Chicago GO Card worthwhile??

Hi joywituk,

Funny you should ask. There was a short discussion a week back about this topic. Here's the link just in case you didn't see it. http://www.trekaroo.com/talk/topic/city-pass-or-go-chicago-card-which-is-the-better-deal-illinois

the link in the other thread comparing the 2 cards is really great so I'll re-post here. http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago-attractions-card-comparison.htm

as a Chicago resident with 2 small children, there are 2 thoughts I had when skimming the columns of benefits offered by the 2 cards:

1) If you're only going to be in Chicago for a couple days, I would say the CityPass is better. There is no way anyone could do all those museums, and the top ones are included in the City Pass.

2) *However* IMO the best attraction in Chicago is the architecture river boat tour, and tickets for that are $35 a person if I remember correctly. The Go Chicago card includes that tour, and the City Pass does not, and that is huge. Note the river cruise is not ideal for small children - I wouldn't bring my 3 and 5 year olds. The cruises are always sold out so space is tight, and you have to sit in 1 spot and listen for 90 minutes.

You can also just do some simple math and decide which is a better choice for your family. :) I figured out what I wanted to do, Shedd (sharks at Wild Reef), boat cruise, Field Museum (kids see the T-Rex "Sue") etc and figured out what it would cost to do them without the card, and it was a better deal with the card.

Your kids age ranges are perfect for Navy Pier too, which the Go Card covers (carousel, big ferris wheel, putt putt golf etc).

BTW, there are no hidden fees, actually there are hidden free extras you get! At the Museum of Science and Industry, there is an Omnimax movie. And you don't have to wait in line at any of the museums for tickets...that is a MAJOR plus when you have kids. My friends waited in line at the Shedd for 1.25 hours. And we walked right in with our card to Will Call. :)