Once you become a working stiff in Chicago, spring break doesn’t have quite the same ring as it did when you were a carefree undergrad or school kid liberated from class work for a week.
First, spring usually doesn’t guarantee warm breezes around here (though with this year’s weather anything is possible). And second, most jobs don’t automatically break for the vernal equinox.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t use the arrival of spring as an excuse to give yourself a mini vacation in a splashy, tropical or floral environment. We’ve come up with 10 ways to take a spring break around town that may not land you in one of those racy co-ed videos — and you’re probably better off for that anyway — but are inexpensive, accessible and guaranteed to be refreshing. And for students who are stuck in Chicago over spring break, they offer some alternatives to spending the whole week asleep.
Hit the spa
Tour Tiki bars
Visit a conservatory
Smell the flower show
Fete Persian New Year
Have an indoor picnic
Frolic with butterflies
Taste tropical eats
Get wet indoors
Plan a garden
1. CONSERVATORY GLORY
Most area conservatories open their spring and Easter flower shows this week. Step inside, inhale the steamy air and transport yourself to another reality. Wilder Park is a small (about 50 by 50 feet) conservatory built in 1920 in the Victorian style. Its spring flower show begins on Saturday. Families with kids might want to consider a visit, as the small scale won’t overwhelm youngsters. Free; 225 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst, 630-993-8900.
Or hit the Garfield Park Conservatory’s Spring Flower Show. Azaleas were the featured flower through the early part of March, but as the month progresses, a host of perennials are rearing their vividly colored heads. 300 N. Central Park Ave. $2; 312-746-5100.
2. SOAK IT UP
Just because you don’t belong to a sports club or have your own hot tub, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a day of bubbling aquatic relaxation. Places like The Division Street Bath House, Paradise Sauna or Thousand Waves Spa offer daily rates for those in search of a soak, steam, sauna and a nap. If you do it right, a few hours in these places can make you feel like you’ve just taken a week’s vacation. All-day visits cost $18 at the co-ed (with separate areas) Paradise Sauna, 2912 W. Montrose Ave., 773-588-3304. Only guys can visit the Division Street Russian Bath, 1914 W. Division St., 773-384-9671. Ladies only can use the facilities at Thousand Waves Spa, 1212 W. Belmont Ave., 773-549-0700, all day for $15 on a first come, first served basis. Be warned, it fills up quickly on Fridays and weekends.
3. FIELDS OF FLOWERS
Marshall Field’s Ninth Annual Spring Flower Show opens Friday, and while it may just seem like a ploy to get more folks into the store, what’s wrong with being transported to a garden in Provence while you shop? That is what the organizers and designer Christian Tortu are attempting with their displays of tulips, daffodils and other flowers that will decorate the store while the fragrance of jasmine and hyacinth fill the air. So grab a croissant and cafe au lait, then head to the flower-strewn stores at State and Washington Streets and Michigan Avenue and Pearson Street.
4. INDOOR PICNIC
You may not be able to dine in Acapulco this week, but you could pull together a nice sack lunch and zip over to Navy Pier. There you can settle under a Mexican palm tree in the Pier’s balmy Crystal Gardens and eat your lunch while pretending you are in some exotic tropical location. If you prefer dinner, the Crystal Gardens are open until 7 p.m. on Sundays, 8 p.m. on Mondays-Thursdays and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 600 E. Grand Ave. Free.
5. TIKI TIME
Get a group of fun-loving friends — including a designated driver, of course — and hula your way to some local Tiki bars. At the Hala Kahiki, a room filled with carved wood figures, bamboo and staffers in Hawaiian gear, the extensive drink menu will blow you away. 2834 River Rd., River Grove, 708-456-3222. Wash down the Chinese cuisine at Tong’s Tiki Hut with a rum-flavored fantasy like the Samoan Passion. 100 E. Roosevelt Rd., No. 18, Villa Park, 630-834-7464. And check out the recently reopened Trader Vic’s, the Palmer House Hilton’s basement paradise that’s been around since the 1950s. Order the Kamaaina and keep the ceramic coconut cup; 17 E. Monroe St., 312-917-7317.
6. TROPICAL EDIBLES
You’ll think you’re about to hit the surf at Jeremy’s Beach Shack Cafe even though it’s in land-locked Skokie (8020 Lincoln Ave., 847-763-8707). The walls are covered with surfing posters, a thatched roof covers the main counter and there are bamboo accents everywhere you look.
For a more upscale touch of the tropics, head over to Roy’s, 720 N. State St. (312-787-7599). This is the 30th sequel to the original Roy’s in Honolulu, and while the decor is more urban sophisticated than tiki-torch Hawaiian, the menu abounds with island delights. Not an inexpensive dining option but a lot cheaper than a round-trip ticket to Hawaii.
7. MAKE A SPLASH
You may think water parks are only summertime pleasures, but not when they’re indoors like Water Works in Schaumburg. With three water slides, a rapid water channel and gradual beachlike entry into the water, you can pretend you’re on vacation for a day without having to hop on a plane. Admission is $4-$8. Waterworks is at 505 N. Springinsguth Rd., Schaumburg. 847-490-2505. A smaller, indoor version can be found at Pelican Harbor Aquatic Park, 200 Lindsey Lane, Bolingbrook.
8. PERSIAN DIVERSIONS
Attend a Persian new year party that celebrates the arrival of spring. The Unity Noruz Celebration starts at 5 p.m. March 30 in the Midwest Conference Center (Concord Plaza), 401 W. Lake St., Northlake. The night includes dinner, dancing, children’s programs and Iranian folk music. Reservation must be made before Wednesday. Adults, $45; children under 12, $30. 847-673-0614
9. PLANTING IDEAS
Head over to your plant emporium (we like the huge Gethsemane Garden Center, 5801 N. Clark St.) and plan a garden while strolling through rows of tender plants and asking lots of questions of the staff.
10. FLITTING CRITTERS
Be transported into spring at the Butterfly Haven in the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park. There, amid a waterfall and laurel and gardenia bushes, you’ll find hundreds of gorgeous butterflies fluttering around in this warm, sunny room, ready to land on your head and shoulders. Free with museum admission, $3-$6; free Tuesdays. 2430 N. Cannon Drive. 773-755-5100.
