Five Reasons to Get Up and Go With Go City Cards

I have had the thrill of living in some pretty exciting areas of the country.  One of the best parts of living in enticing destinations is that you get to play tour guide for friends and relatives eager to see the sights of your city.   While living in Baltimore, I was stuffed to the gills with blue crab, in Seattle I knew the facts of the Space Needle by heart, and actually no, the whipping wind is not why Chicago is called the Windy City.

Now it may seem like I am complaining, truly I am not, as playing host to visitors forces you to get out and explore, try something new and really get to know your community.  When sharing the tales of our adventures with our new neighbors, I was always shocked at how often they would declare that they had never been to many of the city’s attractions, even though they had lived there for years.

My only regret is that I did not use Go City Cards when entertaining my guests.  A product of Smart Destinations, Go City Cards allow “tourists” entrance to many of the most popular attractions in select cities.  Places like the San Diego Zoo, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, The Empire State Building and Seattle’s Space Needle are all open for exploration  with all the convenience of one little card and better yet, one price.

In most locations, three varieties of cards are offered, allowing visitors to customize according to their tour plans and style of travel.  While not all card options are available in every  Smart Destinations city, any option allows you to explore must-see attractions.

• A Go City Card allows entrance to all of the attractions covered by the card for a period of 1 – 7 days offering as many attractions as you can fit into your schedule, this option is perfect for the active, do it all, see it all traveler.
• The Explorer Pass allows you to choose a select number of attractions and allows you up to 30 days to experience them, perfect for visitors in town for an extended stay with time to truly enjoy the city at your disposal.
• The final option is the Custom Explorers Pass, choose the sights that you want to see, 2 or more, and spend up to 30 days to see them. This option is perfect for the planner or those tourists that have their agenda set.  Knowing what the next day has in store can add excitement to your adventures and relaxation to your vacation.

The Field Museum is one of the featured attractions on the Chicago Go City Card

My family and I had the opportunity to take Go City Cards for a test drive recently and found them to be economical, convenient and forced us to be a little more adventurous at our destination city.  With a Go City Card in hand we had the opportunity to get out of our hotel and visit several attractions that brought us to town in the first place.

Still not convinced, let me give you five more reasons why you should purchase a pass:

1. Explore the city in which you live  as Go City Cards can be the perfect ticket to a stay-cation.  Head to those sites that you have always heard about and meant to see, someday, because today could be that day.

2. Whether you feel like being a tour guide or not, a Go City Card opens doors to attractions within your city to your incoming guests.  By purchasing them a Go City Card you are virtually handing them the key to your city and are offering them hours of entertainment.

3. Holding a Go City Card you are saving time and money as users are allowed to enter facilities through a separate line, bypassing all the others who are waiting to purchase  general admission tickets.  By purchasing the cards in advance, you know exactly what you will be spending and can appropriately budget your vacation without extra expenses.  As an added bonus, the more attractions you visit, the more money you will save especially when purchasing the Custom Explorers Pass.  Additional discounts are often offered for restaurants and dining spots around your host city.

4. Why visit the same locations as all the other tourists? The Go City card opens up attractions from art and culture to adventure and other local flavors.   Certain locations also offer regional options for tourists.  For example, the Orlando Go City Card offers adventures in Miami and the nearby Everglades allowing for adventures in not only Central Florida, but South Florida as well. What a great way to explore outside the theme parks.

5. If you know someone who is planning a vacation to one of the Go City destinations, purchase a Go City Card for them and have it delivered to their home prior to their departure.  Go City Cards arrive with a guide book and maps for their review what a great way to send them off excited about the adventures that lie ahead.

Get a card and go, a city awaits you.

Photo Selections: flickr, Space Needle , J. Ingersoll

While the author was given a complimentary set of Go City Cards for the purpose of a review, the opinions expressed are strictly those of the author.