Chicago to St. Louis
 

Hi,
We are probably going to get flights from Israel to Chicago and then we will take a bus to st. louis.
Can anyone reccomand a bus company with large buses(we are going to be about 50 people).
Do you have any reccomandations to attractions between those cities?

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

Coach USA. Our team uses them for out of town travel
http://www.coachusa.com/

Note: There is a train from Chicago to St. Louis. But, it might be cheaper (and easier) to arrange a bus. To take the train, you would have to get the Team from O'Hare airport to downtown Chicago.

Note2: When purchasing your air tickets, you might look into how much more to fly onto St. Louis.

Not much between Chicago and St. Louis. There are historical sites, like President Lincoln's home.

There are some ancient Indian sites like Cahokia Mounds
http://cahokiamounds.org/

Starved Rock is a favorite State Park of the family.
http://www.starvedrockstatepark.org/

In Chicago, there are:
Field Museum
https://www.fieldmuseum.org/

Shedd Aquarium
http://www.sheddaquarium.org/

Museum of Science and Industry
http://www.msichicago.org/

Fermilab
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/visiting/

You also might be able to arrange something with Argonne Labs
http://www.anl.gov/education/educational-programs

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

There is a lot to in Chicago or St. Louis. But not too much that I know of in between the two cities. I'm not sure If you want to stick around in Chicago for a few hours before heading toward St. Louis though.

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

Have you thought about taking a train? There is "high speed rail" that runs from Chicago to Saint Louis. The Ride was kinda fun and different when I did it.

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

We were in st. louis last year so... but suggestions in chicago are also good

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

Being from St. Louis and having visited Chicago in the past I would say that you may want to take an Amtrak train from Chicago to St. Louis: https://www.amtrak.com/midwest-train-routes I say this because Chicago is very busy and it may take more time to drive from Chicago (I may be wrong). In addition there are Greyhound: https://www.greyhound.com/ and Megabus: http://us.megabus.com/ bus services available. There honestly isn't much between Chicago and St. Louis, it's mostly farmland which isn't a major problem since the drive won't take you too long.

Edit: You may want to check out the Museum of Science and industry in Chicago! It's very cool and is also right next to one of the nice beaches on Lake Michigan

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

They would be flying into O'Hare. Taking a bus from there is not as bad since you don't have to go through downtown Chicago to get to St. Louis. You would take the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) around the City.

BTW, someone else called it a "high speed rail". More like a "car speed rail". To me, high speed is 200km/h.

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

We have used Kobussen (http://www.kobussen.com/contactUs.html) - for robotics trips and really appreciate their pricing and customer service. If you do use them, ask for "Wilson" as your driver - if he's available he is the best!

As was mentioned, not much between the two cities. Also in Chicago, the Art Institute and Navy Pier (if weather is nice) should also be considered.

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

There have been a couple of threads on here in years past of horror stories about bus companies, and certain companies to avoid at all costs. I don't recall what the companies were, or where the thread is, but it would be worth looking. Anyone know the thread I'm talking about?

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

This one?
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...68#post1474468

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

GetSports is in partnership with FIRST as a travel agent and they specifically specialize in high school sports team travel. I have been working with them and they are great! They will work with you for the number of seats you need, and will help you find a team to share with if you cannot fill a bus yourself.

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

We have used Cavallo Bus Lines and have been very satisfied with their service.
http://www.cavallobuslines.com/

Also sometimes the Chicago to St. Louis train can experience lengthy delays.

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

Boy was that a fun night. Avoid US Coachways like the plague. Amtrak is a reputable, long standing company and if you book seats on the train, they're yours only. I'd recommend the train as it is cheaper and a heck of a lot more fun than a bus ;)

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

FYI: US Coachways is NOT the same as Coach USA. We use Coach USA and have been happy with them. They have their own busses.

Note: Whether Amtrak is cheaper or not depends upon whether you need transportation in St. Louis:

1) O'Hare Airport in Chicago to Amtrak Station downtown
2) Amtrak Station in St. Louis to Hotel
3) Between Hotel and Arena - Morning and evening each day
4) Arena to Amtrak station after event
5) Amtrak station in Chicago to O'Hare airport

Amtrak is $54 per person round trip (don't know about group discount). You might be able to rent a Coach Bus for about $80/person for the entire trip.

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

Here is Illinois based bus option: https://peoriacharter.com/

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

In Springfield, there are lots of Abraham Lincoln sites; but your team might find this to be like Americans visiting Har Herzl or Sdeh Boker. My two favorites:
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum: http://www.alplm.org

Lincoln's Tomb: http://www.lincolntomb.org

For a quick stop, weird outside "sculptures", and ice cream and snacks for sale: Pink Elephant Antique Mall in Livingston, IL: http://https://www.google.com/maps/p...d2c9d6d95c7dbd

Also - FYI, I am Malka and Eli Glas' brother-in-law's brother. Let me know if I can be of any help!

Re: Chicago to St. Louis
 

If you take the train (a reasonable option) you then have the disadvantage to not having transport around St Louis, thus limited to the local subway or walking. With a charter bus you also have a way around town if desired. AMTRAK is a quasi-private (meaning Government-subsidized but needs to try to make a profit) entity, and they are good but train travel is possibly the least desirable transit option in the USA.

Between those two cities, as many have noted, there isn't much but farmland.

I would at least inquire the cost from ORD to STL by air; it may be less than expected.