On my recent visit to Chicago, I wanted to make the most of the city’s many museums. Adler Planetarium is a neighbor to both the famous Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium, but still manages to hold its own against the giants.
The Planetarium is free for Chicago residents on Wednesday evenings- though I can’t say they asked me for my own proof of residency since I was visiting with a local.
Tickets do need to be reserved prior to entry, but we were able to make our reservation on our phone while standing at the door with no issue.
The museum has three floors set in a kind of semi-circle. Upon entry, the museum felt as if it had transported us into space, with fabric white walls and interactive projectors. Following that, we entered into the ‘Mission Moon’ exhibit, which chronicles America’s journey into space. There are a ton of interactive pieces to play with- switches to flip, phones to pick up, photos to take- there was plenty to do for everyone!
This main floor seemed to be particularly geared towards children, with both a space themed play area and a ‘Space Explorers’ activity.
The lower level was still engaging, but perhaps more geared to adults. Don’t get me wrong, I love pressing buttons, but this area felt a little more like a classic museum with its collection of telescopes and astrolabes. Still, there was a concentrated effort to keep the museum feeling modern. The ‘Walk Through Space and Time’ exhibit made particular use of screens and some interactive games.
Since the solar eclipse had passed nearby just a few weeks ago, the Community Star Studio was filled with visitors drawing their own versions of the eclipse, many of which were displayed on the walls.
On our visit, we were lucky enough to speak with some astronomers who were posted up in the Community Stargazers Hub to answer any questions from the visitors. We asked one of the astronomers what her favorite galaxy was and she pulled it up on a massive screen- it was pretty cool. I also enjoyed exploring the interactive tables, which let me help categorize objects in the night sky. Apparently, once enough visitors came to a consensus about the category of the object, an astronomer would check our findings. It really felt like I was participating!
There are a few theaters that played movies for an additional fee, but I wasn’t in the mood to check them out during my visit.
Overall, I felt that the Adler Planetarium was a particularly family friendly museum. Between the play areas and community hubs, there was always something that was specifically geared towards children. As an adult, I was definitely still entertained and there was plenty for me to do and see. I do imagine that weekends and rainy days must see the museum packed with families, so keep that in mind when planning your own visit.
The Adler Planetarium is part of Chicago’s Museum Campus, which includes the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium. Consider purchasing a Chicago CityPass if you’re interested in visiting more than one museum!
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