A windy city getaway that won't blow your budget

Chicago rarely does anything small. Why erect mere skyscrapers when you can have the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere (the 110-story Willis Tower)? Why settle for a few measly dinosaur bones when you can display the largest, most complete, best-preserved T. rex ever discovered (Sue at The Field Museum)? And have you seen the lake — as in Lake Michigan? Yeah, that's really big too.

And thanks to Chicago CityPASS, travelers to the Windy City enjoy big savings (50 percent) on combined admission to the city's top attractions, including Skydeck Chicago, the observatory atop the Willis Tower. Thanks to the four glass floor balconies (collectively known as The Ledge) that provide an unobstructed view 103 stories straight down, Skydeck Chicago has been rated by Yahoo! Travel as one of the "World's Coolest Observation Decks."

Chicago CityPASS costs $84 for adults and $69 for kids (3-11). It includes prepaid admission tickets with a combined value of $169.30 to Shedd Aquarium (VIP entry), The Field Museum (all-access entry), Skydeck Chicago (Fast Pass entry), and two option tickets that give visitors a choice between either John Hancock Observatory (Fast Pass entry) or the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (VIP entry); and either the Adler Planetarium (VIP entry) or the Art Institute of Chicago.

New at the attractions in 2012 is The Field Museum's Abbott Hall of Conservation Restoring Earth, a permanent exhibit that made its debut in November 2011. A testament to The Field Museum's emphasis on conservation and sustainability, the exhibition is a treat for the senses. Huge, breathtaking visuals show portions of beetles, fish scales and butterfly wings, illustrating the stunning beauty of the natural world. Music, animation and humor are used to engage kids and adults as they learn about subjects ranging from why coral reefs matter to how ancient peoples practiced conservation.

For 15 years, CityPASS has been the premier product for travelers who want to visit a destination's top attractions while enjoying significant savings of up to 50 percent. CityPASS, which has a 99 percent customer approval rating, is also available for New York City, Atlanta, Boston, Hollywood, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Southern California and Toronto. For more information, visit CityPASS.com.