Still looking for an easy spring break? It’s a good time to explore the big cities. As winter finally starts to thaw, a metropolis visit means offers fewer tourist crowds, no need for a car and some good off-season rates. In the Windy City, for instance, the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel is offering a variety of family-friendly packages that whittle down the costs on a weekend stay. Set smack in the heart of downtown (State and Wacker) the 517-room Renaissance overlooks the Chicago River, and is walking distance  to shops, restaurants and mass transit. On-site, there's a big indoor pool, fitness center and spa.

The offer that caught our eye is the Escape! Family Time package, where up to four kids ages 12 and under can eat free for a rate that starts at just $159 a night. How does this deal stack up to the regular non-package rate? When we checked early April dates, we found a weekend rate of $219 a night for a room and $369 for a suite—which were identical to the rates for the Escape! Family Time offer. Bottom line: Those kids' meals included in this package truly are free! Figuring that the free kids' meals would come to about $35 per child, the perk adds $70 a night in value for a family of four.

Deal or no deal? It depends how many meals you plan to eat at the hotel. If you're the kind of family that typically only eats breakfast at a hotel before heading out to explore, you might be better off with one of the hotel’s activity-themed packages from the same specials page. Note that the AAA rate for the same April dates is $197 a night.

The Shedd Aquarium Escape! Package and  Field Museum All Access Package both offer VIP tickets with front-of-the-line access to their respective museums. (The Field is home to “SUE,” the biggest T-Rex skeleton ever reconstructed.)  They each cost a bit more for our April dates—about $235 a night—but admission to either museum would normally run $98 for a family of four. So if you’re only staying one or two nights and set on going to one of these museums, this could be the way to go.

Note: The offers are only good Thursdays through Sundays, and run through December 31. You can book them online or by calling 800/468-3571. Use promo code MAF for the Family Escape,  EB7 for the Field Museum package, or EB5 for the Shedd Aquarium package.