When we get to Navy Pier in Chicago, we always make time for the Children's Museum…read more There's a fire engine climber and pole that we love to play on, with hoses, a fire-station-pole, and a fire-targeting game. The fire engine includes uniforms, and there are some other costumes. There's a bulldozer with moving levers to play with. There's climbing ropes. There's a log-cabin to play in, and a colorful steam-punk horse-sculpture made of gears and gadgets. We play here every time. We never get tired of it.

We had a great time visiting here on a vacation with family. We were not sure about the age range…read moregoing in but this is a big enough museum/play space that it will appeal to a pretty wide variety of ages. Our kids are 7 and 9 and while many exhibits are geared for younger children and we skipped (such as the seemingly favorite water play space and the little pretend village) these, there are a number of building/tinkering as well as climbing spaces that our kids really liked. You could spend probably a whole day here but it's fair to budget just a few hours to a half a day too depending on how much playtime you want to give them. The games area is fun too. They have bowling, giant dominos, checkers, and corn hole. My daughter also appreciated the tiny room with miniature versions of everything. A lot of the tinkering and building stuff relied on recycled materials which you could easily find at home so the experience maybe could inspire for after visiting creative projects. I actually myself enjoyed the painting lab. Since the exhibits change from time to time I think I would come back. I understand that kids must have an accompanying adult, but when you add the non-local pricing up, it's $100 for a family with two kids. I guess everything is expensive in touristy areas like this but it does make this visit somewhat prohibitively expensive when you could, for example, visit the zoo for free. Obviously that's hard to compare and we did have a good time here but that might be my one hesitation.

What a fun time!! The staff is very energetic and seem to enjoy their job. I wish there were more…read morerooms to explore but you can eat all the nice cream you want. While the hot dog ice cream was the worst thing I ever tasted, it will be a lasting memory for my family and the laughs we had trying it. This a fun stop to explore for all ages. Signed- Le'Mon Keezy (my ice cream name) . This isn't a spot I'd continually visit but you should definitely give it a try!!

Wow. This place is an absolute joke. My kids were in and out in 5 mins. It's almost unacceptable to…read morecharge people for a space that is so poorly and unimaginatively designed. It's a bunch of rooms with basic and uninteresting activities. I'm not sure I'd even go to this if it were 1/3 of the price. The icing on the cake is that they charge for the ice cream at the end. I thought the place was supposed to be unlimited ice cream but it's only weird flavors like hot dog and then they charge for normal flavors like chocolate. 1 star only for the lovely staff greeting.

Almost everyone you meet in Chicago who loves their city will ask when you tell them you are…read morevisiting from out of town, "Have you done the architectural boat tour?" People in Amsterdam will also ask if you have done a canal boat tour - and you have to do these when you visit these cities. Our docent volunteer guide, Steve, was excellent. He was very personable and extremely knowledgeable about the city's riverside buildings and its history. The boat staff was also hardworking and ready to help with any issues, from getting a drink at the boat's downstairs bar to handing out covers when the rain hit us. For what we paid, the 1.5 hour tour was more than worth it. I recommend sitting at the top towards the back, as you don't have to crane your neck as much when he points out places of interest. This was a truly wonderful experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Not what I expected overall but it was still a very educational experience. Scoring tickets to…read moreChicago's Architecture Center through our hotel, we used the tickets as a good time filler. Not a must see or do attraction but a great day filler activity as you explore the city. Loved the wealth of information they offer as it's valuable to understand Chicagos importance from the ground up! I thought it would be more about highlighting the amazing architectural buildings around the city but nothing like that. It's was more about the environmental impact the city has and the hurdles when designing buildings around town. The staff were friendly at check in and provided great service overall as they were kind and helpful. Small center that you may explore at your own pace and may or may not be worth the admission price. But scoring free tickets it allowed us to be selective in our day or day plans to include the activity to pay it a visit!

So many feelings. First of all I loved this WAY more than I thought I would. I HATE slime but my…read moregirls love it. So deep breath and who cares if clothes get ruined?! We went on Good Friday, lots of kids were off of school. We got the first time slot! Highly recommend this! The place is self guided and you can always go back to feel some more! If you think about germs and are easily grossed out, there's plenty of hand sanitizer around, or bring your own! But everyone is basically reaching in to feel the same slime you are. There's a small area the kids can take their shoes off and play in. Some squishes and slime they can go into (it's hard and doesn't stick to clothes!). They also have the "get slimed" station. I believe it's $30 and from the looks of it, it's just blue water. Didn't seem worth it to me. But my kids loved watching! The best part is being able to make your own slime! You can pick the consistency, smell and color! And as an added bonus you can pick out 3 charms! There's no food or drinks allowed in and they have a complimentary coat/bag check! Take a picture of your bag in case you drop your ticket! In addition, I find it hilarious that people are complaining about the price. Of course the place raises the price during peak hours. Now do I think $56 for a ticket is steep, yes! But plan ahead and always purchase tickets ahead of time! We paid $135 for 3 and were there almost 3 hours! We only left because we had lunch reservations!

For myself and three kids it was $200. Pretty steep for essentially 20 vats of slime to try and a…read morecouple extra things like walking on slime or making slime. The process was easy. The place seems upkept and clean. Staff was very nice. It's just a short experience. I think younger kids would like it for an hour.

I missed this at our last visit, so I made it mandatory on this one…read more It is a very interactive space, so it is great for kids and adults alike. Front desk staff are polite and helpful. They provided a discount for educators with my wife being a music educator at a prestigious music school. There were numerous authors I am fans of that were featured here. But Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett are my favorites. I have read essayist EB White's work as well. Of course, Roger Ebert material is here too. You could try to write a story with fill-in blanks and see how close you are to the original. You can use an old skool typewriter for "fun and games" of the technology of the past. It is fairly priced for what it is and should take you about one (1) hour or less. I even got a complimentary book marker for a cool author.

You go to another museum, say the Art Institute of Chicago - there are ~300,000 works, and while…read moreone is free to read the labels/descriptions next to the works, you can easily get away with not doing so. This is not the case of the American Writers Museum - unless you are only there to interact with several kinds of mechanical typewriters, you are going to want to be doing a lot of reading; otherwise, you're throwing the admission away. There are some additional electronic exhibits, however; these were either inoperable or needed some instructions. No biggie, computers love to waste time! On that note, the ticket costs ~$15 after fees. Despite a fair amount of information and the opportunity to interact with/read most of the items within, given the small size, the cost is high relative to what you get, in my opinion. Final verdict: Those who are really passionate about written works and reading will enjoy their time at the American Writers Museum. However, given the cost, those who are more casual visitors may not be quite as impressed.

Figured the kid would like this, and she did. And so did we…read more Kind of expensive, I think $40 for adults and $30 for kids, but worth it. Very nice space packed with illusions, many classics but some unusual ones. And staff were great, from the front desk to the manager to the lady who helped us fully experience the exhibits with hints on how to see them best, and ideas (plus some had photos nearby with suggestions.) Kind of small, we spent about an hour, but had a lot of fun. We went right when they opened on a Sunday and it wasn't crowded then, but things picked up by the time we left. So come early to have a bit more freedom to roam.

Miana, was amazing. She took pictures. She gave us some good feedback and a lot of education. She…read moremade the experience one notch above other experiences!! Thank you Miana!!!! Carla Work

This was the most wonderful experience! I highly recommend it if you're in Chicago. It's located in…read morethe Willis Tower, so if you're going to the Skydeck it's a quick little jaunt over before or after. I wasn't sure what to expect, and it ended up being so much better than I imagined! All the people working were friendly, knew what they were doing, and helped us have the best experience we could have. I loved every part of it, and it was awesome tying in all the senses to color! The tasting one was so fun, I ended up guessing mine right! I think my husband and I had the most fun with the partner drawing activity, that's a keepsake for sure, haha! Other faves were the poem and balloon exhibit and of course, the ball pit. We came with our 6 year old nephew but I think the adults had more fun than he even did! It was fun to let loose and be a kid again. I was thankful for all the fun photo ops, it made it easier to get great pics without having our phones out the whole time. The only bummer was the ice cream. We paid $1 per person for it and it was just one tiny little ball with a wooden spoon, and I could taste the spoon more than the ice cream.

Color Factory was definitely a hit with Lani and the girls! From the moment we walked in, there was…read moresomething for everybody. The candy was a HUGE hit -- the girls were excited about that one! The Taste the Color room was really cool and gave the experience a fun twist. The ball pit was another favorite -- the girls had a blast! The Save Her Hut was a fun stop along the way and made for some great memories. And of course, we had to hit the gift shop, where we even got $5 off, which is always a win!

Love the museum! They have a good number of free days for residents…read more We came by to check out the Pokemon Fossil exhibit and they really did an amazing job. [A note, the Pokemon exhibit does require a separate timed ticket from general admission to the museum]. I love how they were careful to separate fact from fiction through color coordination and how the fossils mirrored some of the exhibits within the museum! We walked around some of the other areas and it was nice to see some of the classic exhibits as well as some of their newer ones. Its a great museum to explore and get lost in. Parking is pricey, but it's worth getting something close considering all the walking you'll do at the actual museum.

We recently visited Yellowstone National Park, and we remembered that the Field Museum in Chicago…read morehas a life-size bison on exhibit! If i recall, it was on the east side of the second floor. We saw a large herd in Yellowstone, and several scattered pairs and individuals. We were about ten feet from one while we were driving to Old Faithful. This felt like that experience. Yikes! Yeah, they are this big.

The Money Museum is a great free museum and an interesting place to learn about the history of the…read moreU.S. Federal Reserve System. There is a lot of information throughout the museum, along with interactive exhibits and several visual displays that really showcase what $1 million looks like. I'm the type of person who likes to go through every exhibit, so I spent a good 2.5 hours exploring the museum. While that may seem like a long time, there was plenty to see and learn. I was able to learn about the origins of U.S. currency, the different types of military currency used during various wars, and the role and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve Chair. The interactive exhibits also helped make some of the information more engaging and easier to understand. Overall, this was a great experience, especially considering that admission is free.

Free and interactive museum! Can take pics and learn about our financials. Got take take home…read morepictures and some shredded money Fun fact: Cash is made of 75%cotton and 25% linen Best of all free admission, need to scan your bag before going in through security

Wheeeew, grab a map when you walk in!! We tried to go without and it didn't end well. Not only did…read moremy boyfriend and I lose each other very early on, but we also lost track of what sections we had been in. Eventually we reconvened in the main area and consulted the visitor guide to ensure we maximized our time here, but it was still impossible to see everything. We happened to arrive right before noon, so we were able to peep in Fullerton Hall, which was cool. We also combed through the impressionism area and I enjoyed all the Monets. I then went on a MISSION to find American Gothic, which ended up being in an entirely different wing -- eventually I found it though. Paradise Lost was another highlight of course, as well as the Chicago Stock Exchange room recreation. We wrapped things up in the modern wing, and I was hyped to see several pieces from Andy Warhol, plus a Dali. If we didn't have a flight that night, we easily could've spent 2-3 more hours here.

Visiting the Art Institute of Chicago had long been on my bucket list ever since taking an art…read morehistory class in high school, so it was a dream come true to finally see it in person. I booked my tickets in advance on the morning of my visit and walked over from River North in the afternoon. Upon entering the galleries, I went up the central staircase and immediately found myself in a room with my favorite Impressionist masterpieces, including works by Monet, Seurat, Caillebotte, Van Gogh, and Matisse...just to name a few. I wandered through the other galleries and continued to spot my favorite paintings from other art periods. I even found a mummy! The museum layout was a little confusing, but the galleries were well-labeled, and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable in helping me find my way. Thinking that I would only spend about an hour in the museum, I ended up staying almost until closing. Before leaving, I stopped in at the gift shop to pick up some postcards to commemorate my visit. I highly recommend the Art Institute of Chicago to anyone visiting the city, and I would definitely consider coming back when I have more time on my next visit.