During our Chicago vacation, we went to several museums. This was my favorite. The place is HUGE. We were there for five hours and still did not see everything. It was fun and educational. We even got to see real baby chicks being born. That was very neat.

Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry is a great place for families with kids of all ages to spend a day. It is colorful, noisy, exciting and not only full of ideas but full of people, too. Bring plenty of cash. There is a food court and several very nice gift shops and there are some side events that require additional admission.

The staff is very helpful and friendly. The coat check staff, the gift shop, and all of the docents and security guards are courteous.

If you want to see everything, you will walk a lot. But there are ample places to sit. There are enough restrooms, and they seem to be relatively clean.

Parts of the museum are a bit shop warn. In one area, the carpet tiles needed replacing. In the chemical area, the displays could use some cleaning and spiffing up. Ditto for the antique cars. I actually saw layers of dust.

Many of the interactive exhibits do not seem to work. Having volunteered at another midwest museum, I know that happens. But there seemed to be more problems than usual. Also, the temperature soared in some area and plunged in others. The more mechanical the exhibits, the lower the temps - I get that - but it was odd to find hot and cold spots throughout this massive and sprawling building.

But those are minor problems that can be easily fixed.

This is a venue for families and school kids. Much of the documentation and display that accompanies the exhibits is written for kids. Also, expect hoards of school kids. This is not a serene place! The kids accompanied by parents were fine, but the school tours were raucous and ill-mannered!

And be aware that the museum is rather remote, although near part of the U of I campus. Drive or take the No. 6 Bus.

So, I'd remembered as a wee lad visiting Chicago, cheering on my Cubbies, some huge buildings, and the Museum of Science and Industry.

13 Years later at the age of 26 now, I wanted to return to this attraction which had given me such great memories as a child.
A little fearful as hoping that the experience wouldn't be like heading back to your Elementary School playground and realizing how small it is in "Real Life" now, I nonetheless gave this a shot, invested my $25 for the 2 of us and went in.

Young or Old, I don't care, this place is pure and simple entertaining and awe-inspiring. Really one of the best laid out museums in the world, interactive exhibits for kids and adults alike. The only disappointment was that they were ushering us out the door at 3:45pm on a Friday, and wishing that we had gotten there earlier. (But really, why close this great museum at 4pm??)

If you have kids of any age and are visiting Chicago, do NOT miss this museum!! We went primarily for the Harry Potter Exhibit, but ended up staying the entire day! Do note: my AAA guide said to allow 3 hours. We arrived close to the open time and stayed until it closed, and could still have spent more time here. I agree with a previous poster about purchasing tickets in advance online. In this way you do skip the long line and go right in. We went on the Saturday during Labor Day weekend. Crowds were fine.
OF NOTE: food here is ridiculously expensive!!! Eat a large breakfast and pack some snacks, and make your mid-day meal a small one!
My kids favorite exhibits: the Harry Potter, of course (if your kids are huge fans, and you've missed it here, catch it in Boston if you can!!), the U-505 Submarine (we didn't pay the extra fee to go on board, and I regret that now). TIP: get to the museum when it opens and go to the Coal Mine FIRST!! Otherwise, lines are extremely long throughout the day. We missed this exhibit because of this, so now we just will need to go back. No problem there!! I've been in many museums in my lifetime, and this one is by far the best. Not to be missed!!! My kids loved it, and we had a fantastic day here!