Are you craving an exciting road trip idea? Perhaps an event filled with lip-smacking fun would be worth the drive from Milwaukee? Well, hold onto your stomachs folks, it’s time to head to the Taste of Chicago Food Festival! The Taste of Chicago is the world’s largest celebration of food, as well as the largest outdoor festival in Chicago. Every year, millions of local residents and tourists from around the globe flood Grant Park for a chance to taste some of the city’s finest foodstuffs. Mix all that food with live entertainment, family oriented pavilions and nightly film presentations, and you’ve got yourself one outstanding Milwaukee rental car road trip option.
A look back at the history of the event
The Taste of Chicago was first held during the summer of 1980. It was the brainchild of then-mayor Jane Byrne and the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, Lois Weisberg. In the beginning, the festival was a one-day celebration held on the Fourth of July along Chicago’s downtown North Michigan Avenue. The initial celebration received unprecedented attention, causing the 1981 festival to be moved to the large Grant Park location. Over time, the festival would grow to include 10-days of food and fun, as well as live entertainment.
The price of fantastic food
While Milwaukee rental car travelers can enter the festival for free, there is a slight charge for sampling any of the sensational food. To get started, you will have to purchase food and tickets from one of the numerous ticket booths. Lines tend to get long at these venues as the day progresses, so be sure to pick up plenty when you get there. The cost of 12 tickets is $8. The average price of a large item at one of the restaurant booths is between 9 and 10 tickets, side portions are 6 or 7 tickets and soft drinks are 4 tickets. If you’d like to sample a wide variety of dishes during your Milwaukee rental car trip to the Taste of Chicago, Mayfair recommends ordering “Taste” portions of each meal. These cost just 2 or 3 tickets.
Listen to the music
Need a break from all that tasty food? Then why not find a spot on the lawn to relax and listen to the live music. There are usually 2 or 3 stages set up throughout the festival grounds, each with its own schedule of performances. In the past, Milwaukee rental car travelers have enjoy shows by James Brown, The Barenaked Ladies, B.B. King and Kenny Rogers. Other exciting attractions at the festival include cooking shows, street performers and boat tours. Inside the family pavilions, you’ll uncover face painting booths, souvenir shops and plenty of fun midway style games.
Celebrate Independence Day with fireworks at the Taste of Chicago
Customers of Mayfair Milwaukee Rental Car are invited to enjoy freedom fireworks at the Taste of Chicago. While traditional Independence Day fireworks shows are held on the 4th, the Taste of Chicago presents their spectacular show on the evening of July 3rd, attracting millions of eager audience members. A dazzling display of over 5,000 aerial devices and shells, the Taste of Chicago fireworks celebration includes musical performances by the Grant Park Orchestra beginning at 9:30pm.
The Taste of Chicago is the Windy City’s biggest event. Customers of Mayfair Milwaukee Rental Car are encouraged to drop by during the operating hours of 11am to 9pm. The celebrations all happen in Grant Park, north/south between Monroe Avenue and Balbo Drive and east/west between Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. Milwaukee rental car travelers will find parking located in a number of nearby garages for a nominal fee. Close facilities can be found on Columbus between Randolph and Monroe and at Monroe and Columbus.
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