Queenstown Combos- Shotover Helicopter Scenic

Tour Includes: Hop on Hop off double-decker tickets valid for 48 hours from the time you arrive in NYC and exchange your confirmation voucher for a boarding ticket.  Hop-on, Hop-off Sightseeing Ferry Enjoy the fun & flexibility of hop-on, hop-off by sea!  Learn about NYC with guided tour commentary while traveling from stop to stop.  This service operates with four stops: 1. Pier 78, West 38th Street and Hudson River; 2. 199 Vesey Street Pier (lower Manhattan) - connection to Downtown Tour at stop #11, Park Row 3. Pier 11 (Wall Street and South Street) - connection to Downtown Tour at stop #13, South Street Seaport 4. DUMBO (Fulton Street and Furman Street) - connection to Brooklyn Tour at stop #2, Brooklyn Promenade What You'll See: Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Battery Park Governors Island Brooklyn Bridge Manhattan Bridge Williamsburg Bridge South Street Seaport Chrysler Building Free cruise is only available till 4pm (Sunday thru Saturday).     *Ticket valid for the date purchased or date redeemed. All Around Town Tour Now Offered in 11 Languages!*  Listen along in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian and Hebrew.

SHEDD AQUARIUM EXHIBITS UNDERWATER BEAUTY – A SPECIAL EXHIBIT Our living world is full of wonder. Celebrate with us the unbelievable beauty living in our oceans, lakes and rivers in a new special exhibit at Shedd Aquarium: Underwater Beauty. Get a glimpse of the grandeur beneath the waves as 100 species from around the world come together in an evocative new space. What is beauty? Spark your curiosity as you see all the ways beauty moves and coexists. Watch sea jellies pulse, eels ribbon and a rainbow come alive with reef fishes. Feel the rhythms, embrace the colors and savor the patterns found only underwater. Experience a world worth celebrating – and saving. Waters of the World Travel the world in 80 habitats. Dive into Oceans, from coastal kelp forests to the seafloor. Explore the self-contained ecosystems of Islands and Lakes. Visit Rivers—big and small—and learn more about our local waters in the new At Home on the Great Lakes exhibit. Meet hundreds of amazing animals, from tiny mantella frogsto a a giant octopus, from a Grand Cayman blue iguana to Nile knifefish, and from moon jellies to sea stars. We even have map turtles, in case you get lost. Caribbean Reef Take a 360-degree tour of an underwater reef community. Follow a green sea turtle. Peek at a moray eel in a rocky crevice. Watch regal rays glide by. Get eye-to-eye with parrot fish and sharks. Visit Caribbean Reef, Shedd’s award-winning 90,000-gallon circular habitat in the grand rotunda. Amazon Rising Take an exotic journey in the Amazon, home to one-third of all living things. Watch out for anacondas and piranhas, spiders, rays and a camouflaged caiman. In churning river channels, still lakes and even flooded treetops look for tetras, turtles and fruit-eating fish called tambaqui. See how the region’s animals, plants and people adapt to the water’s dramatic annual rise and fall. Abbott Oceanarium The Abbott Oceanarium immerses you in the vibrant coastal ecosystem of beluga whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, sea otters and sea lions. You’ll also find a host of fishes and invertebrates that make their homes where freshwater flows into the ocean or where tides turn seascapes to landscapes and back again each day. Use our self-guided map to discover how animals are linked to each other, their homes and you. Polar Play Zone Kids have a place at Shedd that they can call their own—Polar Play Zone. It’s cool as ice and twice as nice! The penguins think so, too. Play! Splash! Pretend! What would you like to be? A sleek sliding penguin? A deep-sea explorer? How about both? In Polar Play Zone, you can slip into a penguin suit and try being a bird in the Icy South play area. From there, head to the Icy North to explore the belugas’ Arctic waters in a kid-sized submarine. Don’t forget to shake hands—or is it arms?—with colorful sea stars in the touch pools. In Polar Play Zone, you’ll learn about polar opposites—big and small, fast and slow, shallow and deep, even north and south—while you play. The Oceanarium Aquatic Presentation​ is included however based on available seating and remaining show times at the time of guest arrival. (2019 Aquatic Presentation Schedule) Stingray Touch (seasonal experience) is included. Open late May through October. 4D Experience is not included however the 4D experience tickets may be purchased at the theatre for $3.00 per -person Pets are not allowed in the aquarium SHEDD AQUARIUM (Buy your tickets now and skip the long lines) Shedd Aquarium (formally the John G. Shedd Aquarium) contains over 25,000 fish, and was for some time the largest indoor aquarium in the world with 5,000,000 US gallons of water. The Shedd Aquarium, which opened on May 30, 1930, was the first inland aquarium with a permanent saltwater fish collection. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Shedd Aquarium brings you eye-to-eye with more than 32,500 aquatic animals. Explore the recreated environments of the Amazon River and Philippine coral reefs. NEW - UNDERWATER BEAUTY – A SPECIAL EXHIBIT Our living world is full of wonder. Celebrate with us the unbelievable beauty living in our oceans, lakes and rivers in a new special exhibit at Shedd Aquarium: Underwater Beauty. Get a glimpse of the grandeur beneath the waves as 100 species from around the world come together in an evocative new space. What is beauty? Spark your curiosity as you see all the ways beauty moves and coexists. Watch sea jellies pulse, eels ribbon and a rainbow come alive with reef fishes. Feel the rhythms, embrace the colors and savor the patterns found only underwater. Experience a world worth celebrating – and saving.

​1 Day Tour - Hop-on Hop-off Hop  on  board a  Big  Bus  Sightseeing  Tour of the ‘City by the Bay’and experience  the  best  views  of  its  distinctive landmarks, and delve into its fascinating history. You can explore San Francisco’s famous landmarks; from the Golden Gate Bridge to Fisherman’s wharf. This really is the best way to discover all that San Francisco has to offer. Our unique city  tour  stops  at  20  key  points  of  interest  all  around  spectacular  San  Francisco.   Experience  the  diverse  culture, beautiful parks, stunning architecture and picturesque views atop an open air bus. Hop on or Hop off at your leisure to create your own customized journey around the city. Night Tour (NOT A HOP-ON HOP-OFF) The one hour Panoramic Night Tour of San Francisco begins in Fisherman’s Wharf and explores the most scenic neighborhoods; as the sunsets and the city begins to sparkle. See the ornate City Hall and the San Francisco Symphony Hall. The tour then climbs up the historic Nob Hill for a stunning close up view of the magnificent Grace Cathedral. The tour makes its way across the grand Bay Bridge for picturesque views of the city skyline from Treasure Island, site of the 1939’s World Fair. Heading back into the city, the tour will continue along the Embarcadero to view the glittering lights on the Port of San Francisco. Duration:  1 hr Operated: DAILY 18:30 & 19:00 (April to October)  19:30    No Tours Dec 24th & Dec 31st                       OR ​SAUSALITO TROLLEY LOOP Visit the picturesque waterfront community of Sausalito, a short distance from the Golden Gate Bridge, on the Big Bus Trolley. Discover distinctive boutiques, wide selection of restaurants and cafes, and unique art galleries. Relax in the park, or explore the narrow streets in the hills of this quaint Mediterranean town. Duration: 30 minutes   Operates: 9:00am –5:00pm   Frequency: 20-30 minutes / Departs stop from Stop 12   WALKING TOURS    Chinatown  Walking  Tour:  (Tour begins at Stop #6 - operates daily @ 10:00 & 14:00) Walk  through  the  world  famous  historic  neighborhood.  See  the magnificent Chinatown gates, the busy marketplace and the vibrant mix of historical and modern day culture.         Northbeach Walking Tour:  (Tour begins at Stop #3 - operates daily @ 16:00) This tour will take you on a journey through the eclectic Little  Italy district.  From Washington Square Park to  the incredible St. Peter & Paul Church, the tour will leave you  with a taste of the bohemian lifestyle that inspired so many of the artistically gifted San Franciscans of previous generations.   Barbary Coast  Walking  Tour: (Tour begins at Stop #4 - operates daily @ 12:00) Tour  takes  you  through  a  nine  block  radius  of  what  was  once  the  haunt  of  the low and vile.  Hear about San Francisco’s small beginnings, its boom-town  growth  because  of  the  California Gold  Rush  and  the  end  of  The  Barbary  Coast  due  to  the  Red  Light  Abatement  Act.  The  walk  will  take  you through the present Financial District and Jackson Square Historic District.   Fisherman’s Wharf Walking Tour:  (Tour begins at Stop #1 - operates daily @ 14:00) The Fisherman’s Wharf walking tour takes you all the main attractions of the  Wharf  area,  including  Ghirardelli  Square,  the  Cannery  and  Pier  39.  See  and  learn  about  the  famous  food and  restaurants  and  the  historic  ships  at Aquatic  Park.  This  walk  will  familiarize  you  with  role  the  wharf  has played  in  the  history  of  the  city—from the Gold rush, through the labor struggles of the 1930’s and the psychedelic explorations of the 1960’s.

Big Bus San Francisco - Night Tour (NOT A HOP-ON HOP-OFF) The one hour Panoramic Night Tour of San Francisco begins in Fisherman’s Wharf and explores the most scenic neighborhoods; as the sunsets and the city begins to sparkle. See the ornate City Hall and the San Francisco Symphony Hall. The tour then climbs up the historic Nob Hill for a stunning close up view of the magnificent Grace Cathedral. The tour makes its way across the grand Bay Bridge for picturesque views of the city skyline from Treasure Island, site of the 1939’s World Fair. Heading back into the city, the tour will continue along the Embarcadero to view the glittering lights on the Port of San Francisco.

Shearwater is a classic Newport-style schooner yacht, only recently recognized as a national landmark in 2009. The vessel was built by Rice Brother Corporation in East Boothbay, Maine, back in a time when yachting was a rare combination of elegance and adventure; Rice Bros. were well known for building luxury pleasure yachts and produced some 4,000 hulls over a period of 64 years. The keel was laid down on January 4, 1929 and a news clip from the Boothbay Register reflects alongside a photograph "Tyler Hodgon at the old Tide Mill is getting out timbers for the schooner to be built at Rice’s. Vessel to be built of native white oak." Traditionally built from hand-hewn native white oak, she was the last boat to be constructed at that yard - likely due to the ensuing Great Depression brought on by the Stock Market Crash that occurred later that autumn. East Boothbay was a small coastal town with shipbuilding being its only industry. About 40 workmen were employed for the construction of SHEARWATER. Her designer Theodore Donald Wells was born in Hudson Falls, N Y on October 22, 1875. He was a naval architect and marine engineer, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and also the Institute of Naval Architects London. His education included post-graduate work at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He began his career as a member of the firm Herreshoff and Wells, N. Y. City in 1902. Working with Herreshoff no doubt had an influence on his designs, which bear similarities to many of the famous Herreshoff designed yachts of that time. From 1903 to 1907 he worked for Wintringham and Wells and then began practicing his profession under his own name. Mr. Wells joined the Navy Department in March 1917 and became Superintending Constructor of the Baltimore District U. S. N. Notable yachts designed and constructed under his supervision are "Viking" a 272 foot steel motor yacht built for George F. Baker in 1929 by Newport News and "Karina" a three masted schooner built for Robert E. Tod in 1932 by Staten Island Shipbuilding. Mr. Tod was a well-known offshore yachtsman as was his former yacht ‘Thistle", which competed in the Emperors Cup ocean race. SHEARWATER was launched on May 4, 1929 and photographs in the Boothbay Register reflect her graceful and elegant lines. Her first Captain, Leon Esterbrook of Edgarton, MA, arrived to take charge of the fitting out. Her owner Charles E Dunlap was a member of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Oyster Bay, NY and this became SHEARWATER’s first homeport after her completion in late September 1929. It was there in Oyster Bay that she first started to thrill those who sailed in luxury aboard her and those who were privileged to crew her on race day. Since her launching and documentation in Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts in 1929, she has had a colorful history and has been carefully maintained and restored to standards that few contemporary vessels are able to match and is truly a piece of American Maritime History. On November 7, 1942 SHEARWATER was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and became a member of The United States Coast Guard’s Coastal Picket Patrol during World War Two. She was painted gray and bore the numbers CG67004. Based at Little Creek, Virginia she patrolled the waters east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance and south towards Cape Hatteras. Her skipper during that period reflected on how they used their free time while out on submarine patrol to race against other yachts and in his own words "sailed in tandem with the schooner Lord Jim, racing in and out of port, up and down the east coast and winning." She was designed and built as a gaff rigged schooner but during this period was changed to a Marconi rig. She carries over 2,550 square feet while under full sail. A true veteran world cruiser, she first transited the Panama Canal in July 1946 and in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s completed a two and a half-year global circumnavigation. In December 1971 Mrs. John B. Thayer of Rosemont, wife of a former trustee and treasurer, donated SHEARWATER to the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Environmental Medicine. She was used by the university as a laboratory for research on physiological responses to the stresses of living and working underwater. Captained by James Shearson, she was fitted with compressors, generators, monitoring instruments and a small decompression chamber. She has participated in many Ancient Mariner and Classic yacht races in U S waters as well as racing in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand while on her circumnavigation in the early 1980’s. It is rumored she was once dismasted in the famous Newport to Bermuda race. She was last raced by the current owners in San Diego in May 1995 in the American Schooner Cup and finished second overall. She entered the yacht charter industry in 1966 whilst on the West Coast sailing to the Channel Islands and was again used to generate income to keep her shipshape while owned by the University of Pennsylvania. During the chartering industry’s infancy in the Caribbean, SHEARWATER was known as the " Queen of the Fleet". Today she continues this tradition offering the most unique sailing experience and has passed rigid Coast Guard inspections and can carry up to 49 passengers. We welcome you to join us for an excellent opportunity to experience the ambiance of a vintage sailing vessel while delighting in the splendors of The Manhattan sky-line, the Statue of Liberty or the beauty of the oceans beyond.

Adler Planetarium Featured Shows: Planet Nine -  New Horizons spacecraft gave us our first close look at Pluto, the most famous dwarf planet in the outskirts of our Solar System. The New Horizons flyby was big news, and the pictures it continues to send back to Earth reveal a world far more complex than anyone realized. ​Destination Solar System -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER The year is 2096. Space tourism is booming, and you’ve signed up for a quick trip around the Solar System with Space Express Tours! In this live show, your guides are Jesse, a lovable rookie tour guide who can’t wait to show you the wonders of your celestial neighborhood, and Max, the much more experienced—if slightly grumpy—shipboard computer. With Max steering the ship and Jesse chattering excitedly about each place you visit, you’ll soar through the Asteroid Belt, explore the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and hover over the roiling surface of the Sun. Hold on tight! Cosmic Wonder -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Ever since the first curious person looked up at the night sky, people all over the world have challenged themselves to uncover its secrets. What are stars? How did they get there? Why does our view of the sky change throughout the year? What holds the Universe together? Skywatch Live -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER The Adler’s view of downtown Chicago is magnificent, but the lights of the city make it a little tough to see the ones in the sky. What’s a stargazer to do? Join us for Skywatch Live! In this show, your live presenter will turn down the city lights and crank up the stars to show you the night sky over Chicago like you’ve never seen it before. You’ll learn how to navigate by starlight, get to know the stars behind your favorite constellations, and witness the incomprehensible vastness of the Universe without ever leaving your seat. Earth, Moon & Sun -  WHAT YOU WILL LEARN With the help of Coyote, an amusing character adapted from Native American oral traditions, kids will laugh and learn as they explore the relationship between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. Coyote has lots of misconceptions about our world, the universe, and well… just about everything. Coyote’s humorous mistaken ideas about the universe help the audience understand how the Earth, Moon, and Sun work together as a great big system. Undiscovered Worlds -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Until very recently, the only planets known to us were the familiar worlds in orbit around our Sun. In the last two decades we have confirmed more than 1500 new planets, called exoplanets, orbiting other stars; thousands more are awaiting study. Undiscovered Worlds tells the tale surrounding this explosion of discovery and examines what will be required to determine which, if any, of these new exoplanets can support life. Welcome to the Universe -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER In Welcome to the Universe, you’ll get a clear picture of your place in this jaw-dropping cosmic landscape. With the guidance of a live presenter, you’ll explore the Pleiades star cluster, sail past the Andromeda galaxy, navigate the galaxies of the Coma Cluster, and discover hidden wonders of the Universe. One World, One Sky:  Big Bird's Adventure -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Join Big Bird and Elmo on an unforgettable journey to the Moon and back! When Elmo’s friend Hu Hu Zhu stops by Sesame Street for a visit, he notices that Sesame Street is a little bit different from his home in China. But when he looks up at the sky, he feels right at home. Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu may live in different cities, but they share the same sky! Featured Exhibits: (Temporary) - What is a Planet? -  What You’ll See And Do: Witness how astronomers and the media reacted to Pluto’s reclassification in 2006. Learn what the current definition of a planet is and hear what Adler Astronomers think of the current definition. Voice your opinion about Pluto alongside skeptics and space enthusiasts through an interactive voting poll in real time. Explore artifacts from the Adler collections that illustrate the ever-evolving definition of a planet. This temporary exhibition, which is included with general admission, will be open to the public from March 19, 2016 through January 8, 2017. Mission Moon -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Mission Moon invites you to experience America’s first steps into space through the eyes of NASA’s Captain James A. Lovell Jr. and his family. You’ll find out how the United States became the first nation to put a man on the Moon, what it’s really like to be an astronaut, and why it takes a team to explore uncharted worlds. Community Design Lab -  In the Community Design Lab (CDL), you can test different materials to find out which ones will survive the journey to 100,000 feet above the Earth’s surface. Your discoveries may find their way into a future flight with Far Horizons, the Adler’s high-altitude ballooning program! If you could photograph an object in space, what would it be, and who would you share it with? In the CDL, you can build a DIY telescope-mount for your smartphone and become an instant astrophotographer! Test it out on one of our ’scopes and share your photos on social media. Our Solar System -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Our Solar System is much more than a star and eight planets; it is home to a set of diverse and amazing objects that we are only beginning to understand. Pilot your own adventure in Our Solar System and explore the variety of objects currently orbiting our Sun. The Universe - A Walk Through Space & Time -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Transport yourself to the distant corners of the cosmos and witness how the Universe evolved over 13.7 billion years, from the Big Bang to this morning’s sunrise. Follow the Universe from its meager beginnings and see how galaxies, stars, planets—and all the atoms in your body—were created as the Universe grew. Explore regions farther than our Solar System, billions of light-years from home. Zoom from one wondrous location in the Universe to another and investigate the most diverse and beautiful objects in deep space in ultra high resolution from the world’s most advanced telescopes. Planet Explorers -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Are you interested in going to space and exploring other planets? Prepare for your out-of-this-world adventure in Planet Explorers. Begin by exploring your home, your backyard, and the sky above. What you discover will prepare you for your mission to space and the mysterious Planet X. Telescopes:  Through the Looking Glass -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Astronomers have studied the cosmos for thousands of years, but until about 400 years ago, they did it without telescopes! In Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass, you’ll find extraordinary beauty and technology in some of the world’s most important telescopes and learn how these clever light-catching devices helped us discover our Universe. Clark Family Gallery  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER This futuristic, constantly changing environment features a one-of-a-kind architecture with vibrant lighting and video presentations. It was created using approximately 13,000 linear feet of aluminum tubing and 20,000 square yards of fabric. The gallery also has 125 LED lights, each capable of producing sixteen million different colors and over two billion different lighting combinations. Astronomy in Culture -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Go back in time and learn about some of the people and societies who have challenged themselves to understand our place in the Universe. This exhibition features spectacular astrolabes, armillary spheres, and sundials to illustrate the medieval European and Middle Eastern conception of the Universe. Visit our medieval classroom to find out how much different school was back then. Learn how to use early astronomy tools including astrolabes and sundials. Atwood Sphere -  WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER Experience the night sky over Chicago as it appeared in 1913 in the Atwood Sphere – Chicago’s oldest planetarium. Although the star positions have not changed since then, we can see only a small percentage of these stars in our current night sky due to light pollution. The sphere is seventeen feet in diameter and has 692 holes drilled through its metal surface. These holes allow light to enter and show the positions of the brightest stars in the night sky. Take a live guided tour of the Atwood Sphere and identify stars and the constellations they form.   Big Bus Chicago Hop-on Hop Off Tours The open-top deck of a double-decker bus is the best way to see Chicago Sit back and relax as you are transported passed the iconic landmarks that make Chicago so special Along the way, you can learn about the city's history by listening to the entertaining and informative commentary. Your hop-on, hop-off ticket also provides you the freedom to get off the bus to explore and visit attractions. Buses run regularly so re-joining the tour is easy. See these top Chicago Landmarks: John Hancock Center & 360 Chicago Navy Pier Willis tower & Skydeck Chicago Art Institute of Chicago The Field Museum Shedd Aquarium Adler Planetarium Soldier Field Michigan Avenue Bridge Millennium Park Magnificent Mile Live Guides Live English-speaking guides on all buses. Our entertaining and experienced English-speaking guides offer an exciting and educational commentary throughout the duration of your tour. Pre-recorded Commentary Available in Spanish. Educational and informative pre-recorded commentary is available in Spanish. Listen in via complimentary headphones distributed when you board the bus.