Chicago on a Shoestring: The Museum of Science and Industry

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Wednesday was the last day of our mini vacation to Chicago. We packed up all our stuff and got an early start because we had one more attraction to hit on the way out; The Museum of Science and Industry (www.msichicago.org).

This was another cheap activity for us, because of the reciprocal admission. This museum also has lots of unadvertised free parking. If you follow the signs to the museum's parking garage, you'll pay $12. However, if you drive around to the back of the building, you'll be able to access a free parking lot off of Lake Shore Drive. There were plenty of spots available back there even on a busy day at the museum. You'll bypass the main entrance and enter through an door marked Space Center, but there are ticket booths at that entrance as well.

If you don't have a membership, I also found that there was a coupon in the Chicago Book of Great Values for this museum that you could take advantage of.

I wish we had gone to this museum first. It was by far, our favorite one! There is way too much too see in one day. If we had gone earlier in the week I would have made a point of coming back a second day. This place has a lot to keep young ones occupied. There was a play area that reminded me of the Children's Museum, it even had a similiar water exhibit.

It had massive bright green John Deere tractors that children and adults could climb up into. I guess they were life sized, although they seemed bigger to me. I never realized that farm equipment was that huge in real life. There was a chick hatchery where we could observe baby chicks, and a walk though model of the human heart.

There were too many interesting exhibits to even touch on them all. We will have to come back to this one on a future trip. My suggestion for your Chicago vacation is to start with this museum!

We finally left Chicago around 3pm and hit the road. I had our cooler packed in the car (as always) for the ride home.

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Photos

Museum of Science and Industry
My son poses in front of the Apollo 8 which circled the moon 10 times.