Southwest® flights from Las Vegas to Chicago (O'Hare) from $90

The Second City is second to none when it comes to matching Midwest nice with the hustle and bustle of a major modern metropolis. While the bright lights of this big city by the lake are no match for Las Vegas, they have their own charms. In the Loop’s theatre district, the marquees’ glowing glitters plenty—let it lead the way to your next showstopping outing.

If catching a show sounds too much like something you’d do back home in the Entertainment Capital of the World, turn your attention to the lakefront and Museum Campus. The country’s first planetarium, Adler Planetarium, is here—stop in to explore its collection of antique scientific instruments or to learn about their ongoing research. Prefer terra firma rather than the sky? Head to the Field Museum of Natural History. While the building and original collections were established for the 1893 World’s Columbian Expedition, there’s always something new happening at the museum thanks to the three working laboratories on site.