and snacks!).

We arrived at the Willis Tower as the sun was starting to go down. We headed up to the 103rd floor via a speedy lift, before walking around and enjoying the views of the city from up high. We decided to queue up to wait to use one of the glass bottomed viewing panels - called "The Ledge"  - which are basically boxes which take you about four and a half feet from the Skydeck, and were blessed with some wonderful views and colours as the sun went down. We had to wait around 30 minutes and I'm not sure if I would have done this if I had been with young children. However, it was absolutely worth it for us as I loved walking onto the platform and soaking up the views.

Amazing art (and architecture)

I knew that Chicago was home to some terrific art and, if you have any interest in art or architecture, this is a brilliant place to visit. The buildings are stunning and we would recommend a guided boat trip to fully immerse yourself. We used the Shoreline Sightseeing Architecture Tour and had a wonderful 75 minutes relaxing on the Chicago river while our guide, Kyle, told us everything we needed to know. It was absolutely worth doing - and we learnt a lot.

[caption id="attachment_4600" align="alignnone" width="1024"] One of the amazing views from the Chicago architecture boat tour[/caption]

We also visited the Art Institute of Chicago - and it is mind-blowing. Not only does it host such world-famous paintings as American Gothic and Nighthawks, but it also has some incredible Impressionists (it hosts the largest Impressionist collection outside Paris) and modern art, not to mention some beautiful Chagall paintings and much, much more, including whole galleries on ancient Greece and Africa. Its collections cover hundreds of years of art, and I would have stayed longer but my children had had their fill after a couple of hours!

[caption id="attachment_4601" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Brian by the "Bean" in Millennium Park in Chicago - as recommended by all guide books![/caption]

The Art Institute is right near Millennium Park, which is huge and wonderful. Do go there to visit Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate (known more colloquially as "the Bean") as it's really a must-do and a wonderful piece of art. In fact, there is art that you can just come upon across the city, including a mural by Chagall and other works by Miro, Calder and a wonderful piece which spurted out water called Crowne Fountain by Jaume Plensa. We discovered many of these on a terrific Chicago Greeter guided tour with a wonderful man called Bill. These tours (on any kind of topic you like)  are all free and organised by the city. Bill wouldn't even take a tip!

And natural history and science and industry

Another museum I would highly recommend was the Field Museum, which is Chicago's Museum of Natural History. This is brilliant for kids and adults, and unlike its equivalent in London, it wasn't too manic or chock-full of guests.

The museum has so many things for you to do - we visited the "brilliant bugs" exhibit and glanced at a number of others, including the hall of gems (which was very impressive). But what was really amazing was the dinosaurs, as this museum hosts SUE, the biggest and most complete T-Rex skeleton in the world! It is really astonishing, and the whole exhibit is done brilliantly, with many other fossils, dinosaur skeletons and excellent explanations which take you right through history.

[caption id="attachment_4605" align="alignnone" width="1024"] SUE - the skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex[/caption]

The final museum we visited in Chicago was the Museum of Science and Industry. We had heard great things about this place and it was highly recommended by my friends who live in the city.

The first thing to say about it is that it is absolutely huge! There is masses to see, and there are also a number of extras (many of which cost more money) such as a coal mine or 4D films. I have a feeling that this is a museum which you would need to visit over and over again, but we were impressed (although many of the exhibits did seem dated).

[caption id="attachment_4606" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A newborn chick which we saw hatch![/caption]

The genetics section, where you could see chicks being born was amazing, while we also enjoyed the "Science Storms" section - watching tornados blow up around you was an experience. Seeing a real u-boat was remarkable (we didn't pay extra to go on, just looked from the outside) and we enjoyed the Mirror Maze and "You the Experience" too, although not all of the objects worked properly. I also explored Colleen Moore's fairy castle, which is like something you'd see in Las Vegas (I said it was a museum with lots of different parts!).

There are loads more museums in Chicago and also loads more to do overall. We had planned a visit to the Shedd Aquarium, but in the end we simply ran out of time, what with all the other places we went to, and the endless eating and general exploring. It is a beautiful place, which offers so much to people of all ages. We'd highly recommend a holiday there!

Disclosure: We were gifted a CityPASS for Chicago which gave us free entry into the Skydeck, Art Institute, Field Museum and Museum of Science and Industry. CityPASS had no input whatsoever into this blog post, but we did think it was great having a pass which meant we could skip queues and visit places we might not have considered otherwise (like the Museum of Natural History). A CityPASS lasts for nine days and can also be used for the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium. It costs $108 per adult and $89 per child, which works out as a lot less than if you visited the attractions and paid at each one individually.

Don't forget to read Robert's post on Chicago and Jess's on what's best for teens.

 

1066 and more: a trip to Battle

With two children at school, it isn't always easy to zip away on wonderful long-haul holidays, even if we'd like to. We're stuck with taking trips during school vacations (along with everyone else) which is limiting in terms of price and timing. But that doesn't stop us exploring and having fun! We know we are extremely lucky to be able to travel within the UK and find some fabulous places to visit (watch the video below for our latest!).

[kad_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZZc1TuacOQ" width=200 height=100 ]

 

One of these - an absolute gem - was Battle, in East Sussex. It sounds a strange name doesn't it? But actually, it explains exactly what it is. Because Battle is where one of the most famous battles ever took place - one which changed the course of English history. It's the last time this country was successfully invaded and it gave a certain Norman Duke, William, a new title (not just King, but "the Conqueror" as he beat King Harold and marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England). This all happened 950 years ago this year.

We began our trip at the Battle Museum of Local History (this is currently closed until March, but will open again then with a special 1066 exhibition). It is a really lovely place, run by volunteers. Adrian and Sarah, who showed us around were wonderful company, willing to tell us everything we wanted to know, and excited about the new exhibitions celebrating the anniversary later this year.

[caption id="attachment_2181" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The small museum was well worth visiting[/caption]

Going to the museum first was a great way of beginning our visit, as it gave us proper background on the area. For example, we had no idea that there was a Roman connection to Battle, nor thought about dinosaurs roaming the area.

The Museum had a number of items which piqued our interest, from a cabinet on the World Wars (Hitler targetted the Abbey, and dropped bombs which, fortunately, didn't do much damage), to old stamps and coins, local suffragists and what is said to be the oldest ever Guy Fawkes effigy (from the mid 1600s). It was also amazing to see the only axe head recovered from the battlefield. Talk about historic!

[caption id="attachment_2182" align="alignnone" width="1200"] This is said to be the oldest Guy Fawkes effigy in existence[/caption]

After looking around, we went outside to admire the Almonry gardens and the well.

Battle is a really picturesque market town, even in January (!) and one of those places which is easily walkable, so we meandered down from the museum (which is at one end of the High Street) to the Abbey (at the other), past lots of lovely shops, tea-rooms and restaurants. Here we made sure we got our audio guides and entered.

It had been raining heavily (hey, that's England for you) which meant we knew in advance that we wouldn't actually be able to walk on the field itself. At first we were very disappointed by this, but actually you can walk above it on a terraced walkway and that was great in itself.

A trip to Battle Abbey and the battlefield starts with a introductory exhibition inside a visitor centre. This is extremely nicely done, with a clear explanatory video voiced by David Starkey and Samuel West, explaining the context of the time. There are interactive displays to try out (we did surprisingly badly on the one which asked you to pick Norman names and English names!) and chain metal and even weapons to try.

After the visitor centre (which also has its own cafe by the way) we went outside. We really loved this part of our trip. We held our audio guides close by (Robert had the children's one, which he really enjoyed), and we walked along, finding out about the Battle Of Hastings (so-called because that was the nearest major town back then) and marvelling about the fact that 7,000 men had been killed here, right where we were standing, on October 14th, 1066.

[caption id="attachment_2184" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The famous battlefield[/caption]

The history was fascinating, not least the tactics used by William when he pretended to flee during the battle, making Harold's troops break ranks, to disastrous effect.

We also found that the monks initially didn't want to build the Benedictine abbey on the northern part of the site, not least because it was on top of a hill. But William told them they had to, and they did - he had been ordered to do so by the Pope, as penance, due to the huge loss of life during the conflict.

It must have been absolutely enormous - even the ruins are pretty big - and it become one of the riches monastic houses in England, until the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII (it later became a country estate). And, of course, having such a huge abbey in the area then led to a town growing up behind it...

We also saw the stone which marked where it is believed King Harold died.

We were at the battlefield for well over two hours, enjoying the information and then looking around the ruins of the Abbey itself. The gatehouse museum, where you can also find out about the life of a medieval monk , was closed, but we didn't feel we missed out (we were happy to admire this marvellous 14th century entrance to the abbey from the outside). However, it would be great to go back, as the roof of the gatehouse is to be opened up later this year as part of the celebrations, so you can have a birds-eye view of the landscape of the battlefield.

We then spent some time looking around the shop, which was extremely well stocked with everything from mead to children's toys.

We thought this was a wonderful, informative place to come and just perfect for a day or two's visit. It's only 20 minutes or so drive from Hastings (where people think the battle took place and often get a shock when they turn up expecting to see the battlefield) and you could easily combine it with other trips in the area, including Herstmonceaux Castle or Bexhill on Sea. In recent years it's also become well known due to the pop group Keane - and you can actually follow a Keane trail around town too!

Need to know...

Where to stay: We travelled to Battle by car, and it took less than two hours from our home in London, which was a pleasant surprise. We stayed at an absolutely gorgeous small country hotel, called Claverton Country House, which is just outside Battle and a real treat to visit. The children stayed in a room together and so did we, in an airy, very light, large double room with a great bathroom and a view outside which revealed large numbers of rabbits hopping around outside in the dusk. It was quiet and beautiful and extremely relaxing (plus, we have to say that the breakfast the next day was one of the best we have ever had, especially the perfect poached eggs and totally mouthwatering warm chocolate croissants).

[caption id="attachment_2190" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We had the most delicious hot chocolate croissants for breakfast![/caption]

Our rooms cost: £89 for ours and £79 for the children's (which was a compact room), including breakfast. There are other places to stay in the area and you can see them here.

Cost: Battle Museum of Local History is free to enter. Battle Abbey and the Battlefield costs

Where to eat: We travelled into Battle for an evening meal and found some delicious food at Noble's. The chef was terrific at rustling up something for Robert, despite his allergies, but the service was extremely slow, which was a shame (it even meant we didn't have dessert, even though the food we did have was really delicious).

We also saw a number of other restaurants, including Simply Italian, the Bull Inn and the Chequers Inn.

[caption id="attachment_2185" align="alignnone" width="900"] Jess enjoyed a delicious cream tea![/caption]

We ate lunch at Bluebells Cafe which was extremely busy, but which had delicious food. We all had something quite simple (Welsh rarebit, tuna sandwiches and a cream tea for Jess) but it was all utterly yummy. We would highly recommend it if you are in the area and it is not too expensive either (we paid £48 for the four of us, including drinks and cakes afterwards!).

We also had a trip to the sweet shop, Spoilt Rotten, which had masses of old fashioned sweets, as well as lots of American ones too. We thought it was extremely good value and the young woman serving us was extremely patient as the children made their choices.

Where to park: There is a public car park at the top of Battle, as you drive in towards Hastings. It cost us £5 to park there for the whole day.

Battle Abbey is run by English Heritage and is free for members. It costs £8.30 per adults and £5 for children aged 5-15. A family ticket (two adults and up to three children) costs £21.60. At the moment it's only open on weekends, although it's open every day during half-term, and later in the year will be open daily.

Battle is situated 105km from London - trains run from Charing Cross every half hour and there are also regular coaches.

If you travel to Battle later this year, you can see a re-enactment of the famous Battle! Find out more about upcoming events here and through Visit England here.

Disclosure: We travelled to Battle to contribute to a travel ebook being created by RAC Breakdown Cover on some great British staycations... 

More great historical places to visit in the UK:

What to do in beautiful Lincoln

Skeletons, skulls and Richard III