Today we visited The Museum of Science and Industry. As a homeschooling mom, I would give it 5/5 stars (our favorite thing to do in Chicago)! We go several times a year, and we often take guests there.
Key Age Range: PreK to Adult, with exhibits that can be enjoyed on a variety of levels.
Time: We generally will spend three or four hours there, but that’s not enough to do it justice. Families with kids who don’t need to nap could put in a full day.
Cafeteria: Very crowded at mealtimes, basic school cafeteria fare. Pretty pricey–I packed us a lunch and just picked up some sides, and it was still $20!
Parking: If you get there early enough, there’s a free outside lot. No longer–now it’s $1 an hour metered parking. Otherwise, a $14 parking garage.
Fun Factor: Tommy loves it. There’s a ton of hands-on stuff, lots of activities to watch (the huge model train exhibit being the favorite), and a good mix of audio-visual presentations to keep interest up. We checked out the specially designated little kid area this time. Lots of activity and balls splashing in water, but it didn’t engage our kids. Maybe at a different developmental stage.
Educational Factor: I’m not sure how much Tommy is learning when we go (if he watches baby chicks coming out of eggs, is that science? I guess so), but for elementary and up, there’s a wealth of knowledge. My favorite exhibit, the U-505 (the only German U-boat on display in the US), takes about a half hour, but we go through it just about every time because there’s so much detail!
All in all, we’d probably be there every week if we could swing it! Definitely worth a family membership.
I love the picture of them riding a cow, but I wonder how many kids leave thinking you can actually ride one if a horse isn’t available.