Chicago Attractions & Deals

Seven of the city's biggest sights, all in one place, with real discount options β€” a Chicago CityPASS® bundle or booking through our Expedia partner β€” alongside the full business page for hours, address, and more.

How this works: these are real, active affiliate partnerships β€” booking through either button can earn Chicago Specials a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps keep the rest of the site free. Chicago CityPASS® bundles several attractions into one discounted ticket if you're visiting more than one; booking through Expedia is useful if you're also planning a hotel or flight.

360 CHICAGO (John Hancock Observatory)

Near North Side

360-degree views from the 94th floor of the John Hancock Center, plus the thrill-seeker's Tilt feature.

Skydeck Chicago (Willis Tower)

Loop

The Ledge's glass boxes jut out 1,000+ feet above Wabash β€” not for the faint of heart.

Art Institute of Chicago

Loop

One of the country's oldest and largest art museums β€” Impressionist masterpieces, American Gothic, and the Modern Wing.

Field Museum

Near South Side

Natural history on a massive scale β€” SUE the T. rex, ancient Egypt, and dinosaur halls that fill a city block.

Shedd Aquarium

Near South Side

Beluga whales, a coral reef, and one of the world's oldest aquariums, right on the lakefront.

Adler Planetarium

Near South Side

America's first planetarium, with sky shows, space exhibits, and lakefront views of the skyline.

Museum of Science and Industry

Hyde Park

A full-size submarine, a walk-through coal mine, and hands-on science inside the last building standing from the 1893 World's Fair.

Is Chicago CityPASS® Actually Worth It?

The bundle works like this: Shedd Aquarium and Skydeck Chicago are locked in, then you pick 3 more from a list of 6 (Field Museum, Art Institute, 360 CHICAGO, Adler Planetarium, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, or a Shoreline architecture river tour). Whether that actually saves you money depends entirely on which 3 you pick — it's not an automatic discount on everything.

AttractionBuy separately (approx.)On Chicago CityPASS®
Shedd Aquarium~$39.95Included (mandatory)
Skydeck Chicago~$32Included (mandatory)
Art Institute of Chicago~$32Pick 1 of 3
Field Museum~$30Pick 1 of 3
360 CHICAGO~$30Pick 1 of 3
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry~$25.95Pick 1 of 3
Adler Planetarium~$12Pick 1 of 3
Chicago CityPASS® (5 attractions total)$142 flat—
The honest math: pick the 3 priciest optional attractions (Art Institute + Field Museum + 360 CHICAGO) and you'd pay roughly $163.95 buying separately versus $142 on CityPASS — a real ~$22 (13%) savings. Pick the 3 cheapest instead (say, Adler + MSI + Field Museum) and separate tickets run closer to $139.90 — basically a wash, and CityPASS can even cost slightly more. The bundle pays off when you're genuinely planning to hit the expensive attractions, not just because it exists.

Prices above are approximate, pulled from recent web research rather than confirmed directly with each attraction's own box office — always check the official current price before buying either way. Booking through either button here can earn Chicago Specials a small commission at no cost to you.

Where These Attractions Actually Are

Three of the seven sit close enough to walk between in one afternoon; the other two are their own trips. Worth knowing before you plan a day around all of them.

Museum Campus (lakefront, walkable)

Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium sit within a few minutes' walk of each other on the same stretch of lakefront — the one real "do all three in a day" cluster on this list.

The Loop

Art Institute of Chicago and Skydeck Chicago (Willis Tower) are both downtown, a short walk or quick ride apart, but not immediately next to each other.

Near North Side

360 CHICAGO (John Hancock Center) sits on North Michigan Avenue, a separate trip from both the Loop and Museum Campus clusters.

Hyde Park

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is the outlier — several miles south of everything else, worth its own dedicated visit rather than squeezing it into a Museum Campus day.

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