Kuul Stuff : Blog

The rarest gem in the heart of Chicago is the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI). Located at 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, the MSI stands as a bridge between the science of the past and future. I like it the way they focused more on future rather than just a display of past scientific artifacts.

Admission

The Museum of Science and Industry is a must visit attraction in Chicago. It pretty much takes up the whole day to explore all the shows and exhibits or it may take couple of visits to explore thoroughly. 🙂 Museum of Science and Industry is open 9.30 am to 5.30 pm most of the days with some exceptions. Basic admission to the MSI is $18, but they have other membership options and different packages such as the Explorer and Citypass. Parking is $22 at the museum or you can explore off the street parking in the Lake Shore Drive. Museum of Science and Industry offers free days for Illinois visitors on certain days year round.

Exhibits

The Museum of Science and Industry began operating in 1933 and is house of more than 35,000 artifacts in its 400,000 square feet facility. MSI has many youth camps and field trips for children of all ages.

Here are some of the captivating exhibits of the MSI:

1. Science Storms: Features the science behind seven natural phenomena such as tornadoes, tsunami, lightning, avalanches, fire, sunlight, and atoms in  motion. For example, at the tornado exhibit, you can control the speed and direction of the tornado with the controls at the site. At the tsunami exhibit, you can control the type of the waves and speed of the waves and see how it affects the shore. They have an original NOAA tsunami DART II buoy that washed to the shores in 2006. You can experience the winds at high speeds and reaction to your body in the wind tunnel booth.Science storms exhibit is free with museum entry and is a must see.
2. You! The Experience: This interactive exhibit highlights the human body and the choices and we make everyday. You can see a huge display of human bones. You can see is if your body parts are really at your age.  Explore the possibilities of personalized medicine based on your DNA. You! The Experience is a permanent exhibit and is free with museum admission. Do visit this exhibit to know a different side of you.
3. U-505 Submarine: The German submarine captured by the US soldiers during World War II and is now a national memorial landed in the Museum of Science and Industry. The Submarine features a variety if artifacts such as the original uniforms, photographs, letters, can of food from the war. There are a variety of interactive games such as the bunkers and operations of a submarine. The optional on-board tour will take you through a narrated tour of the U-505 submarine. This is a permanent exhibit that needs an extra ticket apart from the general admission.
4. Transportation Gallery: The Transportation Gallery features all kinds of vehicles humans have used to move from one place to another. It includes original steam engine,United 727 airplane, race cars, and so on. Do not miss the flight simulators for an extra $6 for shared ride and $8 for fly. The simulators put you through the flight situations that is a fun way to learn! You can buy the tickets for the simulators at the exhibit itself. The gallery is free with museum admission.
5. Art of Bicycle:  The Art of Bicycle exhibit features bicycles from 1800s and also cutting edge bicycles. You can see the bicycles evolution through ages and how humans designed bicycles through the past years. My favorite one is the elliptical bicycle. See the bikes that are made up of the same material of defense grade and see how science is incorporated in to the design of the bicycles. This exhibit is free with museum admission.
6. Future Energy Chicago: The 90 minute interactive show explains the importance of energy conservation in Chicago. The audience is divided in to groups. Each group is assigned a challenge activity to design energy-efficient cars, neighborhood, house,  power supply grid, and transportation system to make Chicago energy-efficient. You will be engaged throughout the guided activity. Each team is graded on points for each activity and team with most points win. We scored second which was not bad after all! The exhibit has an extra admission fee and I think is a modern way of incorporating energy conservation in to our minds.
7. Robot Revolution: My favorite of all the exhibits is the Robot Revolution. It features modern robots and how they are doing day-to-day activities such as surgeries, vacuuming, drones, information collection, and handling tasks. The robots are interactive and there is even a pet robot for hospital patients which moves when you pat it! There are soccer games and mimicking robots which you can enjoy. The drone show at the end of the hall demonstrates how technology is useful in times of emergencies and natural disasters. You can play tic-tac-toe with a robot and play a game of blackjack with another! Build your own robot at the end with the robot cubes and see robot engineers in work. The Robot Revolution is sponsored by Google and costs extra apart from the MSI admission.

Omnimax Theater

The omnimax theater is the largest theater in theater that is five-stories, wraparound and dome-shaped in the Museum of Science and Industry. The shows cost extra apart from the museum admission. The shows last about two hours and it is better to plan your museum trip based on the time of the show. Currently, the omnimax is featuring Journey to Space and Humpback Whales. It is a must visit if you are a first time visitor. In addition, the theater offers a cool place to rest when you are tired from all the walking, driving, and excitement. 🙂

The Cafe

The Museum of Science and Industry has a cafe which has burgers, french fries, salads, smoothies, juices, cool drinks, noodles,  and hot dogs. The cafe is pretty much crowded. They let you pick the food you want and pay at the end so you can enjoy your food in one of their dining areas. Water is free and remember that no food is allowed back into the museum. The restrooms are nearby the cafe and there is also a Starbucks inside the MSI!!!

I pretty much enjoyed the visit but wish I had more time to see exhibits such as  Numbers in Nature – A Mirror Maze, Coal Mine, and Materials Science. Let me know how you liked the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It is a must visit for all ages and is certainly geared towards the future science revolutions. The  museum will certainly light up the creative minds and leaves us wondering whats next? Do visit the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and let me know your favorite exhibits. 🙂