The Perfect Mother/Daughter Bonding Weekend
Daughters remember bonding moments when their mothers take them to the zoo, amusement parks, and make crafts out of paper, glue, and glitter. These types of activities become routine and not special after a couple of years, and mothers need to become more creative in deepening the bond.
When daughters reach the age of six or seven, the time has come for mothers to strengthen the bond and create unforgettable memories. The perfect solution to making unforgettable memories is to prepare a weekend outing filled with three fabulous mother/daughter events (sorry, no dads or brothers allowed). Mothers and daughters who reside in the Midwest, Chicago offers everything for a magical weekend.
Mothers from out of town or living in the city, book a hotel room in downtown Chicago along or near Michigan Avenue. The hotel experience will make young impressionable girls feel special and enhance their adventure. To make this weekend special it is important to start the activities off slow, build the excitement, and then end with a nice reprieve.
After checking into the hotel Friday afternoon, take a taxi or walk a couple blocks west to State Street and take the 36 Broadway bus northbound toward Devon. Tell the driver you want to get off at Clark and Roslyn for the first destination which is Melting Point, 2467 N. Clark St, (773) 529-4048, www.melting-point.com. Melting-Point is a do-it-yourself candle making shop. The wax, wicks, scents, and modes of the candles are provided in the cost of the hands on course. The fee is $10 per person and the modes range from $15 – $40. The Melting Point is open Monday through Friday, 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Walk-ins and reservations are welcome.
The next activity is at American Girl Place, 111 E. Chicago Ave., (312) 943-9400. The dolls are pricey, but will be collectors’ items in a couple of decades. Visit American Girl Place on Saturday since it is the midpoint of the adventure and should be the most exciting part of the weekend bonding trip. Make reservations a couple of weeks in advance to attend the American Girls Revue, a live stage play and also to have lunch or dinner in the cafe. The theater and cafe slots usually sell out on weekends. Attendees to the Revue must be minimum six years of age; there are no exceptions to the age rule. The Saturday theater times are 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Theater tickets are $28 per person and meal costs range from $17 for tea to $22 for dinner. The perfect time to attend the theater is 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. in the cafe. After dinner, mothers can help their daughters shop for their very first American Girl doll. The event will be so magical, daughters will fall fast asleep, holding their new dolls and dreaming of far away fun filled places.
Sunday, the last day of the girls’ only weekend should be fun and relaxing. Navy Pier, 600 Grand Ave., (312) 595-7437, www.navypier.com is the perfect place to spend time bonding before returning home. There are several activities at Navy Pier young girls will enjoy, visiting the Chicago Children’s Museum, shopping, or seeing a play at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. However, the most fun for mothers and daughters is at Pier Park located on the second level of Navy Pier. Purchase a silver value ticket, $10, good for four rides that can be used on the Ferris wheel, carousel, wave slinger, and miniature golf. After the fun activities are over, take a relaxing 30-minute roundtrip boat ride on the Shoreline Sightseeing Boat, $10 adults, $5 children, 12 and under. Cruising across the calm waters of Lake Michigan and viewing the beautiful skyline of Chicago is the perfect ending to the perfect weekend.
After this fun-filled weekend, daughters will sing their mothers praises for years and always remember their special bonding weekend, and hopefully have the same adventure with their daughters.
