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66 goingplaces • Spring 2014 ChicagoParent.com

There’s a reason Rose-mont’s new entertain-ment complex has been dubbed the “Mini-Mile” in a nod to Chicago’s

famed Magnificent Mile. In the heart of Rosemont, MB Financial Park has plenty to offer, from restaurants and bars to a luxury movie theater, an upscale bowling alley and a comedy club, not to mention it’s situated within walking distance from the new Fashion Outlets of Chicago.

This spring, a new restaurant called Sugar Factory, with a focus on fun drinks and desserts will open, as well as iFLY, an indoor skydiving facility.

My family of four spent Friday night and most of Saturday in Rosemont for a little staycation. We stayed at Aloft, a trendy, fun hotel steps from the restaurants and across the street from the outlets. Though Aloft (aloftchicagoohare.com) is perfect for a couple’s weekend away, the hotel is a fun family retreat.

The indoor swim-ming pool was an immediate draw for our kids (Johnny, 4, and Julie, 8) and the lobby was filled with board games (Sorry and Jenga to name a few) to play by the fireplace. Parents can sip a few cock-tails at the bar while the kids play games.

First on our staycation agenda was a trip to the outlets. I was more than a little curious about the Tory Burch outlet, my husband Scott wanted to check out Under Armour, and Julie and Johnny were begging to stop by the Disney Store outlet. At the Disney outlet we were just in time for an animation class where the kids were given Mickey Mouse ears to wear as they learned step-by-step how to draw the famous mouse. Of course we didn’t leave without buying a few stuffed animals.

Before leaving the mall, we

couldn’t pass by Lolli and Pops. The colorful candy store was like a walk back in time to the old penny candy stores, yet it had an almost futuristic feel. Ev-ery room is uniquely decorated and features a different candy. Since we were given a special tour, the kids were treated to samples of pretty much any candy they desired. They had never seen so many variations of gummy bears, chocolate-cov-ered pretzels and lollipops.

After our sugar high, we headed to dinner. Yes. We know. Consuming large amounts of candy before a sit-down dinner

Family fun blooms in Rosemont

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Spring 2014 • goingplaces 67ChicagoParent.com

isn’t a great idea. Luckily, Hof-brauhaus (hofbrauhauschicago.com) is loud and fun. Hyper kids don’t seem to faze the serv-ers, and the performers encour-age crazy audience participa-tion. The large German pretzels with a bevy of dips was an awe-some appetizer, which Scott and I washed down with German beer brewed onsite. Then, there were schnitzel, wieners and strudel, eaten while we danced, sang, clapped, cheered, clinked glasses and enjoyed one of the most entertaining performances we’ve experienced while eating dinner with kids. (Other family-

friendly restaurants at MB Financial Park include Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill featuring bar-becue and American fare, and Adobe Gilas, a Mexican restaurant.)

What a wonder-ful feeling to simply walk back to our

hotel room at Aloft after a night of dinner, drinks and dancing. Back at the hotel, we decided to skip the swimming pool and games, and just crash for the night. Breakfast was a la carte, perfect for our family because we were ready to swim and try out some of Rosemont’s other attractions.

After a dip in the pool, we tried Kings Rosemont (kings-bowlamerica.com), which is un-like your neighborhood bowling alley. This place is hopping with partiers on weekend nights, but during the day families are welcome. We were treated to

a couple of games in a private room where we munched on some pretty amazing food: Steak salad, Cobb salad and fresh guacamole, nothing like your typically greasy bowl-ing alley fare. The menu even had fresh fish, frozen drinks and plenty of burgers, soups, sandwiches and appetizers. The manager said the slogan at Kings is “A restaurant with a bowling alley,” not the other way around. We would have to agree, though we gave the bowl-ing two thumbs up.

The entire staycation earned, in our opinions, five family stars. We will be back.

Kristy MacKaben

■ Aloft, aloftchicagoohare.com■ Lolli and Pops, lolliandpops.com■ Hofbrauhaus, hofbrauhauschicago.com■ Kings Rosemont, kingsbowlamerica.com

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