Griffin Museum of Science and Industry Reviews

The special Pompeii exhibit was very good. They mixed in modern technology very well. The gladiator fights were very good, children were really interested. The Dome Theater is very comfortable and the photography is excellent, but it is so far away. Be prepared for a lot of walking and there are no benches or places to rest except when you wait for the movie or in the eating area. I would say that it is very expensive from the parking, admission, admission for the special exhibits, the movie, and food.

A great day for the kids...Very interactive, hands on museum. There is something for everyone and too much to see in one day. For young children 2-3 hours is probably all they can handle. My only complaint and it is a general one....taking a family to museums and events is expensive. I know they offer a free day but that is not always an option.

We went specifically to see the U boat and it was amazing. There is a tour you can take on the inside that was super interesting and I loved learning the history. The space exhibit was also really cool and interesting.

This museum is filled with exciting exhibits and plenty of information to spend the entire day learning many thought-provoking facts.

If you are a war history lover (as am I), visiting the U505 Submarine Exhibit alone is worth the entire trip. It is really a sight to behold. We bought tickets to go inside the submarine, and the opportunity to experience the inner spaces of the ship was worth every cent.

Enjoy!

We went for the Lego exhibit, but the whole museum is fascinating. The submarine is a must-see. Museum also has an Imax theater.

This is a Great place to visit couldn't wait to see the German u boat it's differently a must see if your in the Chicago area we drove 8 hrs to go spent a week in Chicago but devoted 2 full days for the museum could've done another day so much to see and it's a beautiful place and they even have some great places to eat no need to leave and parking is inside so no worries if the weather is bad. Great place LOVED it

Too many exhibits out of order and way too many young children running around unsupervised. Unable to enjoy many of the exhibits because there was no discernible line. However, we did the U-Boat tour and it was well worth the extra ticket price, the Tesla coil was really neat as well.

Brought our young grandson here during Spring Break and he loved everything. The tornado and tsunami making exhibits were huge hits. Art of the Brick and getting to make his own Lego sculpture were great. The crowds were pretty large but not horrific. The human development and baby chick exhibits were well done as well. Lots of hands on but there were waits at each one. The submarine was amazing. Glad we bought tickets ahead because several were sold out

What a magical day spent at the museum. Every corner had a theme, every minute spent was fantastic. From the weather corner, climate section, and the motion arena, to the human body, the bike and car collection, the miniature ships, and the trains, every section was a feast for the senses. We loved the U-boat - what a find! We bought the extra tickets for the James Bond 007 collection and it was brilliant. The museum could take a full day and is brilliant on a rainy day to while the hours away.

This museum hasn't changed much since I visited 10-15 years ago with my (at the time) 10-year old daughter. Except, as so many others have noted, a lot of the interactive displays are broken. A lot of them, it got pretty old seeing broken exhibits and crashed computer screens on interactive displays involving computers. I decided to spend the extra money to see the 007 exhibit, which was pretty good but not worth the significant extra cost considering what it was- essentially a pop culture display of James Bond stuff from the movies. They tried to spin some science into some of it, but it really was just lots of movie props and info on filming the movie series. Admittedly the cars were pretty cool. On the plus side, the exhibit on human bodies was very cool- I had seen this exhibit when it traveled the country a couple of decades ago, it is fascinating to see an "exploded" body or a body with just blood vessels or just the nervous system.

Maybe part of my not enjoying it was the scads of little kids, and teenagers too, making a big racket. But that isn't the museum's fault. It is, after all, really aimed at kids. I should have realized that it wasn't the thing for a solo 60-year old. I guess I should have pivoted when I realized that my wife and I were not going to go to the art museum on the third and last day of our trip to Chicago. She had two days of conference and I was going to do museums. Day one- Field Museum. Day two- Science and Industry. I thought we would do the art museum on the last day, and when I realized we wouldn't, I should have bagged this museum and done the art museum instead. But I stuck to my plan. That was a mistake.

Family favorite museum with something to capture everyone's interest. Three levels of informative and interactive displays. BONUS is the underground parking ($22 fee) with direct access to the museum and dining areas that welcome visitors who bring their own food and drink. Prices are very reasonable if you choose to buy food. BLUE PARADOX is amazing and included in the price of admission.

The MSI is always very welcoming and I was visiting after a gap of 5 years. Many things are still the same from 2013- 2014 as I remember them and as my children remember. We visited the agricultural area, Idea works, the submarine, YOU, SHIPS and other spots.
Way back in 2014, they had the liquid nitrogen making ice-cream special section that my kids loved and we spent hours and hours over there. This museum is also very welcoming to persons with disabilities in wheelchairs but some areas are still not easily accessible- given the age of the building.

We are two adults and we loved this place. So much to see- many historical items. And the u-boat was amazing. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. The museum was clean and inviting. We had a wonderful time!

A full day, and good variety of things to see. Disappointed but not surprised by the Dome planets show that was full of ridiculous and inaccurate "facts".

What a waste of time and money. Nothing in this place has changed in almost 15 years. Well, other than most of the interactive things are broken. Hot air balloons, ball throwing machines, tornado machine on and on and on. Seriously, it was a massive disappointment.

Counter point - the FREE Lincon Park (privately funded) Zoo is outright amazing. I have to wonder why Chicago (a cesspool) can have an amazing free zoo that is spot on - and the TAX PAYER FUNDED - and ticketed museum is a ramshackle mess of broken displays, closed sections and old old stale exhibits?

(Date visited - 9/22/24)

This museum has some really awesome exhibits. However it is such a shame that you have to pay extra to do some of them. Tickets are pricey the way it is, and it seems like admission should get you into everything and not exclude you from certain things. Go early in the morning, as it gets crowded quickly. There were many exhibits that our teenagers were interested in doing, but they were broken. That was disappointing considering we paid quite a bit to get in. If you plan on eating at the museum pack a lunch. Unlike other museums, there are not places outside or nearby to eat and the cafeteria food is EXPENSIVE!

While still amazing, it was more run down that we have ever seen in the past. The big trains area was worn and dusty and could use some love. Several exhibits were under maintenance. The glass in the mirror maze was covered in fingerprints (so easy to find your way out). The bathrooms were all clean and we had a snack at Stan's Donuts and the donuts and coffee were excellent. Overall its still a great museum and a great visit just not as well up kept as it has been in the past.

Take UBER or bus. Don't take "EL" (metro). Inside you will see full-size train, airplane.
For lunch, suggest eating at the Garden Grill. Hamburgers were amazing AND I'm not a burger fan!

We had a great time here with our three kids ages 8, 6, and 3. We arrived at opening around 9:30am on a Friday. Easy to park and get in. We stayed for almost 5 hours and still didn't do everything. My kids loved the Idea Factory (which is basically a kids play place for 10 and under). My husband and I really liked the U-505 Submarine. Overall, lots of cool exhibits and interactive things for the kids. We did not do any of the exhibits that have an additional fee, but found plenty to do and see without doing these.
The Museum Kitchen had ok food - my husband really liked the chicken sandwich, but the mac n cheese for kids was average at best. As expected it is very over-priced, so would recommend packing a lunch. We spent $46 for a chicken sandwich, chicken tenders & fries, and 2 kids meals.

This place is fantastic. So much to see and do. Most of it fascinating. I could have spent three days here. A definite must visit for everyone.

I visit this museum every time I am in Chicago. It is by far one of the best Science Museums in the US. The new The Blue Paradox exhibit is outstanding and I always enjoy going through Science Storms also. However I feel that they are pricing the museum out of the reach of many families. While admission is only $26 for adults there are many extra fees to see the most popular exhibits. It is $18 each to see the Pompeii Exhibit or to tour the U-505 submarine. It is $12 each to see an Imax or to do the Coal Mine Tour (which I recall being free at one time). When you add the $22 parking fee a day at the Museum can run you over $100.

Years ago, your admission got you access to everything going on in the building. Now, they nickel and dime the hell out you. It’s very annoying! We had fun. We used city pass. That gave us some things for free. Use city pass if you plan on going. It really does save a ton of money.

Had a good time. So much to see. Could be there for multiple days. Food was WAY to EXPENSIVE. $85 for 2 hotdogs, 2 turkey sandwiches, chips, and drinks.

This museum is geared mainly towards kids. There were a few interesting exhibits, however the bulk of them require you to buy a ticket for admission- on top of your entry ticket for the museum. Avoid summer weekdays- there were a ton of summer camp kids there today.

Wow! So spectacular! This is a must see while you are in Chicago with school age kids. We brought our 10 year old grandkids for a special trip to Chicago (48 hours). This place requires special pre planning. We arranged for the coal mine and the flight simulator. There is so much more to see than even our 4 hours allowed. Plan on a day if you can or come back. Highlights included the Mirror Maze, too. Don’t miss it!

Though the museum is heavily dedicated to children, adults can find interesting exhibits as well. The most impressive exhibit and what can't be missed is the captured World War II German submarine. I came specifically for this and was not disappointed. Anyone interested in naval warfare or World War II in general must see this exhibit. It is excellent and well laid out. My only complaint is that to see the interior of the sub, one must purchase a separate ticket on top of the already fairly pricey museum admission. I was limited for time so I didn't tour the interior--don't know if I would have b/c of the extra cost however.

This experience was just amazing in every way, time provided, crowd control, cleanliness and educational.

My wife and I spent about three hours here on a recent visit to Chicago. It's quite removed from downtown.... down the lake front a few miles. We didn't have a car & took public transportation, which was convenient. Even if we'd HAD a car, I'd have done the same - parking at the museum is expensive ($25, I think).

This is a huge place with a very wide variety of well-done exhibits, many of them interactive. It's hard to imagine anyone older than 5 or 6 wouldn't enjoy it. Three hours was about right for us, and I think we're probably pretty typical visitors.

I paid extra for one of the VR experience.... in ours, we were on the International Space Station. Cost was $10 each for the 5 minute "ride". Both of us felt it was not worth it at all. The images you see really don't even appear to be high definition, and kind of hokey narration.

The museum is outside of Chicago's main tourist areas, located in Hyde Park. There is a bus that goes there from the Loop during the summer. Be sure to check the bus hours as they are limited. The museum website said that it was sold out for the day that we wanted to go. Our friend called and was able to reserve tickets anyway. When we arrived, we tried to use our Chicago City Pass to pay, but were unable to do so, probably because the museum was sold out. It was a day when Illinois residents got free admission. When we explained our predicament to the guy at the ticket counter, he went above and beyond to help us out. The museum itself is huge and has lots of interesting exhibits. You could easily spend the whole day there. You can tour the German submarine exhibit, but there is an additional fee to go inside the sub. We also paid an extra fee to do the coal mine tour, which was interesting and informative, led by an enthusiastic tour guide. It is very kid-friendly and has lots of interactive exhibits. For example, the kids loved the mirror maze. The Griffin has an outpost of Stans Donuts where you can pick up a quick snack to keep you going.

We enjoyed this on a couples trip. It is ideal for kids of all ages, but we still had a great day. Don't miss the submarine exhibit!

Amazing exhibits! Everything is laid out very well. Staff is in the museum to help you find what you're looking for and to help you plan your visit. Lots of space. Great fun for adults and children - such a tremendous learning experience in every exhibit.
We had such a great time seeing everything in the James Bond special exhibit!

Fantastic! Every exhibit was exceptional. The U-Boat was worth a tour. It’s a piece of history that cannot be missed. I became a member and I don’t even live in Chicago. Plan to spend at least four hours. Better a whole day!

Only had time to visit one Chicago Museum -this was it. Loved the LEGO exhibit and baby chicks/eggs.

We visited the last Friday in April. To get there by the 9:30 opening, we traveled by bus instead of driving from our hotel on Michigan Ave. because it was cheaper ($10 for both of us, round trip) than paying the $22 parking fee, plus we didn't have to drive. The #2 bus dropped us off at 57th and Stoney Island Ave, which is only a block west of the museum, to get back we took the #6 bus, but during the summer months, the #10 bus drops you off right at the museum.

The exhibits were spectacular, I took the U-505 tour which was an extra $18 and took about 1/2 hour, but our tornado film inside the giant dome theater was included upon our request as part of our CityPass admission. The rocket and Apollo exhibits were outstanding, the transportation exhibits were great. I also enjoyed the farm tech exhibits, the extreme ice displays, the 727 plane exhibit, which you can walk through and various other displays including the various aircraft on display.

I did not get to see the coal mine or the Art of the Brick Gallery because they were extra add ons and I didn't have enough time. But, my wife saw the Coal Mine exhibit and enjoyed it. We were there all day until closing at 4pm and only took a 15 minute break to eat a snack and grab a cup of coffee. If I had another day, I would have liked to come back and see more.

If you go, wear comfortable shoes due to all the walking. Also, don't schedule too many add on exhibits such as the Brick Gallery, U-boat tour, tornado film, etc. or you won't get to see the whole museum.

This was such an interesting visit. We arrived 2.5 hours before closing time, so we had to rush at the end. I would recommend a 4 hour visit.
This museum is entertaining for all ages and includes a combination of history, modernization, and interaction.
The U505 submarine is also amazing, and it's the real one! The weather corner is amazing, and the Mirror Maze is fun.
Highly recommended !

We visited MSI on a Friday, and it was very crowded. With echoing halls and tons of kids, it was a bit overwhelming sensory-wise, but the exhibits more than made up for it.

The museum is huge, with impressive interactive displays that cover physics, nature, and science concepts in engaging ways. The submarine exhibit was a highlight — large-scale and incredibly informative. We also did the James Bond 007 special exhibition, which was fun, stylish, and well-curated.

Lots of food options, plentiful and clean restrooms, and clear signage throughout. Just prepare for crowds if you're visiting during peak times.

This museum has so much to see. It's best to come early if a day is all you have for you to have any chance of seeing everything. I didn't like that there were quite a few areas that are only available for an additional fee (aside from the special Pompeii exhibit). Favourites for us include the German submarine/U-boat, miniature train exhibit, flight simulators, mirror maze and science storms. I also like that there is relatively cheap outdoor parking behind the museum.

An interactive museum experience, great for families and encourages everyone to explore their inner STEM spirit :) The U-boat submarine exhibit and guided tour are not to be missed. This was the highlight of our visit.

One of the most loved exhibits at MSI is the chick hatchery. Yes, the baby chicks are cute. However, they emerge into a cruel, cruel world.

A week after hatching, they are sent to the Lincoln Park Zoo to be fed to snakes, lions or other birds of prey. Each year, 7000 chicks are born at the museum and sent to the zoo to be eaten.

The disregard for life is plain. MSI exploits the birth of these chicks and then literally throws them to the lions once they are no longer of value. The chicks are only useful to the museum through the spectacle of their hatching and their first few days as cute babies. I do not recommend supporting an institution that can heartlessly end the lives of thousands of chicks each year, for decades since the museum opened in the 50s.

We've been members at MSI for several years, but never did the Coal Mine tour until this weekend. It was great! Very detailed and fun, and much more than I was expecting. I recommend!

Really fun, informative, and so much to see. We could have spent longer but we had been there for nearly 4 hours and just couldn't take in any more information. The day we went was crowded with lots of school groups on field trips so the whole museum was very loud, but it was still incredibly engaging. The human body exhibit stands out to me, also the Dark Universe movie (a $12 extra fee but worth it). We had to Uber there and back and it's some distance from where we were staying, so it was a fairly expensive day for us, but definitely a wonderful experience. We were 3 adults in our party, but there seems to be something here for everyone.

One of the best Museums in the country! Displays are all well maintained and updated, friendly staff, and convenient food courts inside the museum. The U505 Submarine display is easily the beast display at the museum!

First of all, veterans get in for free except for the special attractions. That is a savings of $25.95. I dislike add-ons. Just put it in the price of admission. The German submarine, airplanes, and the trains were the best part of the museum. The food court is overpriced such as $4.75 for a soda out of the vending machine. During the week in the morning is the best time to go as it is not that crowded.

We spent most of the day here starting on the Balcony Level 3 and working our way
down to the entry hall. We particularly enjoyed the Transportation Gallery and Science of Storms on Main Level 2 and the U-505 Submarine exhibit on Lower Level 1. I had seen the submarine many years ago when it was on display outside the building. They did a fabulous job making this exhibition much more memorable.

What a great museum to take the kids to. The size of the museum and the level of hands-on involvement are fantastic, and everyone in our group had a great time.

The only downside was the ticketing structure. I wish they offered both an à la carte option and a single pass that included everything. Constantly having to pay separately for each experience became a bit frustrating.

WOW WOW WOW!!!

I had this museum on my list, but almost crossed it out because it's on the outskirts of the city, but we decided to go on our way into the city to kill a few hours before our hotel check in.

It is expensive. We are a family of 4 and it cost about $105 to get in. There are a lot of extras you can add on, we added 2 and it cost an additional $100.

I figured that we would spend about 3 hours here, because that's what I found "how much time to spend," we walked out 6 hours later and that was because the museum was closing!!

We did get to see everything, mostly that we wanted to do. So many different exhibits to experience. I won't give anything away, but we were blown away!

We have never been to a museum like this! My husband and I haven't stopped talking about it, our youngest didn't want to leave!

YOU MUST GO!!!

Excellent place to visit along with Family. Very informative for young adults and children. Very well projected science experiments

There was a lot to see and it was a very enjoyable experience.
The U-boat is a must-see.
You can make a reservation for a tour next to the U-boat, but when I made a reservation on the way there around 11am, it was two hours later, so I should have made a reservation in advance.
There was enough to see that I could kill two hours. Even at a brisk pace, it took me five hours to see everything.

A historic building ( inherited from the Universal Expo ) housing incredible relics ( U-505 captured in 1944, a rare Stuka in competition state , the Silver Luxury Train Zephyr from another era, etc..) plus a series of interactive scientific experiments for children big and small (Tesla, Cyclone, Tsunamis, etc..) plus a wing dedicated to Space exploration (different capsules back on Earth, the lunar training LEM, etc..) plus various diverse and varied exhibitions (Plastic pollution, X-rays, etc..) and finally, when we went there (early August 2025) , Spiderman by Marvel Exhibition (just awesome, original boards, mythical covers, prop of movies with Comics workshop to learn how to draw The Radioactive Spider...)
We loved it to the point of going two consecutive days so rich it was

The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is a huge museum with a variety of things that can appeal to persons of various ages from young children to senior citizens.

I enjoyed visiting it on Sunday, June 19th, 2022. I was there at 9:30 a.m. when the doors opened and remained till the closing time of 5:30 p.m. Furthermore, I could easily have devoted another full day to the museum without seeing it all.

In addition to a large number of free exhibits included with general admission, visitors can pay extra to see several other things. I paid extra for two of those optional items. I paid to tour a model of a coal mine and to tour a German U-505 submarine that was captured during World War II.

Since I had some experience with coal mining, the mine tour didn’t impress me as much as it probably would many others. But I still liked it.

The German U-505 tour fascinated me. It was informative and entertaining. In addition to the paid tour, large displays about the submarine can be seen free of charge. I devoted over an hour to viewing them before the tour.

Among many, many other things at the museum, I saw human fetuses in various stages of development with placards describing them. I stepped into a booth to experience 80 mph winds. I saw displays of the chemical elements with descriptions of them and their uses. I saw two train locomotives, stagecoaches, early automobiles, a street car, a large variety of bicycles from various years, a 100,000 watt light bulb, model ships with accompanying placards about the history of water travel, a large model train display with accompanying placards about the train industry history, and farm equipment.

I rode the #6 Jackson Park Express bus from downtown to 53rd Street, and I enjoyed a tasty, reasonably priced breakfast at Valois Restaurant on 53rd Street which opens early in the morning, before walking perhaps five blocks to the museum. Buses do go to within a block of the museum though.

Touring this museum was probably the #1 highlight of my Chicago visit. I urge visitors to Chicago to seek to schedule a day or two (or at least ½ day) for visiting it if their schedule permits.

The museum was excellent with plenty of hands on stuff The one negative is the submarine is an over priced extra and the language used in the narration was not suitable for young children although we did ask this question at the Time we purchased the ticket

The Science Museum is SO COOL! The big tornado feature and that tornado section IS THE COOLEST! The human anatomy section was also cool to. It is HUGE inside there. Parking is great, and it's a great place to bring the family and friends.

Beautiful building. Science and tech are not really”my thing”. Some of the displays / exhibits seemed outdated (circus).

Awesome museum. Loved the temporary 007 exhibit. Found the uboat and Blue Planet area fascinating and very informative. Lots of fun in the Mirror maze and weather area. So much to do and see, we spent most of the day here. Only negative was the food was very expensive for small portions.

Highly recommend this museum for families. There is something for everyone. Could spend 5-6 hours there. Great exhibits, some are hands on. Went to the special Spiderman exhibit. You have to pay extra for the special exhibits. It wasn't included in the tickets I had through City Pass.

Giant facility, lots to peruse. For me the captured U-boat was a highlight with an incredible backstory, and a large amount of detail and artifacts. Fried chicken sandwich from the food court was solid.

My wife and I spent about an hour and a half here and know that we didn't even see a quarter of what is offered! This place is HUGE and there is plenty to see without the additional "add on" exhibits.

We really enjoyed the train display as well as the Boeing 727 walk through. My only complaint about the train exhibit is that it is a bit obvious that the layout needs some attention paid to it. A number of trains/features were derailed or stuck, and there were several spots where we spotted some cob webs that needed to be cleaned up.

We can't wait to go back and check out all of the other exhibits to see there!

So going to a large museum in the summer school holidays was always going to be a busy time to go, but I think this was the most packed museum I’ve been to. Nevertheless it was well worth the visit.

Worth noting that a lot of the displays cost extra or you need to book a time to go in. If you’re keen to see a particular one that needs booking I suggest booking as soon as you arrive as you might have to wait a while.

The 007 display was with the extra ticket price if you’re a fan. We also paid to watch the D Day film in the Globe Theatre.

If it wasn’t such a hot day I’d have spent more time admiring the museum from the outside as it’s a beautiful building.

This is the best science 🧫 museum in the Midwest. Another thing you get go inside a United Airlines 727 plane ✈️. Also they have nice railroad 🚆 exhibit too . Lastly, I could go back again.

It was a fun place to go to. Lots to see. There was a coal mining, uboat 555 and other exhibits to see. Schools go there so keep that in mind when picking a day to go. It can get crowded with them running around. Definitely a great museum.

We stopped by here without kids for the first time and generally had a good visit. We were there during the weekday on a hot, hot summer day. The place was over run by kids from Chicago Park Board summer programs that had very little supervision and/or staff that would say anything to them. We were very disappointed by the number of exhibits that were not working the day we were there also.

Note that there really is now where to eat anywhere close to the museum so if you are in need of food you don't have choice but to eat at the food-court type area inside the museum. The food was good, but price was a bit steep.

A little far away (we took a bus and subway to get there), but a nice visit. We specifically went to see the Marvel exhibit they had, which was by far the best aspect of this experience. The rest of the museum had some interesting exhibits, but reads overall like a children's field trip location. The museum itself is HUGE, with a lot of floors/wings to visit.

Wish we'd have known beforehand that the food options at the museum were closed. We ended up subsiding on a vending machine lunch (since we were there for several hours). They had a few wrapped sandwich options as well.

This whole visit was so engaging and fun! It ticked all my boxes for interesting attractions. Even the exhibit about modern airlines had me learning things. It's an easy trip to get there on the bus, so it's nice and accessible even though it's a bit far away from other touristy things. I especially loved the two-story section about weather and storm systems.

I had so much fun at this museum. My favorite part was the U Boat. This was an extra paid ticket, but was so amazing. I also did the Mine Tour which was great. It is great for all ages!

At least a third of the interactive exhibits at this museum didn’t work. Given the price of the ticket, and the fact that you have to pay extra for some of the exhibits, the ones that are included in the base ticket price should work right. Also, virtually the whole museum was just dingy and poorly maintained/cleaned. We would not recommend going because it’s not worth the price and time.

I really liked two sections: the NASA room and the coal mine. In the first I was able to see modules, suits, various artifacts that were used in the space travel of the Apollo missions and in the second, appreciate how coal is extracted with a fictitious but very well done trip, inside a mine, traveling in train the galleries, while a guide explains how the machinery works and tells how extraction was done in the past. In other rooms I was able to see very attractive exhibitions that show everything from how tsunamis are generated to entire airplanes and trains, through samples on caring for the environment, technology that interacts with visitors to a German submarine from World War II. The museum has very appropriate sets to experience each section in an immersive way.

What an underrated experience this was! Can't believe this was my fourth time in Chicago and yet first time visiting this incredible museum. There is so much to learn and explore here. I loved the immersive exhibits like the submarine tour and the mine tour. I can't wait to take my history buff husband back to this museum. All the staff was incredible as well. I was lucky enough to attend a business- related party here so the crowds were not bad at all. I don't think crowds would be much of an issue, though, since they have limits on how many people can take certain tours at once.

Disappointed to find most of the exhibits inside required an additional fee. We did pay for the Lego exhibit.

This was a fantastic museum! Lots to see and so and learn. Loved the different experiences you could do. We loved the weather part and the seeing the baby chicks hatch.

Nice place, wish we could have experienced it without hundreds of kids running wild with minimal supervision from summer camps. Obviously myself and my teenage daughter knew there would be small kids when we visited, but to that level was something totally unexpected. I actually thought going on a weekday would we less people but I now think a weekend to avoid the many many summer camps visiting would have been better. Ruined the whole day, everything exhibit was yelling and pushing kids so we couldn’t hear / experience properly. The exhibits seemed good, from what we could tell. You need to book many of them ahead of time.

Excellent museum for families of all ages and big (but not too big) to get through it all in 3-4 hours. We visited the week in between Christmas and New Years and although Chicago itself wasn’t too busy, there were plenty of people at the museum. Due to covid, bring your vaccination card (or a copy) for entry. We really enjoyed the “Christmas Around the World” exhibit and it was definitely the highlight of the trip for me (mom). We purchased tickets through the City Pass - note that entry into attractions are available to the public at different times then what is available for City Pass holders. It was nice to use the pass as we got through the line quickly (opposed to those standing in line to purchase tickets).

This museum used to be really great, but is not worth your time or money anymore. Most of the attractions are closed, and the exhibits are broken or falling apart. Worst of all, the staff as a whole generally seems to dislike children and treats them almost with contempt. It’s very sad to see how much this place has gone downhill. We’ve been members for several years, but I doubt we’re ever going to spend another cent here.

This is a museum that my mother loved! She brought a group of middle school science students from Kansas via Amtrak every year. I'd never been; it did not disappoint! Great mix of exhibits for every age.

This experience for me and my 10 yr old daughter was exceptional. The drive up to the museum has a great view of the water. The staff was friendly and gave us great recommendations on the must see exhibits. There are so many things to see and be exposed to here. Anyone with children or even adults who enjoy science mixed with some history this is an awesome place!

So much to see and do. Kids ages 3&8 both loved it and didn’t want to leave. Lots of info for adults too. It would be a great experience with our without kids,

Can’t wait to go back! I’m sure we will spend another whole day here. So much to see. My kids love how interactive it all is.

We are out of town visitors. This museum has many exhibits and experiences children will enjoy as well a some exhibits that are likely best directed to adolescents and adults. I did note that group of special needs children were visiting and having a very good time. The museum was very busy, but not crowded. I note that the entrance fee seems a bit high and I suspect is not easily in reach of families with several children.

The museum is great but the people that work at the food courts and ticket place were just horrible, completely not friendly and angry to me and my family. We could just tell that was because we’re not American and just a few of us speak English.

This was the first time we visited the museum without our children and now our grandkids. We had a great time walking around looking at all the Christmas trees on display. Proving that this is for everyone of any age. Fun watching all the kids enjoying the museum at all the interactive opportunities. The museum was clean and friendly.

The Museum of Science and Industry is a humongous museum with some great exhibits that also left me overwhelmed and let down.

Overwhelmed because of the lack of organization. An exhibit about glaciers leads to one about bicycle history and then into a crime lab exhibit. There’s an exhibit with art by Black artists in several galleries. The featured exhibit is the captured U-boat, which is amazing, but the connection of these exhibits to science and industry (and similarly the Spitfire/Stuka aircraft on display) is tenuous. The organizing principle seems to be “where do we have room to put this?”

Let down because this is a science and technology focused museum that is obviously outdated and not well-maintained despite staggering admission costs. Basic adult museum admission is $26 and admission to all the extra ticketed exhibits costs an additional $52. At these prices, I expected a modern museum experience, but few exhibits seem to have been updated in the past decade and many of the interactive exhibits were broken, even though the interactivity is a key sell of the Museum.

The basic problem is that it’s a museum targeted to kids, who don’t care about how exhibits are arranged or whether they are modernized or everything works because they aren’t paying. But there’s got to be more of an effort to improve the experience if the Museum wants to be more than an indoor playground.

The Submarine U505 and the coal mine are great and there is much more of interest at the museum. You need a whole day to see it all. The exhibits were for the most part in good condition and working.

We had only three hours to visit this fabulous venue. We only made it through about a third of the options. The model train city was my favorite. If you plan to go through the mirror maze, don't even consider if you have a panic disorder! The aviation exhibits were great. Some of the options required additional fees (over and above the hefty entry fee, not mentioning the $22 parking ramp fee. Despite the cost this is a must see!

Kinda dated and a number of exhibits broken/closed. Haven’t been here in about 45 years and was hoping I’d appreciate it more now. Expected to see technology representing history of computers but not so. U-boat was really cool however. Still, overall a bit too pricey for what you get.

This is a really cool huge museum. We (mom and dad) and our 8 year old son really enjoyed it. Our favorite part was the U-505 Exhibit. It costs extra but well worth it. I really wanted to see the U-boat but I was wondering how the museum would feature a tool of war of one of our enemies. It was really well done. The exhibit celebrates the team that set out to capture and bring back a U-boat for the U.S. to study the technology. There are many things for kids to do. We did the mine tour. We didn't think it was worth the additional cost. We didn't do Pompeii or The Blue Paradox. We spent about 5 hours there and could have spent much longer.

Decided to spend the day at the museum and we brought snacks. Figured we would support the museum and buy lunch there. There were 2 adults and 1 child, we spend over $60. I would not mind if the food was edible. Chicken tenders were fried to the point they could break a tooth. The hamburgers were overcooked and the fries were soggy. The museum is so advanced however their food options are so bad, food trucks would be a better option. I would suggest leave for lunch and come back. Or bring your own lunch if you can. Museum Aplus, Food F.

Museum of Science and Industry...or Museum of Nerds and Geeks?

Railroads, airplanes, cars, bicycles, genetics, cloning, global warming, robots, mice, chicks, ocean pollution, endangered spaces, energy, boats, farming, history, and on and on...this is not for everyone, but it was for nerd like me! The coolest thing was the World War 2 German U Boat! The massive submarine was still largely intact and well restored. Seeing it from the outside is awesome, but to go inside you must take a guided tour which was $18, and so worth it for history geeks like me, especially since we had only 3 people in our tour! $26 for adult entry. Unfortunately this museum closes rather early at 4pm, even on a Saturday...should be at least 5pm?

We spent several hours in the museum today and would have spent more time there but it was closing time! We arrived before 10 A.M.!
Because there are so many exhibits to see, we only spent a minimal amount of time at a lot of the displays, while at others that we were more interested in we spent all the time we wanted. Many exhibits just peaked our interest when we saw them and we spent more time with them also. So much to see!
The building and grounds are very clean and beautifully decorated and maintained. The staff were all friendly, professional and helpful!
A couple of friends had said it was expensive to visit....it is well worth the cost, and really not expensive at all.
I loved the U-boat exhibit, so nicely done and so educational!

I would give it a 5 star rating and say it is a must see but our 12 year old granddaughter was not impressed. We were there less than an hour and it was like pulling teeth to mover her through the areas I thought were interesting.

Very busy, quite crowded but not overwhelming either. There is a lot to see and do. There are lots of interactive activities as well. My grandchildren loved it, my children loved it. Great day.

Traveling with 3 children age 5,8,11 all found something to do and have fun with at the museum. We stayed all day and still had more to see. (Teachers get in free but you have to register on the website and get a code but it is well worth it.)

I went to this museum not really knowing what to expect but knowing based on reviews I should take the guided tour of the submarine. When I bought my ticket at the museum, I added the U-505 experience, which is an extra cost. My tour time was about an hour and 15 minutes after I arrived, which was the perfect amount of time to go through the U-505 exhibit. The tour was EXCELLENT. My tour guide, Chris, was extremely knowledgeable. My group asked a lot of questions, and he had answers for everything. I highly recommend purchasing the U-505 experience that takes you through the captured submarine. It was well worth it! As for the rest of the museum, it is a pretty interactive children’s museum. All of the more adult interested activities are considered “experiences” which are behind a pay wall. This can get expensive rather quickly. I only paid for the submarine experience, which I loved, but left shortly after. I probably spent 2.5 hours total in the entire submarine exhibit, so the trip was worth that for me.

We went to the museum and were very disappointed to find that they charge a $20 entrance fee and $12 to see the coal mine and an additional $18 to see the submarine. You have to get timed tickets so be sure to get them early in the day to ensure that you can see both.
We had been here many years before and I don't think there were extra fees for these exhibits. I don't know how you expect a family to afford this wonderful museum. You also will pay $22 for parking. I can see charging a small additional fee, but I feel this was way too much.

When my wife and I, and 16 year old son, started planning a vacation, I said that I wanted to go to Chicago to see the museum of Science and Industry. Chicago won for our destination and so this was first thing on our itinerary.

We have been to hundreds of museums, they are always on our list of things we want to do where ever we visit, and this is one of the best museums we have ever been to. We spent the whole day there. It is impossible to list everything they had, from airplanes to a German WWII sub, science experiments, a train... it is a huge museum full of something of interest to everyone.

The only negative is that a few of the exhibits had an additional fee. I think one or two of these were included in our "City Pass" but we purchased that months before our visit and it was not clear what admission covered, one additional exhibit or not. So, for example, going inside the sub would have been neat, but I don't think we added that to our ticket, so we didn't get to see the inside of it (still the outside was cool). And even without the additional admission areas, it was still well worth the day we spent there. I feel like there was a lot we didn't get to see, so would be on our "to do again" list if we ever go back to Chicago.

The museum is huge.
With many attractions.
The boring thing is that some things are paid out.
Don't miss going to Numbers in Nature. It has a very fun mirror labyrinth.
Everything is very well taken care of and organized.

See the world’s only captured German U-boat (242 ft!) and real space artifacts like a Starlink ISS module. A must for WWII fans—great museum!

Absolutely love this place. Spent four hours here and could have stayed longer (we didn’t even do the tour of the sub or the coal mine but will be back for them!) Note that even if you don’t do the submarine “tour” you can still visit the exhibit so make sure you don’t miss that; we almost did. Kids ages 6/8/11 all had an incredible time. Very interactive and self paced. A good variety of exhibits too so appeals to a broad audience. We drove but it is a little bit out of the city so plan transportation accordingly. Look for deals using the city pass or if you have a membership to a local science museum in your own home town there is an extensive list of museums that offer reciprocal benefits so check that option out!

Avoid this place - it is a huge rip off! All the free exhibits are super lame. Every single good exhibit they want to charge extra for, on top of the $22 admission. We spent over $80 for our family of 4, and we would have had to spend an EXTRA $180 to see the exhibits we wanted. So if you feel like dropping $260 for a couple hours at a museum, go for it. You have to pay an extra $15-$20 for EVERT exhibit, each person. We didn’t want to spend extra $60 for alour 4 person family to see a single exhibit so we saw NONE of the things we were looking forward to. Because they were extra, we could not see the coal mine, the submarine, or the flight simulator. Those were the things we most wanted to see!! And the baby chicks are not on display a couple days a week, so you’ll likely miss those to.

We spent over $80 for our family of 4, and we would have had to spend an EXTRA $180 to see the exhibits we wanted. So if you feel like dropping $260 for a couple hours at a museum, go for it.

All the free exhibits are super lame.

Went to see Mesmerica 360 in the dome theatre. It was a cool experience and the theatre is incredible. Tickets however were pricey for a 45 minute show and we got hit with $20 metered parking for being there less than an hour. FYI seating is tight as the crowd get in here its very hard to navigate...if you have vertigo, be careful, get here early.

LOVED it! We decided to stop here on our way out of Chicago and we're glad we did! We'd planned for it to take maybe 2 hours but we were there for 3.5 hours and still didn't see everything. So many cool displays! We took our 2 teenage kids and there was plenty for them to enjoy and there is also plenty for younger children as well. The German Submarine was a highlight for us, we paid to do the tour inside of it and it was worth it. Very cool! There's a donut shop which was delicious as well as a restaurant for lunch/dinner. There's attached underground parking (which was appreciated in January!) for $22 per day.

My grandson who loves soccer just as much as, lectures enjoyed this museum for its interactive exhibits to reading about the others from the plagues about them.

Visited here with my wife and sister in law. We really enjoyed ourselves, my sister in law is a marvel fan so loved the spider man exhibit (extra cost), whilst my wife went to the cows eye dissection. I love WW2 history so absolutely loved the U-boat exhibit. Such a humbling experience to be on something so significant in our recent history (extra cost). The transport exhibit was fascinating with the model railway. We didn't have enough time to see everything as it closed by 4pm which is my only complaint. We came back the same day for the escape the museum event (extra ticket). We loved that you were able to go through certain parts of the museum after its closed and solve riddles but the bonus was that we got to go to the space section that we missed out on originally. All in all a really enjoyable experience, it wasn't too busy but I can see how it would be in summer but that's up to you when you visit, school holidays are busy wherever you go.

This is well worth doing. We went with the city pass which got us entry to the theatre too. We spent about 4 hours here and saw everything we wanted. We were particularly impressed with the submarine and James Bond exhibition. We went inside the sub for an additional fee, but it was informative and worth it. We got the metra line from millennium station and this was very easy. I would recommend buying the tickets on the Ventra app for the metra before you go. Overall, we enjoyed this museum and found it informative and fun. Would recommend.

This place is fantastic! You could spend an entire day exploring what they have to offer here. We loved the Uboat, Dome show, space gallery, and the Christmas trees in the hall.

This is an interesting museum with lots of hands on exhibits, and 10 years ago with young children this would have been amazing for us. Today it was nice but not really our thing. Again the hands on experiments are great but there are a lot of screaming children here. I loved the tornado and wave experiments. There is also a great train set with the skyline of Chicago. Again, this would be perfect for families with children or grandchildren. We were on a couples trip so just kind of nice.

We LOVE the Griffin Museum! This is always our first stop on our way into the city. Since it's a bit South and a little farther from everything we always make time our first day. They had a Spider-Man exhibit and our son LOVES Spider-Man. We dressed him up for the occasion. We always love the hands on experiences. We went on a Friday afternoon and it wasn't too crowded. Definitely worth the visit!

I’ve been to a lot of museums, in many different countries. This museum is BIG, but without some of the wow factors of history. Much smaller museums have more interesting stories to tell. Note: the 007 James Bond experience is good; albeit with an additional ticket ($22 each) to enter it.

This is an interesting and well presented museum. But since its qualities/pros are already well known, I want to list the cons I found.

1) The concept of charging extras is terrible; normally, it makes museums feel needy or like they’re not offering the full/best service to their public.

However, we decided to pay for the coal mine tour, since we had read that it was the best out of all the additional charge exhibits.

It was okay, although nothing too extraordinary. The guide was actually very enthusiastic and charismatic —explaining everything in an interesting way. Also, you get to ride a mine train for like five minutes.

At the time of our visit, the museum was at its full capacity, so I guess it’s understandable that not everyone could fit into this tour or into the U-boat tour. But, still, the museum is pretty big already, so I wouldn’t consider this a necessary addition. Actually, we didn’t have time enough to see everything in one day.

2) And speaking of the extra charges, they also charge for storage (wardrobe)!

The exhibitions, I can understand, but honestly I thought this was way too much.
You already paid the entrance, the least they could do is keep your backpack or coat for you. This is NOT a luxury; it’s a necessity.

3) I think the museum needs more order —or to follow a narrative sequence of some sort. Because some of the exhibitions feel out of place or like they come out of nowhere. Most of them are good, but one second you’re watching a plastic making machine and the next one you’re seeing old west wagons? It feels messy!

4) I’m not sure if this only happens during high season, but at least when we visited (last week of December), you had to schedule a turn to access some exhibits… which we didn’t discover until it was too late and was everything was already booked.

The girl at 'The Blue Paradox' kindly offered us to wait and see if someone didn’t make it in time so that we could get their places, and we were lucky enough to find four spaces available for us. I am beyond grateful that that happened, because it was my FAVORITE exhibition of the whole museum. I definitely recommend checking that out first thing! (and reserving a place as soon as you arrive, if needed)

Despite all these cons, I still consider it a really good museum. It is interactive, diverse and so big that it makes for a full day excursion. BUT there is room for improvement.

This place is huge and filled with interesting things. We were on a limited time budget so we focused on the UBoat exhibit. If you pay to go on the submarine, go down early. There are 30 - 45 minutes worth of cool exhibits to see before you enter the submarine. A great exhibit with a great story. The 727 exhibit, the trains and the weather exhibits were also excellent. The museum did not feel crowded.

We really liked everything we saw today. Have 3 stars because when we were buying tickets there were 5 or 6 exhibits that you had to pay extra to see. I am not into ala carte stops. I can inderstand maybe 1 exhibit but 5 or 6? Also 1 exhibit was closed for maintenance which was a bummer.

This museum was amazing. Not only did it provide many informative tours and exhibits, but it also was one of the largest museums I have ever been in. My family reserved three tours, the U-Boat tour, coal mine tour, and lastly, while not exactly a tour, the interactive flight simulator. The U-Boat tour was interesting and provided information on the conditions of German soldiers who were serving on submarines. The coal mine tour talked about the evolution of coal mining technology and the conditions the miners lived in. Lastly, the flight simulator was amazing. In this experience you and a partner work together to pilot a fighter jet and take down enemy aircraft. The interesting thing is that the capsule you sit in while participating in the simulation moves as though it was the cockpit of the plane. This means you might end up sideways or even upside down. Aside from the reserved tours, the exhibits of the museum where amazing. There is something there for anybody. While some may enjoy climbing into farming vehicles in the farm exhibit, others will like the train exhibit. Most of the exhibits have interactive elements that make the museum feel more immersive than other museums. The food here is also great. I enjoyed a Chicago style hotdog, but there where many other great options.

We were pretty disappointed with this museum. Our cousins came last week and loved it but we were in and out in less than 2 hours (with eating our bring in lunch). Luckily we got in for free with our local science membership. The museum building is awkward to navigate and claustrophobic compared to other local museums. It gets high praise but honestly I enjoyed the Henry Ford Museum back home much better.

Probably one of the most detailed and interactive museums I’ve ever been to. We had a great time spending most of the day here. Loved all the exhibits.

Such an amazing place, so much to see and do. We spent 4 hours and had not seen all of it. We were lucky to be there for both the Pompeii exhibition and the Christmas trees. A great place for all ages.

The museum is huge. Buying a ticket won’t get you access to all the exhibits though. There are special exhibits that you have to pay extra for.
Veterans and U.Chicago students get in for free with ID. We decided to try the Pompeii exhibit for our paid “extra.” Pompeii turned out to be rather disappointing. The “holographic gladiator” was nothing more than an image projected on glass that didn’t look 3D at all. Then there was the amount Vesuvius eruption experience. That was a virtual snooze fest, being just a movie projected on a screen with a wee bit of dry ice fog at the end.
It is poignant to see the casts of the people who perished, and amazing to realize they had invented glass by then. Otherwise, it was a “swing and a miss” for us.
There were other areas with interesting exhibits you could try as long as a group of kids from a school hadn’t taken over the exhibit first.
The Blue Paradox turned out to be an incredibly well done immersive experience that was free! Yes, it comes with an environmental message about recycling and not buying plastics, but it is very tastefully done. One room was made entirely of LCD screens (even the floor) so you felt completely immersed in the movie playing around you. Very cool experience!
As with all museums, several of the interactive displays didn’t work or were under maintenance, which made us sad. The older the display, the more items that didn’t work, it seemed.
There is a donut shop in the building that sells incredibly rich filled donuts. A “must try” if you like donuts.

A great variety of fun exhibits for both children and adults. Make sure to try the mirror maze and the hands on activities, especially the weather and physics ones.

I used to live in the Chicagoland area and had been to this museum many times over the years. My last visit was 2014. I recently had a chance to visit with my grandchildren and was very disappointed. Many of the exhibits now require a separate ticket, activities that used to be free once upon a time. The special Spiderman exhibit was a waste. But perhaps the most disappointing was the guided tour of U505. The tour guides are given a script which cobtains wildly inaccurate history. Aside from the discounting of US sub superiority during WWII, my group's guide stated that the US committed war crimes with the capture of U505. He tried to say the US was in violation of policy adopted from the Geneva Conventions (news flash--the Geneva Conventions did not occur until 1949). Disappointed that revisionist history is imparted on an international crowd who may not know US history very well or at all. So if you want to tour the boat, turn off your ears...better yet, during the Q&A ask the tour guide what year the Geneva Conventions took place. I wish I could get my money back!

A big museum, quite a schlepp from Downtown. It’s a huge place where the emphasis is on interactive learning not historical artefacts - the U boat and a couple of trains are cool (and worth the visit) but that’s about it. Main gripe would be on-top ticket prices for many things - take a family of 4 and you’ll be looking at around $250 to do everything.

Absolutely amazing place. We did the u-boat tour and the Pompeii exhibit. Mind blowing to see real Roman gladiator helmets and casts of the victims frozen in time. Our u boat tour guide was also excellent. The entire experience was A+. Visiting in February is a great plan to avoid crowds.

We were at the museum by 11 o'clock. It is beautiful, I visited it with my 3 adult children but it is fantastic for any age. There is so much to see ! What we didn't know is dt the museum closes at 4pm outside school holidays, we didn't get to see everything because of this. I would recommend going as soon as it opens because you can easily enjoy a whole day here! The price is also very good, it costs less than WNDR where you're out after an hour.

This is a really cool place. It was our last day in Chicago and my son wanted to go. I was a little reluctant because I didn’t want to spend my last day at a museum. I am glad we went. The Museum is huge and there are a lot of cool exhibits. I thought I would be bored after an hour or so, but two hours in I was still moving to new exhibits. This was well worth the time and money.

The museum is wonderful, BUT the groups of children make the experience very unpleasant. According to what I was told when I asked, there were 600 children. This is very unpleasant because, although they are children, they run everywhere, scream, and show no respect for other visitors. Nobody controls them. In fact, I left the museum early because the noise and disturbances were absolutely unbearable. Such a shame. They should warn on their website about school visits and their schedules to avoid this MAJOR inconvenience.

This was a perfect outing for family and out of town gas, the day after Thanksgiving. We walked around for hours, enjoying exhibit, looking at the Christmas around the world exhibit, and so much history that is shared, and learned through this inclusive experience.

Very disappointed. There’s lot of activities that are not included on the ticket. You have to pay extra for experiences .

This museum is the only surviving structure from the Columbia Exposition in the 1890s. It is a huge building, and at the fair it hosted artists from around the world. Today it is devoted to science and industry. It is a huge museum that you cannot possibly cover in one day. My wife and I did not even try.

But we did see the Lego 'artwork" of Nathan Sawaya. Amazing what he does with Lego blocks. From representations of historical master painters to wildlife and more. Thousands upon thousands of blocks used in the construction. Just amazing.

We also visited the U-505 German submarine and went inside for the tour. Amazing to think that 59 men lived and worked in this cramped environment. This was the only German submarine captured in WWII.

Although we walked though some other galleries, we really didn't stop to study them. This gives us impetus to come back for another visit.

Fabulous museum to visit, but a bit pricey especially for a family.

The museum was certainly interesting and spacious. We all found the U Boat exhibit the most interesting. The guide was excellent - enthusiastic and knowledgable. Sorry didn't get his name. I very much enjoyed the space exhibit. The transportation exhibits on the lower level were certainly interesting. I had seen the video in the mail railcar before on CSPAN.

The cafeteria area was spacious and pleasant. The food came from vending machines - I enjoyed a very fresh italian sub.

I wanted to buy a book in the bookstore, but didn't find anything really interesting. One book I would have bought for sure was a book on the history of the museum/the inner workings of the museum.

Given that the museum has the privilege of exhibiting the Apollo 8 command module, I feel more could have been done with that. I mean a larger area dedicated to the Apollo 8 mission. The signed "Earthrise" photo was excellent.

Very large museum, our visit lasted for 6 hours. There is an entrance fee plus additional fees for some of the special exhibitions. There is a wide variety of exhibitions ranging from women in science to global warming. The WW2 German submarine is striking. We took the number 6 bus from downtown Chicago.

My dad, my kids, and I visited the museum. It was very accessible for my dad. Lots of elevators. My kids loved all of the games on activities. I highly recommend this museum.

A place not to be missed. Lots of see and do. Our grandkids took the Coal mine trip and loved it. We enjoyed the house of mirrors, the trains and the circus.

The core museum is not very detailed or interactive. Most of the other exhibits require an extra ticket. We didn’t know you have to go to the exhibit ahead of time to reserve a time for that exhibit in the future, so we missed a few of the exhibits. Some were also closed.

If you’re excited to see the U-505, be aware that they charge extra for this too, and they charge extra for the coal mine. You might not get to see it if you don’t buy another ticket early enough.

The museum was interesting although some exhibits looked a bit tired. I think the price was outrageous since you pay a lot for general admission and on top of it you had to pay a lot for additional exhibits. We had buyers remorse the next day, after dropping $600 (family of 4) on this museum visit.
Be sure to plan ahead as it's a very large museum and to get from one area to another is a lot, especially if you have to come back for some of the paid/timed exhibits.

Interactive, informative and interesting for kids through adults. We all learned tons and could have spent a full day here. This is a "must see" when in Chicago.

What a GREAT museum! So much to see, and so well presented. We were keen on touring the U-505, the only German U-Boat captured in WWII, and we were not the least bit disappointed by it. Other science exhibits were beautifully done and often breathtaking, like when the actual Boeing 727 directly overhead suddenly drops its landing gear. And as a fan of HO-scale model trains I was particularly pleased with their immense and gorgeous layout, which I could have stared at for an hour. We didn't even see a third of the other exhibits, and are keen to go back if we ever visit Chicago again.

10 year old son loved this and so did we! Loved coal mine tour and flihjt simulator for extra experience. The science storms was very cool. He loved the u boat exhibit. I loved the blue paradox and human genome exhibits. Everyone loves the movement in motion and space center

Incredible experiences and attractions. Much to see, learn and reflect for all ages. You will spend more than 3 hours here and you can eat in its cafeteria.

This was a cool place to visit. There was so much to see & do. Great place if you have kids. We were adults and enjoyed it. Especially the U sub 505 that you can take a tour through. That was my favorite part of the museum. A lot of people recommend 3-4 hours but we spent the whole day there and could've spent more time there. We enjoyed the U sub 505, the you project (human body exhibit), antique cars/trains, Earth Revealed, Fairy Castle, and Ships. The Blue Paradox was okay but I didn't find it amazing. There were other exhibits that outshined The Blue Paradox. Overall, highly recommend. We also got lunch while there and there was a lot to pick from such as chicken strips, chicken sandwiches (crispy & grilled), pizza 🍕, lunch meat sandwiches, salads & soups.

Give yourself at least a full day. There are several floors and many exhibits, plus special tours. Some exhibits are interactive so it’s a good place for kids and adults. We did the Coal Mine and U-Boat tours. Both were interesting and informative, although the tour leader of the U/Boat spoke so fast we only heard part of the presentation. The Coal Mine required climbing several flights of stairs to get to the entrance but thankfully for us old folks, there is an elevator which an employee can take you up in. There was a special exhibition called “Art Of The Brick” (Lego Art). Which I was very impressed with (pics below). For lunch we ate in the cafe; burgers and fries, but there is also a selection of prepackaged salads and sandwiches.

Our 5 year old is very much into engineering, we came to the museum 2 days in a row because he wanted to see everything. It was worth paying twice.
The website advertises exhibits (there’s a lot) for extra costs. I recommend not buying any ahead of time unless there’s a must see for you. When you arrive you can just buy the exhibit tickets there, although occasionally they sell out or you have to go at a later time. We went on a Weds & Thurs.

This is a great place to visit for people of all ages.
There are many interactive exhibits and each one worked!
It touched on agriculture, science, technology, history, and a host of other topics.

It was also interesting seeing the last remaining building from the White City.

I was there years a go and I REALY enjoy the the experience. This time I could not believe how much they NICKEL AND DIME you to DEATH 21.95$at the door+12.oo submarine+12.oo for coal mine +15.00 lego more money for kids spot +more money for a ride near air plane. I will never go back and I will tell about my experience

I came here during Christmas, so there were trees from all countries decorated to each culture pertaining to the country. Decorated for Christmas and did not disappoint. The displays were amazing, the model trains, the colorful stairs. buy tickets online or in person. cafeteria and food onsite( rather pricey) but worth the experience. We took public transportation( CTA buses) and looked around the area; Japanese garden and lakes surrounding it were very nice. Obama center being built nearby so there was construction when we went.

This was such a fun museum. We had a great time. This was our 3rd visit in the last 12 years. The only complaints I have are the cost of the cafeteria food & that you have to pay separately for the other events such as coal mine.

For a first timer never being here before it was crazy so may things to do and see but the submarine was my favorite part of the visit

It was so fortunate to visit the Museum while the Pompeii exhibition was there. I believe it will be there until early September but does require a special timed ticket.
I had visited the Pompeii site in Italy but this gave the history and culture of the people, as well as some excellent films that explained the geology and volcanic activity. It takes 2 hours to see everything but so worthwhile.

The German submarine exhibit is awesome. Parking was nice and close. We got lucky and it just happened to be free day. Always something new to see at the museum and too much to see in one day.

Our second visit and we thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot stress enough how wonderful the U-505 exhibit is. It does cost extra but if you take in the videos in the beginning, read the descriptions on the photos you will feel quite honored to have toured the actual U-Boat. Just as interesting is how the museum built its current enclosure around the submarine.

I have visited this museum a few times between 1977 and 2021. Every visit was preceded by a visit to the Deutsches Museum in Munich. I keep wanting the Chicago MSI to be the Deutsches' equal, but as the years go by, it appears to fall farther from the mark. It was supposed to be patterned after the museum in Munich, but it is now a bit infantile (geared for middle schoolers with short attention spans). It also seems that the place has gone overboard with political correctness. Science is neither politically correct nor incorrect. Just the facts, please. The new (to me) submarine display and the model train exhibit were the only features that far exceeded expectations. Overall, it was a disappointment. The curators of the Chicago MSI need to spend lots of time in Munich - then they should come back to Chicago and try again.

Fantastic Visit! Definitely need more than 1 day in this place! The rates are a bit high, but there are a variety of things for everyone's interest!

We went here today—spent 4 hours but could have spent so much longer (except the baby needed a nap!). The kids play area was SO fun. The cafeteria offered some great healthy and lighter options compared to most. The other highlight of the day was the train display—so cool!

We were here in July 2025 and although several exhibits were out of service, we still found plenty to enjoy. Our favorite experience was the fighter jet simulator but we also found the Tesla Coil arc show to be exciting. There are lots of interesting things to explore and you could easily spend several hours being entertained and engaged here. The train exhibit was fun to see; there is an historical steam engine, a diesel engine, and lots of models racing around a giant track.

We wanted to see the new Spiderman exhibit and the U boat, but when we arrived, it turned out to be a lot more! From a full-size airliner to an operational Tesla coil, this is a visual and immersive experience. A huge model railway will keep you entertained, while sections of preserved human bodies will pique your curiosity. When we were there numerous groups of school field trips made it difficult to do some of the activities, but overall it was both fun and informative.

Really enjoyed our day here but found it irritating to have to pay for so many of the “extra” exhibits. We did the flight simulator which was $16- (and a waste of money. ) The maze of mirrors was really fun and we loved the nature by numbers exhibit. The submarine and train exhibits were also really good.
Hated the baby exhibit- it literally made me sick to know these were real babies, I couldn’t go thru it and got out of there as soon as I realized they weren’t fake.

We visited on a wet, rainy day. It was nice to be indoors.
The museum is super interactive for children and there is a vast selection of exhibits across three floors. I didn’t manage to see it all within the four hours we had before closing.

My husband loved the U-505 u-boat exhibition and paid the extra to see inside. It’s amazing to think this took part in WW2 and the story of its capture and subsequent tow back to port in the Bahamas was enthralling.

I enjoyed the electric car section alongside the Chicago railroad and the genetic engineering provoked some moral questions.
We opted not to spend extra money to do the Coal Mine exploration but overall had a good informative visit.

We went to the Griffin Museum specifically to see the "007 Science" temporary exhibition of gadgetry used in the James Bond film franchise. As a former CIA employee I am a fan of and have seen much this material on display in museums around the country. This particular exhibit does a good job of telling the story through the lens of technology, making the point that Fleming's books and the visualization of his stories on film, often previewed emerging or horizon technologies, many of which are commonplace today. That said, much of the interpretation relied on the granular fine text in the labels. I would have sought a way to bring the character of "Q" to life in some fashion to narrate the story in a visual and interactive way and better tie it together, rather than relying on narrative text to make the scientific points. The graphics and AV are generally pretty good. Noticeably absent among the vehicles on display is the most important of them all, the Aston Martin DB5 from "Goldfinger" which has been on view elsewhere. I also would like to have seen the storyline include attention to how the stunts and exotic plots and locations in the Bond films pushed the envelope on motion picture technology.

The Griffin as it is now known is a very old school museum trying to catapult itself into the 21st Century and offerings like the Bond exhibit are a great way to do that. There's absolutely a need for imaginative kids to be able to climb into trains and planes, and newer permanent exhibits with modern graphics and interactives explore forward-looking topics like climate change. On the day of our visit we saw lots of happy families having a great time, and that's the best review any museum can aspire to.

Props, too, to the museum sending out an email on the day of our visit providing GPS instructions to take us directly to their parking garage. Well done.

They need to add “Children’s” to the title of this museum. This retired couple was less than impressed. Lots of kids interactive that you would find at a children’s museum. Lots of food options, elevators and stairwells. Very light on actual interesting displays. Not so interesting for mature adults. Lots of closed areas. We enjoyed the upgrade to tour the U boat. Otherwise, not worth the entrance fee for us…

It is more of an exhibition of popular science for teenagers. The U-boat is very good, but the World War II exhibition hall has too much text content and lacks relevant objects, making it rather empty. Too many small exhibition halls that require additional tickets will affect the experience.

This museum wis one of my favorites. There is a lot to offer. It reaches out to all ages. It is fascinating. I loved everything that is close up and the aeronautical was really cool. My husband and I went to this with other business associates. We all came in from all over the country and we all enjoyed it and plan to return. We were there a decent amount of time and still didn't see everything we wanted to.

For a city supportive of DEI, this experience is not equitable nor inclusive in that you need to be a millionaire to afford the best exhibits. At $26 to get in, you must pay another $12-$17 per experience (e.g., 007, U boat, flight simulators, movies, which were all excellent). This cost our family over $300. The 'free' exhibits were subpar (e.g., plastics, ispy, etc.). Go to Washington, DC, where the museums are free.

If i could give it negative stars I would
The place is barbaric and inhumane. There is an exhibit where chickens are hatched from eggs and then as soon as they are big enough to be food they are frozen while still alive and fed to other animals. It is repulsive. I can't believe any parent with a sole would pay this place money and support this

Half a day (or even a full day) isn't nearly enough time to experience it all. So many hands-on experiments for the kids, such as making your own tornado. Get there when it opens to enjoy having some of the areas to yourself. We were especially impressed with the coal mine tour - real mining equipment and our tour guide, Austin, was very engaging. This is definitely on our list again for when we next return to Chicago.

Very interesting museum, we enjoyed that it is interactive and educational, my son likes the chicks hatching and the space section. I enjoyed the 007 special exhibit and beating my family on the relaxing brain waves game.

I cannot say enough. I have been three times over the years. MSI is one of the world's great science museums. The U-505 exhibit is outstanding - large, comprehensive educational and the chance to walk through an actual WW2 U-boat is wonderful. Don't forget the enormous scale model railroad with minature Chicago and Seattle.

I love how you broke everything down so clearly. Your writing is always so easy to follow. Thanks for this great content!
pisogame

Our family’s first time here. Very cool museum, has a little bit of everything. My teen and young daughter loved it. Definitely worth checking out if in Chicago.

Pompeii exhibit was awsome. Really well done. Informative and way less expensive than a trip to Italy.

This is my 3rd time here since the mid 1970's. The major difference is that now, they have constructed a new exhibit enclosure for the U-505. The sub is beautifully displayed and now pays proper tribute to the that salvaged the sub. This alone is worth the price of admission. As for the rest of the museum, I found it a little lacking and I really didn't care for the pay exhibits (U-505 interior and 007 exhibits.

Very interesting and interactive museum. We spent almost an entire day there to get through everything. The coolest things there are the storm areas. Learned a lot and had a ton of fun activities, especially for kids. I also really enjoyed the airplanes and the cool little model they made for the trains. The Black Creativity exhibit was better than some of the art at the Art Institute. So much talent!

Great museum. Our ten year olds loved it. We all liked the U-505 exhibit. We got there about 1 and found out that it was not enough time.

We came to see the Christmas trees, which was a nice event to do with the kids. Their play place (Idea factory) is open again, and the kids really love splashing the water about and playing with the balls. The tornado cabin is also open again, and the kids loved experiencing that. There's lots to see in addition to the trees, so you could easily spend a day here. Plus, they've got underground parking, so no matter how terrible the weather, going to and from isn't a problem at all.

Be sure to reserve admission tickets, and if you want to visit any special attractions within the museum, best to book those also.
This is a popular spot for school tours, be prepared for lots of youngsters.
The location makes it more difficult to visit but well worth the ride out.
We particularly enjoyed the U-boat tour, one of a kind. Worth it in advance to look up the movie now only available on YouTube: Attack and Capture: The Story of U-Boat 505.
Also did the coal mine tour. Interesting history lesson.
Food availability a challenge as the hours of the cafeteria are very limited. The vending machine prices are outrageous.
Great place to wander. We did find a number of areas frozen in time, for example, the bicycle exhibit has nothing after 2013 as if there haven’t been any advances since then!

This museum is enormous. So many fascinating exhibits and interactive features. Takes several hours just to make a dent in all it has to offer.

The kids there loved it. My mom saw Colleen Moore’s fairy castle in the 1940s and was amazed. She asked my sister and I to see it and let her know if it was still amazing . It was. We saw the German submarine- kids running and interacting with the exhibits. It was a fun day

We went with a 2 yr old , 3 yr old, and a 13 yr old... This was such a good time. We kept busy with the exhibits for almost 4 hours and the kids were exhausted by the time we left. Great for a rainy day visit. So much to do and explore.

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. I’m so glad we had purchased a City Pass so it doesn’t feel like a huge waste, but I absolutely would never have paid full admission pricing for this place. Everything is super outdated, old, and many of the interactive experiences are completely broken. Don’t waste your time on the joke of a “moving experience/ride” that somehow costs extra either. Horrible graphics and not fun at all. A few of the exhibits were interesting, when the interactive features worked, but overall the experience was extremely disappointing. While we didn’t bring the kids on this trip, I can guarantee you our kids would have been bored very quickly with the dated and non-working equipment. Then, to top it off, the staff is extremely misinformed and there’s a clear lack of communication. We were sent upstairs only to be sent back downstairs to then be sent back upstairs. Then, before the museum even closed, we walked by an area we had already done to pass by and a very rude employee practically yelled at us that the area was closed for the day—we weren’t even walking in her direction. We proceeded to ask for directions to where it was we were trying to find, and she flat out REFUSED to tell us. Her exact words were “well I’m not telling you where it is, because I think it is already closed right now.” Entirely inappropriate and rude. I’ve worked in hospitality for YEARS at large tourist destinations and I would NEVER flat out not give directions. We won’t be back and I honestly wish I hadn’t wasted my time.

Have an 8 and 9 year that were enamored with this place. The fact that almost everything is interactive and hands on was so thrilling for them. I was the one getting burnt out and ready to leave and I had to tear them away from the exhibits. We were there for over 4 hours and still didn't see everything. I would have passed on the coal mine tour. We had city passes so we got a movie with it which was cool in the theatre and we didn't pay for the sub tour but you can still see the submarine for free. After being in Chicago for 5 days and seeing EVERYTHING, this was my daughters favorite thing. We brought our own lunches, happy that they allow it.

I wanted to leave a comment about their customer service. I had brought a water bottle and left it in the bathroom. By the time i remembered we were leaving and it was gone. Sounds silly but it was an expensive water bottle and is fantastic. I went to the lost and found and she didn't have it but said that things get delivered at the end of the day usually. She called me the next day and said they found it, I offered to stop by on our way out of town but she said they would mail it to me no problem. I got it the day after our trip and they paid over $10 in shipping to get my water bottle back to me. I was shocked. I will be making a donation back to the museum for much more than that. They went above and beyond.

This was possibly our favorite museum in Chicago. The entry charge was very reasonable (versus the exorbitant 'tourtist' entry for the aquarium ) Especially loved the 505 WWII submarine, the Zephier, and the space exhibits.

We opted to see the MSI last weekend because of the rains. And that turned out to be a really good decision. We booked the 1 pm slot and got there a lil later so that dint leave us with a lot of time inside. Very educational experience. The interactive exhibits were a lot of fun. The toy maker exhibit was closed, would have luved to see that. And by the time we got to the flight simulation and VR experience it was 5PM and they were closing the counters. Having done the flight simulation activity at the Intrepid museum in NY, we were really looking forward to it, so it was rather disappointing to have missed that. We really enjoyed the Science storms exhibit and the mirror maze.

One of the best museums I’ve ever been to. They have a wide range of exhibits here, including weather, health, trains, farm tech, space, world war 2, and more. A lot of the exhibits are interactive which was a lot of fun, even as 2 adults. Admission is very reasonable for a museum this size; we only paid about $50 for both of us to get in. There are extra paid exhibits, but we didn’t do any of them and still had a great time.

The museum is extremely well laid out. Many of the displays are interactive and do a great just of teaching you how & why systems work. The museum is clean & up to date.

Lots of the interactive parts were broken. Lots of talking videos and reading signs. Wasn’t as interactive as I’d hope. Learned some cool things :)

MSI is absolutely huge and you definitely need to make an entire day out of it. We liked the Tesla Coil, Chick Hatchery, Extreme Ice, the Mirror Maze and the U505 Submarine the best. I took my teen and tween and they were entertained & hopefully picked up some new knowledge as I know I did.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t been anywhere since our last family vacation in 2019 (thanks pandemic) but I found that MSI is bonkers expensive. The price of admission was fine, but the extra tours were overpriced. $18 a ticket to tour the inside of the Submarine for what was less than 30 minutes. The tour guide was awesome (shout out to Max) and I learned a lot, but I felt the cost was a bit much. The Coal Mine, the Bricks exhibit, the Giant Dome theater were all extra. So, for 3 of us for admission and only the Submarine tour it was $106!
I spent time thinking how I felt that the pricing could make these experiences out of reach for some people so it would be nice if admission either included one extra or if they just made the extras a little more affordable.
We did get lunch there and spent $35 for 4 hot dog, chip & pop combos. Later on I did get the kids a scoop of ice cream which was large and reasonably priced for $3.99.
We took the bus there from our hotel and that was very easy so do not be intimidated by public transport!
If you are choosing between the Field
Museum or MSI I would choose the Field Museum. Glad we went here and experienced it though!

The museum is absolutely huge and can easily spend a full day here. I think we only covered 25% of it in 2-3 hours. Lots of hands on activities for the kids. Great value for the price of admission.

This museum has a lot of interactive exhibits and is decently interesting. We took my 11-year-old and he was probably a little too old. He liked some of it, but some wasn't his thing. All that would be fine except it's so expensive and there are a lot of things you miss with general admission! Tickets are a lot, food is sub-par and also expensive, and parking is super expensive. $22 for two hours -ish and no EV charging. How off-brand for a science and industry museum to not have any EV charging! Personally, I would not go back, but I could see how someone with younger kids (and their own food) would enjoy it more than I did.

There are two new exhibits which shouldn't be missed. The Blue Paradox is an excellent exhibit detailing the perils of plastics and possible solutions. The 007 James Bond exhibit has many of the cars, boats and other gear used in Bond movies with videos that detail how some of the stunts were done. Many of the gizmos made by Q were way ahaead of their time.

Loved exploring this museum one afternoon in Chicago. The trees in the Christmas Around the World exhibit were beautiful and the descriptions/traditions explained very interesting. I loved the miniature train, was mesmerized by the pinball machine and weather exhibits. Colleen Moore’s fairy castle was my favorite-so beautiful and intricate! Loved the museum gift shop and found it very affordable. The only negative is this was a bit removed from downtown and kind of costly to take Uber or Lyft. Great value for families with kids.

Everyone in our family has STEM careers so science centers are our favorite museums, and we have visited many across North America. This one is probably the best.

First, it is a massively huge and there are so many different exhibit halls. Wear the most comfortable shoes possible! The exhibits are across all areas of STEM and appeal to all ages. There are some that are clearly more geared towards children while others are for adults. This was wonderful for us because we wanted to focus on content rather than hands-on activities. There was a tremendous variety and blend of the two. The exhibits are modern, clean, and have clearly been well-maintained. Many are unique and those were fascinating as we have never seen such exhibits before. The U-boat and Fairy Tale House (yes, it is fascinating and not juvenile) were two of our favorites.

There were several exhibits that required an add-on fee, which was a bit disappointing, but the entrance fee is less than most other museums and there are package options. We knew that we would not be able to see the entire museum in one day, so we didn't add any additional exhibits. Consider purchasing a family membership which provides admission to other museums across the country.

It is not exactly conveniently located and will require either a car or public transportation. Helpful hint - there is a bus from the Mag Mile. Easy and inexpensive. $2.50 exact change.

If we visit Chicago again, we will definitely plans to visit the museum and see the exhibits we missed. What a wonderful museum!

The LEGO exhibit was one of the the most amazing exhibits I have ever seen. I was floored. Overall the museum was magical and please do not short change yourself with time. I will return time and time again. Outstanding

If you have never been to a Science and Industry museum, this one ranks as one of the best. If you have been (we've been to many), you may still want to go on a rainy day even though some of what they display will not be new to you and see what is unique here. My teenaged kids LOVED the James Bond exhibit. They were also VERY INTERESTED in the UBoat. Younger kids and non-Scienctists will enjoy the Mirror Maze and Fairy House.

Loved this museum my whole life but has gotten way too pricey. Electronic displays often dont work. Parking pay machine did not work. The only good thing about the price is that kept the crowd low. The james bond feature is like going to a car museum. Its great if your a fan but 18 is high for what it is.

Have not visited in a long time. So many interesting exhibits on each floor. Parking garage was close and an easy walk to museum. Maps provided explained with everything was located.

This place is amazing! so much to see and do. We did some of the extras like the submarine and coal mine. We needed longer there so i would go back. My 12 year old loved the weather section. You could leave your coat and bag for $3.00 per item, which was handy in the winter! recommend uber to get there as it's a long way out of the center of Chicago, but i saw buses stopping outside. Book extra tours in advance!!

I have been visiting this museum since I was a child, but not for many decades. The museum is still my favorite in the world and the exhibits are very nicely done -- the ones included in the price of the ticket. The cost had become prohibited, especially for a family at over USD50 per person to have access to all exhibits, as some are charged for individually of the main entrance fee. I remember it being for free, but those days are no more. A bit disappointing with such a high entrance fee.

Enjoyed every moment of the visit, especially the chemistry area, the u-boat exhibition and the meteriological areas

A huge museum with tons to see and do. Give yourself at least 3 hours. Classic mold-a-rammas are located throughout the museum. The coal mine tour is really cool and worth it. The Sun tour sucked, don’t waste your time.

This is a great interactive museum. Although a bit off the Museum Campus it is worth the ride to get there. There's a lot to learn & experience. We went by bus from downtown. Good food court.

Really enjoyed the Lego exhibit! Truly amazing what different kind of things that where built from statues to replicas of paintings! Lots of other cool stuff to see such and the forces of nature area that had a tornado and another exhibit that explained tsunamis.

Really great museum! Extremely interactive! The docents were so kind and patient with our five year old son. We ate lunch on site and it was delicious!

The museum is huge. Don’t try to see it all in one visit. We did the vortex exhibit, transportation, coal mine, and the mirror maze. It was plenty for one visit with a five year old.

The only drawback is that so many exhibits are extra money.

We loved how IMMERSIVE this museum was! From seeing vintage trains and planes, to learning more about the world around us and how physics works, it was great fun for all ages of our family! This place has something for everyone! The food court was super unique as the foods are locally sourced and vended from a machine, but still super fresh! We spent HOURS here, and it was an amazing experience! If you are going to only one museum, make it this one!!

Took an Uber here early afternoon so we could spend as much time as possible. Well worth the visit. Would have rated a 5 if all interactive exhibits worked... Lots to see and do so our two hours weren't enough. Took the CTA back downtown which takes a bit longer, but it's easy to maneuver and a good way to experience Chicago beyond the Loop.
Tip - Frank Lloyd Wright Robbie house is within walking distance so you can easily do both while also experiencing this part of the University campus (where the house is located). We had a nice lunch at nearby Medici.
Per our Uber driver, the Obama Library is under construction nearby so there will soon be another attraction to explore here.

On first entering the museum, the sights were very impressive, the hanging aircrafts, the massive train, the hanging space re-entry pod, but there were many displays out-of-order. One example is the chicks display. No baby chicks to be found. So there was disappointment that maintenance didnt take an important role at this museum. Every exhibit was extra money. We paid for the Pompeii exhibit. But it was mostly videos explaining the volcano eruption and some real and not real relics.

We paid $80 for two adults and believe it was not value for money spent. Disappointedly left early at 3pm.

The museum has a lot to see and do for all ages. We got there at 10 on a Friday, and had about an hour where it wasn't too busy. As the day went on, it was almost impossible to do any of the interactive exhibits because it was so crowded. Many items were closed or were under repair. Be prepared to do a LOT of walking. We did the VR trip and, though short, was one of our favorite things because we had never used vr before. Tip: park in the south lot near the museum. You'll walk about 5 minutes and save $10. Also, reserve your spot at the patterns in nature/mirror maze. It is free but you need to reserve a ticket. The exhibit was cool and the maze was a lit of fun. Hold your kids close, though! One turn and you will get separated.

This was a must-see for our Chicago trip because of the U-Boat exhibit. We bought timed entry tickets and exhibit tickets ahead of time. The U-Boat was fascinating and we really liked being able to actually go inside of it. We also saw the Science of 007 exhibit (additional purchase) that was a lot of fun. We also enjoyed the car exhibit. This place is HUGE and even a full day wouldn't be enough.

The only downside was large crowds of children and teens on field trips. At one time they actually blocked access to the restrooms. They were also quite noisy, which didn't bother us but could bother some folks. If I go back, I'm going on a day less likely to have large crowds like that.

Wow, this is a really cool museum! We took the kids (5,7) and they had a great time. The place is really big and had lots of cool exhibits. The kids loved the Idea Factory and the storm science sections. The ice exhibit has a block of ice the kids could touch. The submarine exhibit is really impressive. They have a nice food court where we went for lunch. We spent almost the whole day there as there was so much to see and do. Highly recommend. Fun for the whole family.

The museum was informative and not as commercialized as most. They surprisingly did not have anything to commemorate the Worlds Fair that the building and park area were originally built for.

Probably the furthest south of the main Chicago museums. It's another very large space split into 3 main floors. The have a paid coat check, whick I very much appreciated.

They were have a Christmas 🎄 from around the 🌎 special exhibit. Plus they had a massive train set based around the Chicago landscape. There was a coal exhibit. There was a large weather and science exhibit. Upstairs there is an exhibit on the human body and one on chemistry. In the basement there was a fairy castle, a space exhibit, a couple of cars, and some boat models.

Probably my least favorite of all the museums I visited. It was fun, it was just geared more towards children. Nothing wrong with that. It was worth a visit, just didn't wow me as much.

Overall a 4 star review. Would I return? Probably not.

This museum has so many interesting exhibits it’s almost overwhelming! Plan for a full day. Start at the top, there are lots more interactive exhibits there, then work your way down where there are so many fascinating rooms. We paid extra for the coal mine tour which was interesting, but there’s so much to do that’s included in the price I’m not sure we’d do that again. Maybe wait until later and decide. We saw lots of bored children who certainly didn’t want to stop and read all of the information. I would definitely recommend this museum to anyone visiting Chicago!

Great museum with something for everyone. Hatching chicks to U boat.
The U boat exhibit was my favorite part well worth the extra fee. You can walk inside an actual captured German sub from World War II. The guide was knowledgeable and provided great info about the crew and the story of capture. The pre show portion as you approach the boat is well done and interesting.
When you first walk into the huge room with the sun it is nothing less than impressive.
There are other exhibits of planes trains and automobiles not to mention space capsules. Plan to visit for at least half a day.

A museum full of interesting attractions. Easy to turn and walk. The interior spaces are so many and people disperse. A day well spent.

A good museum more geared to younger crowd. If you go during week, go after 1 if crowds of kids will affect you. Don't buy food in cafeteria, especially the Tuna sandwich. Our sandwiches were awful. Bring your own food!!

Well the previous reviews were right. There is SO much to see. And a lot of interactive stuff although some were broken. I'd have to allot at least 2 full days to see it all. OK - I was on a budget and did not pay for any of the "extras" which looked REALLY cool, but I still had to kind of "rush" through but absolutely enjoyed what I did. I parked along S. Stony Island Ave which did not have any parking fees (at the time, always check! ) Sorry Griffin but parking was a whopping $22, however I did get a little stuck in some school traffic to the north at Bret Harte Elementary School. So I'd park heading south if I go again. If you enjoy museums, or cool looking stuff, you'd probably enjoy this one for sure!

This Chicago trip was a museum and tourist week. This was THE best museum in Chicago. The U-Boat exhibit and the inside tour of the U-Boat were both OUTSTANDING! Highlights of the trip! Highly recommended. Although I have no idea why 3rd and 4th graders was taken to the U-Boat exhibit on school or summer camp outings.

Every exhibit that isn't in a huge hall now has a separate reservation on it. And, on a crowded day, every one of those reservations will sell out, fast. Planning for this museum is as frustrating as Disney. Then, some of the exhibits are plain-old broken, like Toymaker, or frequently partially offline, like storms and Jollyball. It adds up to a very frustrating day, even for members.

My visit to the museum was amazing I didn’t get to see all the exhibits because it was a huge museum, I loved the Pompeii exhibit and the dome movie theater made the movie feel so realistic I watched Everest witch was probably the best movie there that they showed there and there are a couple interactive parts witch are fun. 🙂

Hands-down, this is one of the best museums I've ever been to! I've been to many of the Smithsonian Institute museums in Washington and other museums around the world. This ranks right at the top, because of its interactive nature, fresh exhibits, and variety of content. The fact that they have an actual original German U-boat from WWII is really impressive! Definitely a must see while in Chicago, especially for families!

The u-boat is big and impressive. Enjoyed the tour. The science of waves was cool. Espy was fun. The Swiss train was great. Only sampled

The exhibit of U-505 was unbelievable! They did the best job possible. I also saw the D-Day movie in the huge theater. I was disappointed. You would do just as well seeing it on a small screen.

This is a huge museum. It has an actual submarine im it. Its the one of the many galleries to enjoy. You need the day! We took the train. There is so much to do. We used our city pass. There are some exhibits that are additional cost like the art of brick, coal mine exhibit. Definitely need a map to get through all the galleries. We enjoyed the science behind the tornadoes and hot air balloons. We loved the train and model of the city of Chicago and Seattle. There are genetic chicks, extreme ice, circus theme, castle...it just goes on! There is a cafe and designated food areas. There are restrooms onsite. Its one of the best museums we have visited

Great interactive museum. Highly recommended and educational for children, but also exciting for adults. The prices take some getting used to, as each extra event also means a nice amount extra. We had a nice employee at the cash desk who put together the time sequences for the individual events for us super. Super Service.

The Museum of Science and Industry is like a playground for curious minds. It's full of cool stuff that makes science fun and easy to understand. From hands-on activities to mind-blowing exhibits, it's a must-visit for anyone who loves learning in a super cool way!

This museum is strickly for kids and families with young kids. The submarine (U-505) exhibit, antique cars, IMAX films, and the Apollo 8 command module were the only exhibits that most adults would find interesting. The worst thing about this museum is that there are several other exhibits, which seemed interesting by their descriptions, that each charged extra for you to see, after already paying to get into the museum.

This is a great museum, but it is being loved to death. There is a lot to see, but you will be competing with scads of others who want to see it, too. It's also more than a little pricey.

We visited this museum on a rainy Sunday and realized it would be crowded, and that it certainly was. We were interested primarily in the U-boat and in the James Bond exhibit, but wanted to see other things as well.

Wow was it crowded. We were able to see the U-boat, which is great with lots of explanatory material. We couldn't go inside. There is an additional fee and it was sold out anyway.

The James Bond exhibit could have been a lot more. The premise, we thought, was how the series used science, but the materials were dumbed down. I think there is a good/intelligent story about how the series and technology influenced each other. But it wasn't told well here. Jet packs? Supercool, but the description was superficial.

The cars, which are indeed terrific, were the best part.

We had lunch here, which was actually not bad, but kind of expensive. Plus it was crowded and the signage wasn't all that great so it was confusing where to sit.

We saw things we liked here, and were glad we came, but cost and crowds were unquestionably an issue. Try to come here on off hours.

I went sometime around 9 years ago so this review is a bit dated. Just to show that I went a long time ago, they had a myth busters exhibit which was cool. They was some really neat stuff here and the architecture on the outside is beautiful but in my opinion, this is best for taking kids to. This is in no way saying this place was bad but just a recommendation on going here.

We visited on July 5th and purchased the extra ticket to see the Pompeii exhibit as well as general admission. This was our first trip to the MSI as we were visiting Chicago from the west coast and wanted to see a building that was original to the World Fair. The interior is all museum now - nothing about their history - still a great experience, but don't go there expecting to learn any history about the building itself.

The Pompeii exhibit was really well put together, interesting and a little sad. The molds of the people who are forever frozen in their last seconds of life are slightly creepy. The ash, etc preserved everything. Highly recommend a visit while its still there. We did not think we could pay any extra for the other exhibits, so missed out on the submarine and other extras.

The cafeteria is overpriced for what you get. Far to expensive. If you can pack your lunch and bring it with you, I'd recommend that.

The wing where the space exhibit is was one of the best things they had imo. Lots of cool older exploration vehicles and a little taste of the present.

Our favorite part of the day was when we simply walked around the entire building outside. It was muggy and warm, but the exterior of the museum was amazing. I'm not positive its all original to the way it looked during the worlds fair but...just a really cool structure. Be careful of the hissing Canadian geese in the back by the pond though! lol

In July, we took our two grandsons (5yo and 7yo) to the Museum. I can not speak highly enough about the amazingly wonderful time we had! We live out of state and belong to a ASTC museum that has reciprocity with MSI. We emailed ahead of time, emailed proof of our ASTC membership and tickets were emailed to us. Saved us time of having to wait in line to get tickets.

We got there as soon as the Museum opened (930am), immediately headed to the third floor and began our adventures. We had the whole floor to ourselves for approximately 40 minutes before people began wandering upstairs.

We've not been to MSI for about 15 years - I can not describe the changes that have been made in this time - the museum is clean, interactive with great exhibits. Our two grandchildren excitedly ran from exhibit to exhibit. Some of the exhibits were too old for them but that was fine - there was more than enough for them to see that was good for their ages.

We spent 4 hours at MSI - we had expected to do about 2 so having the kids be engaged for 4 hours at a museum was a great win for all of us!

We brought a back pack with water bottles and snacks. There was a small eating area where we were able to sit and relax until we got our second wind.

It was an amazing day! We're already planning next year's visit!

The purpose of going to the Museum of Science and Industry was to see the Christmas Around the World Tree display. This did not disappoint. However, there was so much to see without paying the admittance fee for certain areas. What an enjoyable three hours we spent there. Workers were so helpful in answering questions. I would definitely go back. We took a bus to this museum with no problems whatsoever.

It’s always great to come back here! There is so much to do! Definitely a must see while in Chicago. The location is a little far from downtown, but otherwise, it’s great. This is definitely a place to spend 3+ hours in.

Could spend days in this place, lots of things to see, and it is HUGE! It is a bit pricey getting into the museum.

Nice museum. Clean and well organized, but far too many signs to read and space wasting rooms. The submarine exhibit was very good, but an additional charge to enter the submarine exhibit. $20 to park my car, $27 for my single lunch, $3.50 for my coffee, a $12 charge for the virtual reality exhibit, and I don't remember if I had to pay for the imax movie, but all of this on top of my admission price to the museum and the $28 in toll roads. Honestly, the museum simply was not worth the price.

We traveled into Chicago for the day to experience the Pompeii exhibit and the Blue Paradox exhibit and we were extremely pleased with both. The Blue Paradox exhibit is absolutely AMAZING!!! One thing that I would suggest is becoming a member. One of our family members became overheated and we thought we would need to leave early but we found the members lounge and that was a lifesaver. The air conditioning was fabulous in this room and allowed our family member to relax and cool down. There were comfortable chairs and outlets for charging devices if necessary. The room also has a corner with kids items to play with. It truly is a benefit to become a member. Thank you to the staff of the museum for thinking about the members and their needs.

My daughter got us tickets for Thanksgiving Friday. I was expecting to be mildly amused but mostly bored. Wow! Was I wrong!

We viewed the exhibit on James Bond movie technology which was thorough and engaging. Took a few pictures on the phone and sent to my nephew. He enthusiastically responded: You have to go see U- 505!

On our way to the boat, we walked through the Boeing 727 airliner on display and marveled at the unique airplanes in the exhibit.

On to the U- boat . Come around the corner into the exhibit after a very fine historical overview, You are overlooking the bow of this World War II submarine. Again, the presentation on the history from both sides was incredible. They offered a tour of her inside- which was a little pricey- but totally worth it.

Our tour was capped off with a walk-through of The art deco locomotive and the tour of the model train exhibit.

I heartedly recommend this museum for all ages

We got there just after opening and left as it was closing. One day is not enough to see it all. My daughter's boyfriend, a real rocket scientist, totally geeked out. He's not a guy of many words but when I asked him about the U-505 tour, he gushed! He, my husband, and daughter took the tour, not my thing. My husband and daughter first saw it when the indoor exhibit first opened and had to come back. They all loved it. The space area where they have models of rockets, for us was kind of meh- for that we have Kennedy Space Center to see rockets and a space shuttle but they don't have a submarine, everything else was great. Wish we had time to go to all of the exhibits. Once again this is a "don't miss place"!!!!

This was a great experience with son and grand kids. He had been there as a child and now to experience it with three generations was great. Even though we got there later in the afternoon, we were able to take in the highlights of this museum.

It had been over 30 years since my last visit to this museum. I was happy the WWII U505 German U-Boat was still available- I was disappointed you could really in peak inside now as opposed to being able to board the vessel- I guess preserving it is probably a good idea!

Would not recommend this museum. Many of the exhibits were down for maintenance. They charge extra for so many of the exhibits.

Great fun! You get to see some very interesting and fascinating displays. It’s always worth the trip. There is so much to do and look at. From the planes, trains, tornadoes, and real displays of human anatomy! It has something for everyone. Highly recommend you take about half a day at a minimum!

This museum offers hands-on, interactive exhibits with endless opportunities to learn and have fun doing so.

Had a quick weekend in Chicago and while looking for something to do during the day, my husband stumbled upon this museum, specifically the U-505 exhibit. The museum itself is massive, with tons to explore with your general admission ticket. I was a bit bummed that it was extra to see the Pompei exhibit, so we skipped that one, but did pay extra for the tour of the U-505 submarine. I strongly recommend booking tickets in advance on line - I had forgotten and we ended up waiting a bit longer than anticipated for an open tour of the submarine. Live and learn, ya know?

The museum overall was fantastic, and the holiday display of all the different Christmas trees from around the world was really beautiful.

The museum is vast, with a sufficient variety of exhibits that everyone should be able to find things to interest them. We enjoyed a tour of a real German submarine, a coal mine, an IMAX movie about Michael Jordan, a farm exhibit, a train exhibit, a glacier exhibit, a decent lunch in the food court and more. We gained entry using our family membership to our home science center, and paid only for extra things - submarine, IMAX. We arrived when it opened and stayed until it closed and still missed the wind tunnel and other areas.

We went here on a weekday, and it was extremely chaotic due to the many young children there on a school trip. There were very few children who were just there with their parents or adults without children.

The lobby, which was at the lowest floor, was pretty empty when we arrived. It seemed calm. After buying our tickets, however, we took the very long escalator up to the food court level where there was a cacophony of children. The two exhibit levels were also crowded with young children and extremely loud. Many of them enjoyed the lightning demonstration where it seemed like the demonstrator encouraged them to scream very loudly.

We left the museum earlier than we planned because it was just so chaotic. Many of the exhibits that had interactive elements for guests were not functional. For example, it would say to press a button, but there wouldn't be a button.

The overall museum seemed more geared towards children than adults. If you are a group of adults, The Field Museum would probably be more interesting to you. I would also advise against going here on a weekday because you won't know if a school will be visiting. If you have kids, it might be a good experience on a weekend.

This is a must-see place! If you come to Chicago it is a must visit, a place where you learn and have fun like a child!!!

The museum was fun and interesting to explore. By far my favorite part was the U-boat 505 tour. Ethan was our guide and he is an amazing story teller that really brought life on the boat and the day of capture. Highly recommend!

Since we have an annual science membership back home, we can visit tons of science center for free in North America.

We had a day to kill in Chicago took our 2 young kids, they loved it. There’s tons to do with young kids.

It’s too bad the hours of operation is so short during weekdays.

This place is great! I took my almost six-year-old, and he had an amazing time. So many cool exhibits and things to see.

My only complaint is that it already cost enough money to get in there and then there are multiple exhibits inside that you have to pay extra for.

They also have a nice cafeteria. Again it’s expensive, but that’s what you find at most museums.

The Museum of Science and Industry has an excellent collection of permanent & temporary exhibits covering all kinds of science. Plan on spending an entire day at the Museum if you want to get to all the galleries and some of the special exhibits. Some of the highlights for we were:

* Pompeii special exhibition, with both displays of life in the Roman city and how it was destroyed ~2,000 years ago.
* Huge model train layout with scenes show the industries on the lines from Chicago to Seattle; the model of downtown Chicago was particularly realistic.
* Captured German WWII submarine U-505; covering both life on the sub and how the US Navy was able to capture it.
* Historic Burlington Zephyr streamlined train.
* Collection of space travel artifacts; particularly the Apollo 8 space capsule.
* How storms - particularly tornados - form.

All ages will enjoy this!

We spent about 4 hours in the museum. A bit annoyed that we had to pay extra for some of the displays. Really enjoyed seeing the German U boat displays

We had such a great time, it was immersive and fun and entertaining. Definitely try to do the Notes to neurons exhibit. A few of the fun things to do were under maintenance so it was kind of sad because we are only here for a few days. The chose your adventure by experience was fun, you just don’t get to pick what you do. We just so happens to get free admission so we weren’t too worried about expenses. But f your in Chicago for just a few days even definitely drop by for a few hours.

From the Giant Dome Theatre exploring Mount Everest, to experiencing a Coal Mine, a day in the life of an astronaut, taking a glimpse into the years of 1939-1945 between Germany and the US and walking in a real U-505 submarine to tornadoes, tsunamis and Christmas trees around te world, this museum has it all! The most interactive experience I have ever been a part of! Could have stayed another four hours, but had to get to Union Station to catch a train (where I’m writing the review) . Do yourself a favor and put this one on top of your itinerary list

Amazing place. The kids even liked it. We saw the Pompeii exhibit, it was so good and well exhibited. We want to go back.

This place is amazing. Be sure to go on to the submarine, See the James Bond card and amazing theater for the D-Day movie. You will need to plan on a good part of day to see everything. Really enjoy the small train displays as well.

Don't miss when you go to Chicago!

I highly reccomend the Museum if you travel with the family. It is a good way to spend a day. I reccomend to check in advance which attractions require an additional ticket and buy it in advance. Must Do in Chicago.

Took my wife here on a trip to Chicago and had a fantastic experience. This has to be one of the coolest places to visit while in Chicago and the staff there was helpful and friendly. For those of you that say EWWW Chicago there are a few great places there so don't miss out on this one.

Super cool model of the Chicago city, with trains to Seattle! Many experience are interactive and fun -- tornado, rainbow, fire, ice, mirror maze etc

Awesome place for kids. Loads and loads to see and do. Visited here when there was a Lego exhibit. Oh !!!it was amazing. It’s so so huge. The kids loved every aspect of it. Lots to learn for everyone. Interesting things to see. Lots of hands on things too. Some require tickets it good to get it in advance since it gets sold out. Lots of parking in the museum. A must visit.

My teenage son and I could have spent the entire day here! We sprung for extras including the 007 exhibit - WORTH IT! We saw families, singles, young and elderly all enjoying themselves. Can’t wait to return with my husband and daughter!

My elderly mom, niece and i went to the MSI Christmas Around The World exhibit. Was lovely and joy-giving. Good lunch at the Museum.

I did not enjoy this as much as similar museums in other cities. Tornado movie was good, but may be frightening for children. The restaurant was fair as you would expect.

TL;DR: MSi* has a lot to offer. It is probably the best family friendly museum in Chicago - almost every exhibit is built for kids first, and I saw a ton of families and more importantly, a lot of kids enjoying the exhibits (even if some weren't really taking the info in). They will be tuckered out by the end of the day because of how much there is to do. But I'm not sure if I'd go super often as an adult.

As a solo adult who went there and planned what to do based on what the website listed, I was a little disappointed at how nebulous MSi's definition of "exhibit" ended up meaning. Some, like the temporary Christmas tree display, the James Bond upcharge gallery, the math pattern one, etc. felt like truly self-enclosed experiences, as there was a lot of information and stuff to look at.

Others were kinda just a thing with a sign: the Swiss Jolly Ball, the Whispering Gallery, the NASCAR Ford Mustang. Others ended up slightly letting me down by being somewhere inbetween - something you go to, walk into for a bit, go "oh, huh", read for a bit, and then leave. United's Take Flight didn't have much to offer outside of the surprisingly little amount of information in the plane - most of the exhibit is basically a kid's plane-themed play area. Yesterday's Main Street seemed really cool but had no information - it seems to literally just be a 1800s Main Street for fun, I guess.

Other exhibits did rub me the wrong way a bit - either because of the sponsor's influence, or because the MSi budget prevented the exhibit from being something more than it currently is. Mold-A-Rama seemed cool... until I saw them wave away concerns about the plastic being made from "petroleum" because it's "used in other products like plastic bags". Like if you don't care about the environmental impact why even put that in? Who is that serving? And why have Mold-A-Rama sponsor an exhibit the floor below The Blue Paradox, an exhibit about the impact plastic is having on ocean life? Is that not a little odd? For that matter, the exhibit also looked weirdly cheap - the room was half empty.

One of the newest spaces at MSi is their Studio* - which I correctly clocked as an attempt to have a teamLab / Illluminarium type space, but educational. That's a good idea, but someone needs to actually give MSi the budget to make these types of interactive art pieces / films in a quality way. The opening exhibition in the Studio* is Notes to Neurons, about how music affects the body, and it was... odd. The closing film collage was unintentionally hilarious because it seemed to be random stock footage spliced over public domain music - even though they did have recognizable songs in one of the rooms, they seemingly couldn't license anything so had to settle for "Amazing Grace"? They couldn't commission a Chicago-based musician to make anything else?

There are parts of MSi that also need some refreshes. Toymaker 3000 has most of its tech stuck in 2000, even though I did see people both my age and double my age pointing out parts of the process they recognized from their experiences with automation and CAD. The U-Boat exhibit is a little... strange. The queue and setup feels like a theme park ride and that feels so fundamentally inappropriate for what it is - especially in a post History Channel WWII doc world. Parts of MSi are also backrooms-esque - the corridor when you leave the Blue Paradox to get back to the Rotunda was filled with the remains of holiday pop-ups and looked ghastly - and I think that's because there's just too much space in the building to use efficiently.

I don't have any beef with this museum, despite what I mentioned here lol. I did have fun - much more than I did going to Adler, which I thought was a much bigger letdown in comparison. But I'm content with having MSi as a once-a-year visit, or somewhere in that sphere, vs. anything more frequent.

*I will save you the effort of reading the full legal name of the main donor who bought the naming rights - you will thoroughly get your fill of reading his name when you get there.

When I was 10 years old my grandmother took me to see the Museum and I wanted to see the new improved Museum, I was not disappointed. I was amazed with the U-505 was now completely enclosed but the interior was closed. When I was here the first time, I got to look through the periscope. I still got to see through the periscope this trip, but it was lying on its side next to the sub. The United Airline Airplane that's on display reminded me when flying was still fun and an adventure. The Burlington Route Passenger train was also great since dad was a conductor for that railroad and we used to ride the train from Chicago back to Montana. There is just so many exhibits to mention here so you just have to go see it for yourself. This is a not to miss attraction!

This museum was an awesome experience. We were there from 9:30AM until 3:00PM! I recommend going early, as the place got busier as the day went on.

We paid extra for the coal mine experience and the U505 (sub) experience. Both were worth the extra cost. David was a great guide at the coal mines!

We did feel like the motion simulator was a waste of money if you'd been on a plane before.

We had lunch in the cafeteria area. It was not overly priced and they serve a variety of options.

We enjoyed every minute at this museum, and if our legs and minds had held out, we could have spent much more time here. My advice: don't rush, just come back again!

Absolutely a must for the visitor to Chicago! The U505 experience was stellar and cannot recommend enough. Staff was helpful, so much so that I became a member (and I don’t even live in Chicago!).

Our visit was ruined by the noise of busloads of school kids running around and screaming. Even with foam earplugs, the excited voices and reverberating echoes were unbearably loud. I asked a MSI employee and they said this is how it is every day. The level of information in the exhibits is grade-school and somewhat dated; dumbed down and gamified. The best exhibits require an extra fee each, bringing the total cost of a ticket to more than $100. A huge ripoff IMHO. Science & Technology museums in other cities and in Europe are much better than this commercialized playground.

Went with wife and 2 grandkids (13 and 8). They were the priority and they both loved it, especially U-boat, planes, simulators, huge train table, farm exhibit. So much more they wanted to do but time ran out. 8-yr old girl just as interested in this museum as the 13-yr old boy. Cafeteria food was reasonable. Museum layout is complex. Study the map. Free wheelchair was provided.

I have not had this much fun in a while. The drive there wasn’t the best but it was definitely worth it. Everything was so interesting and was never bored. Food was good but prices were pretty high.

We were looking forward to visit this magnificent museum and we were not dissapointed. The museum is huge and full of interactive things to learn from. We enjoyed the tour in the U-Boat U505 very much, lots of info from the guide and you get a look into the life of the crew of this boat. In total it took us about 4 hours inside. We came from downtown Chicago and took bus 6 from Wacker. Despite the explanation that our bank passes would work when paying the bus, it didn’t. Not with the debit card and not with a credit card. So we paid cash. Be aware when paying cash, you can’t get any change back.

The best museum in the Chicago area for all ages and interests. Lots to do, lots to touch, lots to explore from a really wide variety of themes in this museum. Once you find your way (got confused with the color coded stairs) the exhibits are laid out just so - so you can go through them without missing anything. Obviously the best exhibit is the German U-Boat - need to book in advance for the special inside tour. You really need 3-5hrs to do the whole thing and we really did not miss anything.

Overpriced museum experience- all of the exhibits that I was keen on seeing required additional admission fees. I ended up only seeing two of about five exhibits that I wanted to.

The Museum as a whole is a bit disconnected . Some might say it’s an effort to show a variety of exhibitions but there is enough here so you can skip over things that do not interest you. Then there is the UBoat 505 exhibit ( be sure to pay for the interior tour). If you are a WWII buff this will blow you away. Very very well done. Made the museum well worth the trip

We didn't have car so we took the 55 bus which took us right to the door. This museum is 1.2 million square feet and is the largest Science Museum in the Western Hemisphere. We spent almost 6 hours here on Sunday. The most impressive exhibit was the U-505 German Submarine that the US Navy captured in WW2. A whole wing is devoted to it. There are interactive exhibits for all ages. The staff was decorating dozens of Christmas trees, each represent a world country. That exhibit was opening this weekend. I would love to visit again. It's a truly amazing place!

The Art of Brick was an unexpectedly amazing viewing of how legos can be used to make reproductions of masterpiece. The exhibit on the Russian sub from WW2 is also amazing. Also check out the history of the bicycle. These three exhibits are only a few of the gems in this huge museum chock full of opportunities to learn about biosciences, physical sciences, history, and culture.

Like the majority of the reviewers the main complaint is the HUGE number of school kids..they make an otherwise enjoyable trip to the museum difficult. The other complaint is the number of interactive displays that don't work. Probably 30 % don't work Also, if you're going to eat at the museum a turkey sandwich is $14 and a bag of chips is $4 ...if you're bringing your 2 kids be prepared to spend a minimum of $60 for lunch.

Loved it here – it’s everything you want a museum to be. Where else will you find a U-boat you can see up close, a giant train set and an indoor twister in the same place? This place makes history and science come alive and can only be commended for it.

MSI is just great. Our 15 and 10 y.o. girls loved it. I want to give a particular shout out to Zach, who led our tour of the U-505 submarine. WW2 is ancient history to our kids, but Zach brought the story to life with digestible information and dashes of sharp humor,

MSI during a pandemic... overall, it was a fun day. We had been to Shedd Aquarium the day before and learned our lesson about how to dress for comfort with the current mask mandate: wear a short-sleeved shirt and lightweight bottoms, no matter how cold it might be outside! Beware, too, that numerous displays are inaccessible right now due to COVID, not all of which were listed as closed on the museum's website (no watching chicks hatch today!). I had really wanted to do the "Numbers in Nature" mirror maze and knew that we would need to get timed-entry tickets for it, but what I didn't know was that early-in-the-day tickets would get claimed so fast. If you want to hit that exhibit, make a beeline for it as soon as you arrive in order to snag the optimal ticket time for your visit. The "Art of the Bicycle" exhibit was simple but one of our faves. Food court is currently under construction but I was satisfied with the temporary "Holiday Kitchen" food court (meatball sub was tasty and huge for the money!). A final note: for as many hands-on displays as MSI offers, there weren't a ton of hand sanitizing stations. If that's a concern for you, be sure to bring your own sanitizer!

The museum is educational and there are lots of interactive displays. You definitely need a whole day to see everything, or at least half a day if you don't plan to go into the timed exhibits. We were lucky on the timed exhibits where they let us in early because it was not full. Some exhibits cost extra but you can certainly enjoy the museum without paying for the special exhibits. It is disappointing to have so many paid rides in the back where they could be displaying more educational exhibits... but I am guessing the museum needs the extra revenue.

It's a science museum in suburban Hyde Park.
Highlights of the exhibition include the real Boeing 727 jetliner suspended in mid-air and the real German submarine U-boat, also displayed on a purpose-built basement floor, both of which will wow you with their majesty.
Other exhibits are also interesting because they explain the mechanics of science in detail.
The museum is conveniently accessed by the 10 museum-bound express bus from Watertower, which runs on Michigan Avenue on the Magnificent Mile and States Street in the Loop area.

This is a fantastic museum! It has been my favorite since I was a child and I still like to visit every time I visit Chicago. On this trip we saw the 007 James Bond exhibit which had a lot of fun props, clips, and background on the Bond movies over the years. It was well organized and presented. It looks like the Jolly Ball display has been updated a bit since our last visit, but it is always captivating.

I can remember going there in the late 50s to 60s. Can you believe kids would get in for free then. Different times. My friends and I would go any time we could scrounge up a buck. The place was magical for children. Don't miss the coal mine! U505 is a must. But everything is a spectacle. If you don't spend a day you missed something. I go back to Chicago now and then, always make it a point to visit.

Museum to spend the whole day. Well set up, structured, didactic, with great hygiene and food support.
It covers practically all aspects of mobility, from bicycles, cars, aeronautics, ships, space travel.
And several other areas such as mining, agriculture, etc…
There is also the German submarine U505 captured in the Second World War, with all the history of the fact.

Toasted cheese sandwich for 7.50. Two slices of limp damp not-quite-toast, one slice of processed bright yellow soft sludge pretending to be cheese. The whole thing (production cost 35 cents max) completely revolting, actually inedible, markup 22 times. How could such a fine museum make such a bad decision?

This place was huge & spectacular. We didn't know about the underground parking so we parked in the lot, used QR code to pay, $20 for 4 hours. You don't enter at where you think you would instead at street level you go through doors then down stairs. There is the ticket sales & gift shop. You head up the escalator to enter the museum. 3 of us were there 4 hours & we didn't see everything. For me the coolest part was the submarine & the glass cases showing the different body sections. Would love to come back & spend more time here someday.

We went for the Antarctica film and Holiday Trees around the world. We loved the film and the tree displays were well worth the trip. There weren't too many people because of the spaced entering tickets required.

I had visited before some years ago and was still impressed with all that was there to explore. If you have a busy day you can go for the last few hours of opening for half price.

The only downsides were that a few exhibits were not open (I missed the chicks) but there was still a lot to see and do. Some exhibits required an additional payment so we only did one of them. I think most should be included in the admission price.

An afternoon well spent, followed up with a walk back along the lakeshore.

This is one of the best interactive museums I've been to. There is so much to do and see, everything is presented well, very hands-on (lots of hand sanitizer available!), and fun for all ages. Be sure to leave at least three to four hours! My only downsize is that the parking is expensive. We found a lot across the street that was about a 10-minute walk and MUCH cheaper. But even if you use the museum lot, it's worth it!

Just make sure you don't miss anything! There are lots of nooks and crannies that have great stuff.

You could spend hours at this museum which houses an array of interesting exhibits and interactive experiences. The museum is located south of downtown but is well served by bus routes. On the visit it was busy enough but never felt crowded. It’s well worth taking the tour of the U-Boat - one of only four remaining. There are good exhibits on transport, space exploration and various weather phenomena too. The one downside would be the additional cost for some of the exhibits/experiences over and above entry fee which could add up.

I’m not sure why they even charge you to get in when you have to pay extra to go into most of the exhibits. We were very disappointed in this museum for this reason.

Not having a science brain, I came here with some trepidation, but I needn't have worried. I agree that it's very much geared towards children but I think that's a positive.
However I found all the noise confronting from both displays and school groups rushing here and there.
Fairly acceptable cafe food and clean toilets.

Really clean and nice exhibits. The new Cafe is really nice and the food and service from the staff were absolutely fantastic !

Really cool and impressive museum. Lots of good and many huge exhibits. The submarine was the highlight for me. Had a terrific tour guide named Alicia for my sub tour.
Museum is clean and spacious and easy to get to with public transportation.
Wear comfortable shoes because there's a lot of walking.

There are many things to do at MSI we explored the mirror maze it was lots of fun watching people walk into the mirrors. Another fun thing was the YOU exhibit. The shocker was funny and there were lots of games. One of our favorite games was using brain waves to move a ball. The last exhibit we visited was called STORM there you can create a tornado or a tsunami. There's a giant Tesla coil on the ceiling, it is very loud. There are so many things to do at MSI.

This place is amazing. I was honestly blown away. It's huge- you will not finish in one day. It's exhausting walking around that many hours too. The U505 exhibit is a must do. I had no idea of the story of that submarine. Fascinating! Note though - it may be tough for anyone with mobility issues and you can't bring a stroller onboard. The exhibit about plastics in the ocean was fantasticly done in terms of technology and a/v. I don't think I learned anything new per se though. Hopefully, kids coming to the museum will pay attention. The health of the planet is up to them. Adults have done so much damage already! I would advise bringing snacks and food. There's tables where you can eat. The closests place to eat is around a 12-15 minute walk. I only knew where to go, because I went with a friend who lived in the area and she told us. It's a bus ride (#6) from Milllenium Center area. Definitely go !

This was excellent for grade school and adults. It’s a lot to take in! We have to go back to see more since we only did one day trip. We really liked all that we saw. Read the website and plan your top 3 exhibits/experiences in advance. Then, make reservations if/as needed as soon as you arrive. The check in desk was amazing. The staff were friendly! They made our reservations for Coal Mine and Idea Factory. Both were great. Idea Factory is really for children but adults need to supervise. All ages in our group enjoyed the music exhibit, “Notes to Neurons” and the body exhibit, “You! The Experience”. We will definitely go again!

Great place for children of all ages to learn about science and history. Great exhibits that change with the seasons. Highly recommend

Wow!! This is a great museum for all ages! From the super cool U-Boat to the Blue Paradox exhibit on plastic pollution, there is something for everyone. We loved it! Plan to spend at least 3 hours and you probably won’t see it all.

We went the week before New Year's and it was very crowded. We couldn't enter many attractions because it was sold out or it was due to time and it was already full.
There were several parts that were closed or that were not working at 100%...they should lower the price accordingly.
But what we managed to see was interesting and the children liked it.

I'd read plenty of good things about this museum and it didn't disappoint. This place is huge. To put it into perspective, it features an entire WW2 German U-Boat without even trying. You can easily spend an entire day day and adults and kids will enjoy.

I'm only knocking off one star because I think it's a bit much to be charging extra for some of the areas. I get it for things like VR simulators but the tour of the U-boat should have been part of the price. It gets very costly if you want to see several things.

But if you accept that, this is one of the best museums you'll visit.

We visited with friends and their 2 year old, so was not expecting much or to get too engrossed by the exhibits. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety on show, as well as the levels of detail for both kids and adults alike. The hands on science section was fabulous and second to none. I was so impressed by the information and the interactive nature. Probably my favourite attraction in just under a week in the city.

I think this might be a fun museum to visit if you treat it like Disneyland. Which means plan ahead and expect to spend alot of money. We paid $150 for four of us to enter the museum (and see one of the dome shows). Once inside we discovered that all the special exhibits cost extra money. The next tier down exhibits didn’t require extra money but they did require a timed entry ticket- but too bad! They were all sold out for the day by the time we got to kiosk at 1pm. So ultimately we basically only got to see the stuff in the main hallways which was frankly not worth the hefty admission price. The movie was $12 for 12 minutes and was just meh. The best part of the day was the 2 minutes we spent in the mirror maze (the one timed admission ticket we were able to secure). So, if you are strategic and do a lot of planning beforehand and have a lot of money to spend this might be a great museum. But do not recommend for a casual drop in.

Museum was good as museums go but the highlight was the 505 Submarine. Do not cheap out ( it is an extra fee ) because it is well worth the extra cost to see the submarine and take the tour I only gave it 4 stars out of five because the fee to park was excessive. 4 tolls to get there, expensive parking and then entrance fee and then submarine tour fee. I was an expensive day.

Really fun experience, lots of very interesting exhibits. The human body, storm, Biospere, and submarine exhibits were all amazing. Huge museum so pace yourself.

Love this museum, something for the entire family, every floor is packed with wonderful exhibits. Make certain to see the submarine. It was raining on the day we went; no problem because they have clean and well-lit underground parking!