Bring the right stuff
A day in the park focused around food means you don’t want to leave any sooner than you need to, so bring the right items to make your day fun. Pack your bag with extra napkins, hand sanitizer, a small paring knife to divide food items, sunscreen, a blanket and rain ponchos (just in case).
Taste with tickets
Admission to Taste of Chicago is free, however food and beverage tickets are sold in strips of 12 tickets. Most items cost between 2 and 12 tickets each. Save yourself multiple trips back to the ticket booth and buy a lot at once. Booths accepting cash have lines that move faster than those for credit cards.
Strategize
Use the event as a taste test for where you’d like to dine in the city while you’re there. Especially like the offerings from one booth? See if you can get dinner reservations and sample more of the restaurant’s menu. How often do you get to try things out beforehand?