A Few Tips To Enjoy The Taste of Chicago

The Taste of Chicago celebrates its 30th year as a staple of summer festivals for Chicagoans and suburbanites. Who doesn’t love the huge turkey legs or the Eli’s cheesecake you find at the food festival?

Everyone has their own ideas on navigating the Taste, but here are a few tips Huntley Patch gathered for a special Patch Picks edition:

1. Take public transportation

Metra really is the way to fly and enjoy the Taste. Metra train stations in Crystal Lake and Elgin’s Big Timber Road make it convenient, too. For fares and train schedules, click here.

2. Buy your tickets ahead of time

Dominick’s sells tickets at various locations for a few dollars less than at the Taste. Getting your tickets ahead of time also saves a lot of time standing in line once you get to Grant Park. Click here for the closed store to you.

3. Plan your trip in the middle of the day, during the week

The crowds aren’t as bad and you actually can get through the lines pretty quickly. But you want to leave by 6 p.m., because that’s when everyone seems to converge at the fest. If you like crowds, then go on the weekend. To plan a day trip to Chicago, click here.

4. Eat the taste portions

This keeps you full but not too full. Plus, you get to enjoy a little bit of everything at a reasonable price. A few new taste portion items this year includes Brazilian sausage from Texas de Brazil and pulled pork from The Smoke Daddy restaurant. For a complete list of restaurants, click here.

5. Take along some cherry Pepto

Just in case.