Student Spaces

Let the ride take you...

Why Lake County? We're halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee, home of Six Flags Great America, Gurnee Mills and have 40+ affordable student-friendly hotels including Great Wolf Lodge Illinois.

Day One: This travel day will take you directly to Great Wolf Lodge Illinois in Gurnee. Your students check in and enjoy all the thrills at the enormous 80,000-square-foot waterpark. Dinner can be on their own (or as a group) at Hungry as a Wolf or Timbers, and everyone can gather at Ben & Jerry's later in the evening for ice cream.

Day Two: After a breakfast at the resort, educational tours will want to start the day with a behind-the-scenes tour at Tempel Farms. Immerse in a one-hour tour & training session and learn how the Lipizzan stallions were rescued in World War II by Gen. George Patton. See training of the battlemoves displayed during their summer performances. Then head west to the Volo Auto Museum, one of the nation's largest auto and pop history museums. Everyone can enjoy a pizza lunch and entertainment from days gone by. Then visit more than 33 exhibits including movie and classic cars plus the military zone vehicles and the new Jurassic Gardens. 

Day Three: It's all about Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor Chicago today. Your performance group will find that all the fun and meals are all arranged. Roller coasters, water rides and games await. After a day of thrills, located in Gurnee Mills, students can opt for dinner in the food courts or several in-house restaurants. You can consider another performance for the evening and dinner guests. Shopping is always a hit with 200+ stores and can include an educational tour of Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. Later, indulge in fun and games at 60 to Escape, where you have to discover codes, solve puzzles, open locks, and find secret entrances to complete your mission. Or, jump, bounce, flip and dodgeball at Launch Trampoline Park Gurnee.

Day Four: A morning tour or workshop with lunch at the Chicago Botanic Garden or a rare glimpse into antique musical instruments at the Sanfilippo Estate rounds out your last day before heading home. 

Other options for education or music groups include the Wildlife Discovery Center (education), the Dunn Museum (local history) and the Marytown/Kolbe Shrine (Holocaust). There's more to northern Illinois for students than you may realize. 

However you choose to piece together your tour, your knowledgeable Group Tours Manager Jayne Nordstrom will be on-hand to assist you.

Let us help—we make it affordable and fun.

Jayne Nordstrom
Group Tours & Partnership Manager
Visit Lake County