Tips to tame the Taste of Chicago

By Liz DeCarlo
Friday, May 14, 2010

More than 3 million people are expected to hit the Taste of Chicago. A game plan goes a long way.

Taste of Chicago

Where: Grant Park
When: July 11, 2012 - July 15, 2012

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Ready to tackle The Taste with toddlers? If you'd like to head out to this year's Taste of Chicago with young kids in tow, doing a few simple things ahead of time can make the day go a whole lot better.

First, save yourself some money by making a trip to your nearest Dominick's food store the week before The Taste, recommends Cindy Gatziolis, spokesperson for the Mayor's Office of Special Events. From June 17-24, Dominick's sells food tickets at a reduced price (admission to the fest is free), saving you money and the time you would have spent standing in line at the event. With a Fresh Values card (Dominick's customer loyalty card), buy up to four strips of 12 tickets for $6 per strip instead of the $8 you'd pay on site. The tickets are good the entire duration of The Taste, so you can buy ahead and then watch the weather for the best day to head to Grant Park.

Next, visit the Taste of Chicago Web site to get a schedule of entertainment for the day you're planning to visit, as well as a map of vendors. Figure out what kind of food you want and where that booth is located, then print out the map and tuck it in your bag. One of the biggest reasons people feel overwhelmed by the crowds is that everyone's staring up at menus trying to figure out what they want, Gatziolis says. With your map in hand, you can just head directly to your food vendors of choice.

If you'd like to expose your picky eater to a variety of foods, check out "taste portions." Each booth has two choices of smaller-serving food items that cost only two or three tickets, so you can get a kid-size portion. But if you don't think your picky toddler is going to eat anything you buy, go ahead and pack the food and drink they'll eat-the entry-point guards will check bags, but they're looking for alcohol, not juice boxes.

Try to get to The Taste early-opening time at 11 a.m. is least crowded, as are Mondays and Tuesdays all day long. When you're done tasting, visit the Family Village area of the festival, where there's entertainment, activities, rides and a diaper-changing area complete with diapers.

This article appeared in the Summer 2010 edition of Going Places.