CHICAGO

Chicago is a city that is continually changing … for the good. Though the images locked in many people's minds of mobsters, meat-packers and the City of Big Shoulders are certainly part of the city's history, one look at the flower-lined stretch of Lake Shore Drive, with sailboats skimming the glistening waves of Lake Michigan, will quickly banish whatever preconceptions a visitor had.

Chicago also is one of the most kid-friendly cities—a place with a rich culture and intellectual life that is still Midwestern in its attitude and its ability to recognize that the next generation wants a way to participate, too. Among the attractions that will keep the entire family enthralled is the Shedd Aquarium: the largest indoor aquarium in the world; the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, which is the first ever planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere; a 15-story Ferris wheel; and the Chicago Children's Museum, to name a few. Grab the City Pass which covers six tourist attractions at a bargain price and hang on to your hats. (It’s not called the Windy City for nothing!)