Naperville/Downers Grove good areas?

We are travelling to the Chicago area from Toronto, Ontario for about a week to do the tourist thing.

No offense intended, but we have been told that there are some areas of Chicago that we might not want to stay in.

My research seems to indicate that either Naperville or Downers Grove would be ok. Am I right?

They would be a good central point for our anticipated trips to the aquarium, zoo, botanical gardens, lincoln memorial, etc.

We prefer a suburb over the downtown area. Cheers!

Naperville/Downers Grove good areas?

While the area you%26#39;re referring to is fine, it might not be best from a tourist standpoint considering what you want to see here.

The Chicago Botanical Gardens are in Glencoe, a northern suburb. The Shedd Aquarium and the Lincoln Park Zoo are downtown and just north of downtown.

However, the Morton Arboretum is in Lisle, which is near Naperville/Downers Grove. Also, the Brookfield Zoo is in the general area.

The Abraham Lincoln Museum is in Springfield, IL. It%26#39;s about a 3 hour drive.

If you%26#39;ll have a car and plan on seeing all of these, you%26#39;ll have a bit of driving to do.

You might want to consider staying in a northern suburb such as Evanston, Northbrook, Deerfield, or Highland Park. From there, Metra trains will get you into Chicago. Metrarail.com for details. Metra trains will also get you downtown from Naperville/Downers Grove.

Naperville/Downers Grove good areas?

I%26#39;d recommend the Northbrook area. The Northbrook area is in the upscale North suburbs, and there are some attractions, such as the Chicago Botanic Gardens (which are in the nearby suburb of Glencoe, despite the name) nearby. The area also has a nice selection of restaurants and shopping, as well as some very pretty downtowns (Lake Forest and Highland Park are two very nice towns, for example.) Additionally, there are two different Metra (commuter train) lines that run nearby.

However, and this is with all suburbs, I hope that you are driving, as it is difficult to get around in the burbs without a car. For example, there%26#39;s two Metra lines that run near/through the North burbs, but they%26#39;re not walkable from the majority of the area%26#39;s hotels. Same goes with Oak Brook/Downers Grove/Naperville.

The Oak Brook/Downers Grove/Naperville areas are great, but I personally would also highly recommend Northbrook.

If you provide dates of travel, I%26#39;d be happy to suggest hotel options in either area. Hotwire and Priceline are two different discount services you could use to get cheaper lodging in either area, as nice 3* and 4* hotels in the burbs are usually very reasonable on either service.

Safety-wise you%26#39;ll have no problems in Naperville or Downers Grove. They%26#39;re both pretty well-off suburbs. I don%26#39;t know about the trains in Downers Grove, but you can get express Metra trains into the city from Naperville if you want to avoid traffic and parking.

Thanks to everyone for their advice.

Yes, we are driving in from Canada so we%26#39;ll have a car and my husband drives for a living and unlike me, doesn%26#39;t mind driving in large cities.

I will definitely look into the other northern suburbs you have all suggested. Chicago definitely offers a lot of tourist opportunities and we have never been to Illinois.

Thanks again.

Do you still recommend Northbrook? I%26#39;m going to be in town 4 nights with business in Evanston, Naperville, Chicago and a concert in Tinley Park. I was going to stay in Oak Brook. I%26#39;ll be in and out and don%26#39;t want valet. I%26#39;ll be getting back late at night so I want it to be safe and not fancy. Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn would be ideal.

As noted in your other post - the O%26#39;hare area would be best.

I%26#39;m a little confused as to whether you%26#39;re planning to go to Springfield to see the Lincoln museum, which botanical garden, what else you want to see? I know you said you prefer the suburbs over the city, but downtown Chicago and the area around the zoo, for example are perfectly safe, and I wonder if you might, for the sake of saving time, spend a couple of days staying downtown, then doing an overnight to Springfield, so you can see the museum, the memorial, Lincoln%26#39;s home, perhaps New Salem State park, and then returning to the suburbs to see the botanic gardens, etc? If you stay in either the Oak Brook area or Northbrook, you will spend an hour getting into town each day and still have to deal with parking. Just a thought.

Chicago is a huge city with long rush hours. The metro area is gigantic. Your plan is going to give you a wonderful tour of the many expressways of Chicago. I would reconsider staying in the city.