48 Hours in Gurnee, Illinois

Weekend in Gurnee: How my search for an affordable hotel turned into a fun- and food-filled suburban getaway

Our Midwest summer vacation, with Minnesota’s Mall of America as our target destination, led us to a pit stop in Gurnee, Illinois. Our goal was to check another Six Flags park off our family’s list.

Six Flags: Great America is hailed as one of the top Six Flags parks, behind our home park of Great Adventure, the largest theme park in the country by square footage and Six Flags: Magic Mountain in California. Of course, the order of “best parks” is up for debate amongst theme park fans, and some might count Six Flags: New England or Six Flags: Fiesta Texas amongst the best, as well. (I would agree!)  

Six Flags: Magic Mountain, outside of Los Angeles, is widely recognized as the flagship park with 19 coasters, the most of any Six Flags Park. But the folks at LimitlessPark.com rank Great Adventure as the best, with Magic Mountain ranking second and Great America taking the fourth slot, behind Fiesta.

(I won’t bore the non-coaster fanatics right now; if you want my take on Six Flags: Great America vs. Six Flags: Great Adventure, you can read my comparison here.)

For now, let’s look at how my family spent slightly more than 48 hours (closer to four days) in Gurnee, Illinois – or what I have nicknamed “the Poconos of the Midwest.”

Where to Stay in Gurnee, IL

The town of Gurnee offers many hotels all close to the mall, Great America, and plenty of places to eat. Some of the more popular affordable chains include Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, and LaQuinta Inn and Suites. I chose LaQuinta because it had an indoor pool and a hot tub and was slightly less expensive than the Holiday Inn. The Hampton Inn only had an outdoor pool.

LaQuinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham

When we plan to focus on a theme park during vacation, I strive to book an affordable, comfortable hotel as close to the park as possible. Free breakfast is a bonus, but we are also happy grabbing donuts, bagels, or snacks along the way.

Those of you who know I (try to) follow a healthy keto lifestyle know that I also practice intermittent fasting, so skipping breakfast isn’t out of the question.

For the kids, we often pick up single-serving cereal at a local Walmart. Since we live in one of the most expensive areas of the country, we save money by purchasing snacks on the road or at our destination. Many trips have started on the first night with a quick check-in at the hotel, a dip in the pool, and a stop at Walmart. Our trip to Gurnee, Illinois, was no exception! We found a Walmart and a Sam’s Club just two miles from our hotel.

After a quick stop at Chicago’s Millenium Park to take some pictures of the world-famous “bean” and grab Raising Cane’s chicken fingers right across the street, we checked into the LaQuinta. I’m a fan of this brand. I love the low price and high value of Wyndham hotels, in general. The rooms tend to be spacious, comfortable, and the pools are usually clean.

The hotel was less than two miles from Great America. I saw it was also 2.5 miles from Gurnee Mills Mall, so I figured we’d have something to do if it rained. Best of all, the LaQuinta cost just over $100 per night for a double queen room. The price actually dropped from the time I booked. Expedia refunded the price difference for me. I know LaQuinta isn’t the height of luxury. Read on to see what I would do differently next time.

Great Wolf Lodge

We opted to stay at La Quinta in Gurnee because we knew we’d be spending most of our time at Great America. But if you have littles and are looking for a getaway near Chicago, especially as the weather gets cooler, I’d recommend Great Wolf Lodge.

The resort offers all suites, ranging from standard to themed and premium. If your family is used to being crammed into a single room on vacation with kids sharing a bed or inflating an air mattress on the floor, you’ll love the extra space. All bookings include water park tickets. You can find deals right now for President’s Day weekend.

Enjoy water slides, a lazy river, and Slap Tail Pond, a wave pool that goes up to five feet, all within the 80,000-square-foot, 84-degree water park. Kids will also have a blast at other attractions, including the MagiQuest adventure, a rock-climbing wall, ropes course, arcade, bowling, and mini-golf.

We haven’t yet visited GWL Gurnee, but we visited the one in Minnesota and have been to Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos several times. Consider a Paw Pass, Pup Pass, or Wolf Pass to experience multiple attractions at a discount. The Wolf Pass is the best value, offering entry into most of the attractions at a steep discount. It also includes some extras like candy, ice cream, and a wand, wand mod, or Magi belt for MagiQuest.

Gurnee, IL: The Poconos of the Midwest

As a family vacation destination, Gurnee doesn’t compare to Sandusky, Ohio. The Cleveland suburb is home to Cedar Point amusement park, Kalahari Resort & Water Park, Castaway Bay Resort & Water Park, and Great Wolf Lodge, plus a lakefront beach and more. I  call Sandusky “Orlando of the Midwest.”

But the Midwest is big and can easily support several clusters of getaway spots for families. Wisconsin Dells, for instance, is on our list of places to visit. We couldn’t squeeze it in this trip. And, yes, I know these places are designed as tourist destinations with a homogenized experience. If you’re looking for adventure travel off the beaten path, you’re probably reading other websites. My goal is to show you how to travel affordably with kids, keep everyone reasonably happy, and experience some of the best theme parks and other tourist destinations the U.S. has to offer.  

We didn’t get to do half of what I’d like to have done in Gurnee, so I’m sure we’ll be back! For what it is, a family tourist destination, I was really impressed! This account is partially my experience and partially reported based on research and reviews.

Disclosure: The activities listed might take more than 48 hours; we spent four days and three nights in the town.

Six Flags Great America

Six Flags: Great America is likely a primary destination for many Gurnee visitors. Good food and plentiful shopping is a fortunate side quest, if you will.

I loved the park’s friendly vibe. It was cleaner than our home park of Great Adventure. It was well laid out and easy to navigate. After two days, I didn’t get lost (much). If you know me, that’s saying a lot.

If you’re in it only for the coasters you’ll find better thrills at Great Adventure or Cedar Point, and possibly even King’s Island or Six Flags: New England.

I agree with Limitless Park’s assessment: “[I]t could be argued that there are better versions of each coaster elsewhere in the U.S.”

For instance, Raging Bull was almost, but not quite, as fun as Great Adventure’s Nitro. It doesn’t hold a candle to Six Flags: New England’s award-winning Superman: Ultimate Flight. Goliath, the RMC, was fun, but it didn’t rank up there with SFNE’s Wicked Cyclone or Kings Dominion’s Twisted Timbers.

One coaster that impressed me was X-Flight, a wing coaster similar to Cedar Point’s Gatekeeper. Again, Gatekeeper is better, but a wing coaster is a novelty for me and X-Flight won my heart. Maxx Force is also worth noting as one of the park’s top three coasters.

Great America may not have the best coaster line-up, but it has a variety. It also has a few unique family rides, a fun and friendly vibe, a park-wide train ride with some fun scenery, and pretty good food choices.

You can probably see it all in one day if you visit at off-peak times or don’t want to ride the major coasters. Otherwise, you’ll want two or three days to experience the whole park. Read the rest of my Six Flags: Great America review here!

Places to Eat in Gurnee

While Great Wolf Lodge has a few dining options, including a breakfast buffet and a pricey sit-down bar / restaurant (Barnwood), I recommend going offsite to experience local foods or, at least, more affordable options. Some of the chains that you may or may not have in your area include Golden Corral, Cracker Barrel Country Store, and Olive Garden.

Portillo’s

A few of our friends recommended tasting Portillo’s while in Chicago. Although it’s a fast-food restaurant, it’s hailed as some of the best eats in the city. The regional chain is known for Chicago-style hot dogs, beef and sausage sandwiches drenched in gravy, giant burgers, and even heaping plates of pasta. On our last night in town, we grabbed a late-night meal at Portillo’s and brought it back to the hotel.

The drive-through line was wrapped around the building, much like you see at Chic-Fil-A here on Long Island, but the line inside moved quickly.

I will reserve my judgment on the food. Much like Whataburger in Texas left us with stomach aches and pangs of regret, Portillo’s left me apologizing to my family and pointing out recommendations from friends and dozens of glowing reviews online to justify my dinner choice. Two-point-six million (or so) Chicagoans are probably not wrong. It ranked 14 on TripAdvisor for restaurants in Gurnee and received four stars.

Timothy O’Toole’s Pub Gurnee

We didn’t eat there, but the place was packed every night. It earned a four-out-of-five rating on TripAdvisor and is ranked #3 out of 137 restaurants in Gurnee. Plus, it’s walking distance from the LaQuinta and Great Wolf Lodge, so if you are looking to escape on a date night without teens, this could be your go-to.

Cracker Barrel

If you don’t have this Southern-style restaurant local to you and you’re looking to feed a hungry crowd with kid-friendly foods like fried chicken and biscuits, go to Cracker Barrel. Make sure to leave some time (and set a budget!) for shopping in the country store.

Rainforest Café

This was one of our stops in Gurnee, because my daughter loves the pasta at Rainforest Café and I collect the 20 oz. souvenir glasses bearing the name of each city. It’s touristy and over-priced but I honestly have never had a bad meal there. I usually go for steak or salmon, but the menu is broad enough that there’s something for everyone. The kids will love it. (If they aren’t frightened of the thunderstorms and animal outcries!)

Outback Steakhouse

This is another family favorite that is a “safe” choice. The chain steakhouse offers some of the best prices on surf & turf, whether you’re looking for steak and lobster or “Reef & Beef,” which is filet mignon and shrimp and sea scallops. One TripAdvisor reviewer summed up my thoughts: “Great food, great service, great atmosphere! Outback never disappoints.”

Raising Cane’s

Not far from Outback is a mecca for fast-food chicken tender lovers: Raising Cane’s. Poised to give Chik-Fil-A a run for its money, Raising Cane’s offers, as my son says, “Fast food chicken that actually tastes like real chicken.”

The chain also serves delicious, crispy crinkle-cut fries, amazing proprietary dipping sauce, Texas Toast (that I’ve never got to taste because my kids grab it too fast – they are helping me stay keto!), and some delicious (albeit sugary) cole slaw.

We only have a handful near us. The closest to me is in Penn Station, NY. I’ve been tempted to hop on a train, grab a few Box Combos (four chicken fingers, slaw, toast, fries, and sauce!) and head home. If you don’t have one near you and you like chicken fingers, make this one of your Gurnee meals!

Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy Store

For dessert, you’ll want to head over to Oberweis. We try to find a local ice cream place when we spend 48 hours or more in any town. While the ice cream is pricey, you can tell it is fresh and it’s delicious. Our family had a peaceful evening eating ice cream just across the street from our hotel.

Gurnee Mills

Gurnee Mills is owned by Simon Properties and hailed as the largest “outlet and value retail shopping destination in Illinois.” The mall doesn’t come close to destinations like Mall of America, Destiny USA in Syracuse, or American Dream, but it had several fun and unique destinations, including one of the largest Bass Pro Shops we’ve encountered apart from the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid in Memphis. The mall even had a Kohl’s – something you don’t see often. As a destination spot, Gurnee Mills had a Round1 Bowling & Arcade, an escape room, a movie theater, and a hockey arena to keep kids busy on rainy days in Gurnee.

If you have only 48 hours in Gurnee, you could easily fill that time at Gurnee Mills, with plenty of places to shop, things to do, and restaurants to choose from.