PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

What other place in Chicago can be more fun to spend a day with the kids than this place! I promise, it is just as much fun as you remember, possibly for different reasons! From walking through the captured U-Boat, to boarding the Boeing 747, to the coal mine ride and the annual Christmas Around the World display, so many fond memories stir just thinking about this wonderful museum! And yes, it’s a place where the parents have as much fun as the kids.

It is literally impossible to list all of the things to see and do here, and for many people, a single day just isn’t enough. Besides the highlights already mentioned, other popular exhibits include the fairy castle dollhouse (every little girl’s dream!), a HUGE model train exhibit, the Old Chicago area and the adorable chick hatchery. Almost everything there is completely hands on, though some of the older exhibits are in dire need of update and repair.

I’m not going to kid you, this place can really start racking up money wise, because many of the best exhibits cost extra to see, especially the traveling ones and the OmniMax. Be sure to pack a lunch and check their site beforehand for special exhibits and pricing. There is free parking on the east side of the museum by the Lake Shore and Museum Drives if you get there early enough, and while the ice cream parlor in Yesterday’s Main Street may offer promise of excellent treats, they’re really not all that. (Buy the kids a cone on the way home. Trust me.

As always, the most memorable souvenirs are the ones your kids make for you. Bring a roll of quarters and run the die cast machines, collecting as many of those plastic novelties as possible. In our house, we actually transformed them into tree ornaments! And yep, you might just want to cave in at a soda or candy machine, too. Oh and also, Chicago residents who have a library card can stop by the library and check out a museum pass at the counter! It’s good for 4 people, gets you in for free and lets you bypass the lines!