Out-of-Town Guests

If you're planning a wedding (or any event) where you have out-of-town guests you might be wondering what you're going to do with them. WGIC has some great ideas to make your out-of-towners feel right at home in the big city!

First, and foremost, make sure all guests that are not native to Chicago are armed with a good map. It is worth taking the extra time to create an event map for those that may need a bit more direction when navigating through Chicago. This will also cut down on the number of angry phone calls you receive from lost family members and will leave a much better lasting impression of our great city.

Creating an itinerary with addresses for the church, reception location, city landmarks, shopping, museums, etc. is also helpful. Be sure to include event start times, dress code, weather conditions, and who is expected to attend which events.

Transportation is also something you need to think about. If guests are expected to take public transportation be sure they know where they're going and how much time is needed from door to door (this will ensure they are not late to your big day/event!). If you prefer they take a taxi, a good event favor (or something to include in the hotel goody bags) is a prepaid credit card to cover some of their costs. Another good idea is to hire a transportation company to ease you and you're guests nerves about getting around.

Check out an example of a Google Map and an Event Itinerary.

Here are some other great ideas for your out-of-towners:

Places to visit:
1. Navy Pier
- Have an outing planned for the night guests arrive. Navy pier plays host to many events with several beautiful event spaces. The Crystal Gardens are my personal favorite, but be sure to check them all out before making any decisions! After you can even go see a movie at the IMAX Theater!

2. Shed Aquarium
3. Adler Planetarium & Museum
4. Museum of Science and Industry
5. Field Museum
- See Sue, the world's largest, most complete and most famous T. Rex. See also, the current attraction: Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship
6. Art Institute of Chicago
7. Soldier Field
8. Wrigley Field
9. Sears Tower
- You can visit the traditional Sky Deck of the, now, Willis Tower. Or if you're really adventurous, you can try out the new Sky Deck Ledge!

10. Architectural Boat Tour
11. Frank Lloyd Wright Houses
12. Chicago Symphony Orchestra
13. Millenium Park
- The prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture (The Bean) on the AT&T Plaza.
14. Lincoln Park Zoo
15. Lincoln Park Conservatory -or- Garfield Park Conservatory

16. Chinatown
17. Greektown


Did you recently have a destination wedding in Chicago? Let us know where you took your guests and how they liked it!

The Hightower Experience

Do you have friends or family coming in to town? What are you going to do with them? Here are two ways to showcase your city and yourself!

1. Put together a map

Your guests may not be very familiar with the area so any map would be helpful, but why not go the extra mile? Put together a detailed guide for your special visitors using Google.com/maps.

Click on the "my maps" tab to get started. Put a thumb tack on your house so they know where home base is, link your favorite restaurants' websites so your friends can check out the location and the menu, point out major landmarks, museums, theaters or parks in your neighborhood, as well as downtown.

Do your guests have GPS and internet enabled phones? If so they can have you and your map as their own personal tour guide at all times. And by using thier phone you are helping your guests go green by eliminating the need to use ink and paper for printing!

2. Create an Itinerary
If you are unable to get off of work for all of the days your houseguests are going to be in town (or if you just want everyone to be on the same page, which we love!), it is helpful to create an itinerary. Letting your guest's know your schedule before hand helps to ensure everyone's time is used wisely. This itinerary can be as detailed or as minimal as you wish. Let them know what time you usually get off of work or what time you made dinner reservation at your favoite restaurant. This is also a good place to include links to helpful websites such as: The map you created for them, the CTA Trip Planner, where to buy CTA Transit Passes, and the CTA Bus Tracker.

Other useful information you might want to include: flight information, typical weather for the time of year guests are visiting, and distances between major sites.

Click the links below for an example of a map using google.com/maps and an itinerary:
Hightower Experience - Map
Hightower Experience - Itinerary


Do you have an idea on how to make your guests visit more exciting, eventful, easier, safer, more economical, etc? Let us know about it!