It's an hour+ drive from downtown to Cary. You can also get there via www.metrarail.com.

Not much in the Cary area from a tourist standpoint. Consider staying in Schaumburg and driving to Cary for the day. www.chicagonorthwest.com

Finding a hotel in downtown Chicago under $100 is virtually impossible, unless you consider using Priceline.

Take a look at www.metromix.com to see what's going on here during your visit. "Must sees" are different for everyone.

You don't need a car downtown. Parking's very expensive & public transit is abundant www.transitchicago.com for public transit information.

Thanks for the info! Is public transportation safe there? Not sure yet if we are driving or not.

I'm willing to go up to $250 a night on a hotel room if anyone cares to respond to some descent ones in that range....

Metra trains are safe.

Keep an eye on this page for deals - http://hotels.travelzoo.com/chicago-hotels/

If you would post your exact travel dates we would be happy to make suggestions within your budget.

Were you planning on staying at a hotel in Cary

or at your in-laws? If staying at your in-laws

there is no need to get a hotel downtown. People

travel to work downtown everyday from Cary. It is

very safe and much easier than dealing with traffic. In traffic it could take up to 2 hours

while the train is about one hour. Save your money

for some decent meals and entertainment.

There are many museums, Aquarium, Planetarium

and much more to do and see. Have fun.

One suggestion that I have is the Sheraton Northwest. This is close to the train to get downtown (Arlington Park station) and is about a 20 - 30 min. drive to Cary. The waterpark in the hotel will keep the teenagers busy, too.

Hotel Website - starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/…

Train Schedule is at www.metrarail.com

Thanks for all the great feedback! At this point, we are looking to go spring break and take the train (if I can get a sleeper) since it's about 24-26 hours. How crazy is that with a husband and 3 kids? We just aren't great flyers. I've never done the train scene before, but thought we'd probably rent a car once we got there. I'd love to see Macinaw Island when we go since it looks like about a 7-8 hour drive. But, that probably wouldn't be wise unless we went in the summer.