57th St. at Lake Shore Dr.
773-684-1414
Admission: $7 adults. Free on Thursdays. Admission
increases with OMNIMAX purchase.
www.msichicago.org
The Museum of Science and Industry may be one of the oldest
science museums in the western hemisphere, but it is also one of the most fascinating, attracting almost 2 million
visitors a year. Opened since 1933, it is among the seven most
visited museums in the United States.
Whether you visit alone or with your family, the museum will
bring out the child in you, with hands on interactive exhibits.
Walk through a cantilevered Boeing 727 or a WWII captured
submarine, travel down to a working coal mine shaft replica from
1933 or watch young minds create in "Idea Factory", an
interactive exhibit especially designed for children 10 years of
age or younger.
There are more than 800 exhibits in the museum, located on
three floors. Plan to arrive early and spend the entire day
here. The Museum of Science and Industry is located on the south
side of Chicago near Hyde Park and is a destination itself.
Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle, a 3,000 square-foot model
railroad, and the Circus exhibit will bring back childhood
memories, while the exhibits Reusable City and Imaging: The
Tools of Science and Virtual Reality Experience look toward the
future.
Take a walk down Yesterday’s Main Street - a recreated
street from 1910, view the latest Omnimax film or step inside a
16-foot replica of the human heart. Watch new baby chicks take
their first steps in the baby chick hatchery or explore
communication in the whispering gallery. The Museum has
something of interest for just about everyone.
Just east of the Museum’s Central Pavilion, you’ll find
the Henry Crown Space Center and the Omnimax Theater within it.
Here you’ll find 10,000 square feet of space-related exhibits,
including the original Apollo 8 Command Module and the original
Aurora 7 Mercury spacecraft.
Space buffs can watch the film "To Be An Astronaut"
shown every 30 minutes in the 34-seat Space Shuttle Theater.
Afterward, get a look at the a lunar rock brought back by Apollo
astronauts, and real space suits worn by astronauts.
The Omnimax Theater immerses visitors in a world of wonders
ranging from the Great Barrier Reef to Antarctica and even outer
space. The screen is 76 feet wide and five stories high - domed
over the 344 seats. The Theater utilizes the largest motion
picture sound system in the world.
The Museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily from
Memorial Day to Labor Day. The rest of the year hours are 9:30
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays, and 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekends
and holidays. Admission is $7.00 adults, $6.00 seniors and $3.50
children 3 -11. Omnimax films are an additional charge.
Admission is free on Thursdays.
Be sure to grab a handy museum map when you enter the Museum
of Science and Industry. It contains information on everything
from the floor plans and where to eat, to the locations of
public phones and an ATM. For more information on the museum,
call 773-684-1414 or on the web site, www.msichicago.org.
