Stay-cation Day at Navy Pier for under $40!

Our Stay-cation Day on Randel's birthday for under $40!

I love Navy Pier but am hesitant to go there because of their sky-high prices; however I decided to take our 5 year old son on his birthday, June 19, to one of the places he has been asking to go to for months: the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier!

Every single time we pass the Ferris Wheel driving down Lake Shore Drive he gets so excited and wants to me to pull over so we can go.. so when I found a soda can for a "$2 for 2 Ride on Tuesdays" special, I could  not pass it up.. so off we went to Navy Pier after work!  His Dad had to work so I took him myself - just Mom and son... after work traffic is stop-and-go but worth every mile.. Parking is very expensive anywhere downtown however I found parking for $10 (if you park after 2:30 pm) on a lot about 5 blocks away from Navy Pier.  I brought a separate outfit which came in handy because on the hottest day of June, the water sprinklers were on and all the kids ran through and enjoyed themselves as the water danced up and out of the park sculpture. 
After cooling off, we were able to ride the Ferris Wheel and see Chicago's beautiful skyline - seeing Chicago's lakefront during sunset is absolutely amazing! Next, we were off to the rides: the carousal ride and the lighthouse ride twice - a great ride for young people which goes up and down (like frogger). 

Hunger set in so off to grab a pizza for 2: half cheese and half mushroom. Randel was able to enjoy a scoop of ice cream from the restaurant since it was his birthday - what a great treat!

Walking back to the car - I realized that staying in Chicago for a birthday celebration / Stay-cation is affordable and so much fun!  Here is the breakdown of what our stay-cation cost:

$2 - Ferris Wheel, 2 Rides for 2 - Pop can special
$10- Parking
$13 - Ride Pass for 1
$12 - Pizza for 2

What a fun time for a 5 year old and a FUN FUN day for all! ~Lisa : )