Museum of Science and Industry
add photosThe world's largest science celebration, Science Chicago: Life's a Lab will awaken your inner scientist by allowing kids of all ages to explore our region's wondrous scientific resources.
35 Reviews for Museum of Science and Industry
9
10 families found this helpful
"MSI never disappoints"
The Nitty Gritty: Admission was about $15 each adult. We used the Entertainment coupon for BOGO free admission. My son was under 1 so wasn't charged. Parking was $18 in an adjoining parking lot. Stroller friendly,
The fun: We went here on a Saturday in March. We spent about 3 to 4 hours here, though could have definitely spent the whole day if my son could last that long. The museum is huuuuge so pace yourself. DH and I usually frequent this museum as it's one of our favs in the Chicagoland area. We always make a point to check out the ice cream parlor. If you have older children (without a stroller) go to the coal mine.
Son's fav moment: Kids area on First Floor. He loved playing with the blocks and was able to walk/crawl around explore on his own. Playing with the floating balls in the Storm Exhibit on the top floor.
Parent's fav moment: New Storm exhibit & the All About You
Bottom Line: Definitely recommend
Tip: There is a Japanese Garden south of the Museum though did not visit it because it was a little too chilly. Maybe in the near future!
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0 families found this helpful
"Harry Potter Exhibit"
My sister and I drove 5 hours to see the Harry Potter Exhibit while it was at this museum. I must say that the museum was extremely nice and well maintained, and after viewing the exhibit, we looked around some more. I love the children's area they have for learning and exploring. They are equiped for children of all ages, which I loved, because my son was only 11 months old at that time.
0 families found this helpful
"Museum of Science and Industy"
At the end of 2011 we took a trip to Chicago to go the the science and industry museum and visit the exhibit of Jim Henson the creator of kermit, bigbird and other beloved characters. The kids loved the museum and enjoyed learning lots about exploring there health, experiment with physics of nature and many more awesome exhibits. The cost of the museum is reasonable it cost $20 for both the general admission with the Jim Henson exhibit and $12 for the kids. The general admission prices are $15 for adults and $10 for kids 3-11. The museum is open from 9:30am till 4pm so make sure to get there early so there is enough time to explore as much as possible. Another big experience that the kids loved was being able to walk into a coal mine. The only downfall is that it is located in a very busy area and traffic can get very busy so give yourself plenty of time to accommodate for high volumes of traffic. I would recommend that if you are interested in a learning educational trip for the family this is one you should consider.
1 family found this helpful
"Visit again and again"
I grew up going here and I still love to visit. Kids of all ages will find something to see here. The farm area with the tractors kids can climb in, the submarine (costs extra), the train room with more than 30 models (my sons love trains!), the transportation gallery....the list goes on and on. Jim Henson's World exhibit is great if you have little ones. The live science experiences are great for school age kids. Everything in the museum is very interactive and the variety keeps it interesting. You could spend several days here, so I would look at the map and plan what your priorities are.
0 families found this helpful
"Very Educational"
This museum is definitely worth making a trip to. It has some amazing historical displays and great hands on exhibits. One of my personal favorite is the WWII exhibit. This would be a great educational field trip to take your kids on. Plan on spending a couple of hours to take in all this museum has to offer.
'11
0 families found this helpful
"LOVE Science and Industry"
This museum is excellent, but it's hard to cover it all in one day. Definitely look for the free days to save some cash. Kids will love the heat-sensitive projection screen where you can see what parts of your body produce the most heat - we found out that people in our family have very cold noses! Very fun. Lots of cool things. I would definitely get an old-school wax model if I were you... because they're so very retro. :-)
0 families found this helpful
"great for Christmas"
I enjoyed the museum of science and industry my favorite time to go is during Christmas they have the trees from all over the world it is great.Its a great family tradition to do witgh your family It is one of my favorite memories from child hood. Their are lots of exhibits and they change periodically I went with school once a year and everytime there was something new to see. Make sure you bring a stroller there its a pretty big musuem. There are things for everybody to do. Sometimes they do have somethings out that you dont want your kids to see. You might end up explaining more to your kids then you wanted to
0 families found this helpful
"must go to"
Upon hearing I take and have been taking my young children to this museum people often ask me if there is really anything for kid their age there! For sure! My 6 kiddos who are 6years and younger have been loving this museum for ome time now. I mean I never let their age dictate our going there. Even at 1 the can see stuff and get interested.
There is a childrens area with lots of water play that my kids enjoy.
We always visit the baby chicks to see whos hatching and who was just hatched.
The ag exhibit here is wondereful. Full size combine and tractor videos running throughout the exhibit too. Adults really get into the exhibits here too. Playing and enjoying ll there is to do.
You! The Experience is fun. We love running in the giant hamster wheel, and the big wall of shadowing images you can make of yourself. My kids really think the laughing people on computer screens are great. Whn you look at the screen the person is just looking at you... you smile and they start... you laugh at it and they really get laughing. Sounds crazy but it is quite fun.
We can spend all day here and often do.
We enjoy watching the trains and wht my kids call the giant pinball machine.
They open at 9:30 close at 400.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun!"
Super fun! I'm not all into museums but this one was great! I had so much fun & so did the people I went with! I cannot wait until I go again! All the activites are so much fun! The gift shops are great & so are the resturants! So much fun to spend your day here!
0 families found this helpful
"active fun"
There were many active things for kids 11 and under to do. The Museum was a little expensive, but had discounts for the military. The youth stayed in one general area because the exercise activity was awesome. It was fun for old and young alike. Highly recommend it.
0 families found this helpful
"This place is amazing!"
This is a huge museum that could easily take days to go through. Make sure you grab a map and plan to see all your favorite things first, because with a museum this massive there is no way to get through it all in just one day. There is so much for everyone to see and do. The exhibits are amazing. Keep an eye on the traveling exhibits, they have some really neat things that come here.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun to see and touch"
Visited the museum with my mom and 3 kiddos toward the end of May. This time of year is not the best as there were LOTS of school groups at the museum. There were no seats to be found in the cafeteria and bathroom lines were LONG. That issue aside, we had a fun day and enjoyed looking at the exhibits. The museum kept the attention of my oldest child, better than the other two. We especially loved the baby chicks and the full size airplane. My little guy went wild with the farm equipment too!
0 families found this helpful
"Big fans!"
Anytime of year, this is a great museum to hit! Parking is reasonable (up near the space-center entrance). We love the Christmas Trees at Christmastime, and the little ones love the baby chicks! The play factory is fun, too. This is a great place for an outing!
0 families found this helpful
"The Most Kid-Friendly Museum In Chicago"
This museum is definitely aimed for families with children. All of the exhibits are interactive, allowing for hands-on learning. The themes vary all over the map, allowing kids to learn about a variety of subjects. Multiple floors allow for an entire day of exploring and learning. Make sure to go on a free day, to enjoy the full experience of the museum without having to pay the price!
0 families found this helpful
"A fun way to learn"
This is a great museum to take your older children. A great place to make learning fun. A lot of really neat exhibits. Very big though and takes a while to walk through so if you have smaller children maybe have them sit this trip out. I felt the prices were about normal for this type of museum, and food service was decent. Very clean museum and wonderful helpful staff.
0 families found this helpful
"MOSI is a nice museum."
As you can tell from my reviews, Chicago, IL is one of our favorite places to go. We are not far from there and it is a nice trip. Almost every time we go, we make a side trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. MOSI, as it is called by locals, is a very interesting place to visit and bring the kids. I do have to warn you, you may not make it all in a day if you have little children. One, it is long and they might get fussy with the whole thing, and two, it is more on an older child level. They have some things for little kids but the little ones get bored easily walking through the museum. This is better than the Field Museum though as there is stuff for the little guys.
The price is a bit expensive for the whole family. Sometimes they have free days which you can find those dates on their website. Food is a little high as well.
Overall though we really enjoy this museum. We stop by almost every time we take a trip to Chicago.
0 families found this helpful
"great museum"
this is museum that brings out the scientist i everyone :). There is so much info presented in the best visual way, you are sure to enjoy your visit and learn something to boot. They have updated exhibits and some are even free on certain days. its right by the lake so if you visit in the summer you can take a short walk and be at the beach. great visit go every year!
0 families found this helpful
"Love this place!"
This is a really fun place to visit if you are into well.. science! Food here is of course rather high priced but is close to some fun restuarants. If you do take a trip here, you MUST MUST see the IMAX they have. It is the best IMAX around and very fun and worth the time and money.
0 families found this helpful
"Must go!"
Everyone must go here at some point in their life. I love this place. You can spend more than a day looking around and learning from all the stuff they have. Lots of hands on stuff too! I will one day take my kids there for sure. It is worth a trip to Chicago just to experience this. I highly recommend it for everyone of all ages and make sure you at least make it a whole day trip! Lots to see and do.
0 families found this helpful
"Great for older kids"
My husband and I loved this museum, our toddler wasn't very engaged. We plan to take her back in a few years. She did love looking at the baby chicks hatching. We paid for a traveling exhibit as well which was our favorite part, but the entire museum felt clean, well laid out and the staff was friendly. We are looking forward to returning someday when our little one is old enough to get our money worth!
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