It’s hard to know where to begin exploring Chicago, with so much to do. Many visitors like to begin their adventure by viewing all of Chicagoland from the John Hancock Observatory or the Sears Tower Skydeck. What better way to see where you’d want to travel next than to look out over the skyline from 1,000 feet up? Also, you can take a 3-D motion simulation tour of Chicago events and history at Navy Pier, which features boat tours as well. City double-decker buses and trolley tours will take you to the Sears Tower, Millennium Park, Wacker South, the Theater District, the Field Museum, Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, the Hancock Center, the Water Tower shopping center and River North. Sometimes the easiest way to begin is with a broad overview.

Museum-goers will find Chicago to be a playground of exhibitions and wonders. A good starting point is the Museum Campus, which joins the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History. At the Adler Planetarium, you’ll be able to hop on the StarRider, a virtual simulation of riding through space with accurate reproductions of the real night sky. You can also check out scale models of the solar system and historic astronomical artifacts here. The Shedd Aquarium is the world’s largest indoor aquarium, housing more than 8,000 aquatic animals in 5 million gallons of water. In this award-winning oceanarium, you’ll see sea horses, sea turtles, beluga whales, dolphins, komodo dragons, monster bird-eating tarantulas, manta rays, jellyfish, salt water fish, dwarf caimans, moray eels, a giant Pacific octopus, penguins, river otters, sharks and many more rare creatures. The Field Museum houses anthropological artifacts from African, Columbian and Native American cultures. You won’t want to miss gazing upon Sue, the world’s largest and most complete fossil of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The Art Institute of Chicago, containing over 1,500 paintings and sculptures from around the world, is also conveniently situated in this little nook.

Visitors to Chicago must bring their families to Grant Park, situated in between Michigan and Lake Avenues, and between Monroe Drive and Randolph Street. If you’ve ever seen the TV show “Married With Children,” you’ll immediately recognize the enormous Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain. Music-lovers often come to see the Petrillo Music Shell, which features everything from blues, jazz and classical to country, rock and gospel. Grant Park is the staging grounds for the annual Taste of Chicago festival as well. The darling of this park is the 2004-completed Millennium Park, which showcases an outdoor performing arts pavilion, an ice-skating rink, a modern garden, fountains, and colossal outdoor artwork from Frank Gehry and other contemporary artists.

No matter what your interests are, there is something for everyone in the city of Chicago. In addition to the museums and attractions already listed, there are world class restaurants that brought the world the Chicago hotdog, Italian beef sandwiches and deep dish pizza. You can also find a vast selection of boutiques like Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdale’s for hours of shopping until you drop! Year-round events include the world-famous Blues Festival, the Taste of Chicago, Venetian Night and an Air & Water Show. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, then check out the City Pass, which includes a one-price admission to a number of Chicagoland’s best attractions.