Museum of Science and Industry
- Address: 57th Street, at S. Lake Shore Drive, Hyde Park, Chicago
- Hours: Mon - Sat 9:30am - 4pm (opens at 11am on Sundays). Closed Dec 25
- Admission: Adults: US$15, Children (3-11yrs): US$10
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Good for Kids,
Nature & Wildlife,
Museum
You certainly won’t be under-stimulated on a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry, a must-see Chicago museum. With some 2,000 exhibits to see, most of which are interactive, this massive museum continues to enlighten and amaze.
Nine permanent exhibits thoroughly examine everything on Earth, from cerebral concepts like the passage of time to questions about the origins of breakfast cereal. Visitors can climb through a German U-boat captured during WWII and press their noses against the window of the Apollo 8 command module. Some of the museum's most famous exhibits are also its simplest. The “Human Body Slices” exhibit consists of a man and a woman whose bodies were cut in half-inch sections, then pressed between pieces of glass; definitely gross, but amazing all the same. Also worth seeing is the Henry Crown Space Center, which documents space exploration, highlighted by a simulated space shuttle trip through the center's five-story OMNIMAX Theater.
The museum itself is set in Jackson Park, which has a Japanese garden, lagoons and a nature retreat with hundreds of species of birds. When you've had your fill of space capsules, coalmines, and Zephyrs at the museum, the park makes an excellent setting to recuperate.
Latest Reviews
Review by Digisha B, May 2013
Doing what: Chicago CityPass
The city pass gave us easy access and enough flexibility to spread out all the different places over five days. Had a great time! Wish we would've gone to the art museum instead of the planetarium, but you have the option!
Review by Martina H, April 2013
Doing what: Chicago Grand Half-Day Tour
great, north and south Chicago in 2 separate tours, hotel pickup - great!!,
knowledgeable guide, very informative and entertaining
Review by Suzanne B, April 2013
Doing what: Chicago Grand Half-Day Tour
As this was my first visit to Chicago, I took the four hour tour and at the end of it I felt I had a general idea of what Chicago was like. I was lucky with the weather, Chicago's blue sky made everywhere inviting and our guide's rather pseudo-ironic style managed to enliven the neighbourhoods and the buildings we passed. The twenty minute break at the conservatory filled with spring made a perfect teaser for what would replace the still-bare nature outside. My one quibble is that the windows of the bus should always be perfectly clean (no water marks) so the pictures taken from the bus (there are few stops) are free of streaks, etc.
Practical Info
The Museum of Science and Industry is in Hyde Park, about 25 minutes south of the Loop. Though it’s quite a distance from other attractions, the museum is right off of South Lakeshore Drive, making it easy to reach by car. You can also take a bus or the Metra Electric train from downtown.
Allow at least three hours for your visit. The museum has a large food court and an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, as well as an excellent gift shop.
