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.

Considering this is the most requested museum by my out-of-town visitors, I actually decided to get…read morea membership here this year. I've never explored this museum as thoroughly as I have recently, and each time I go I see or experience something new. It is fabulous for all ages and can keep anyone entertained for hours. The museum itself is absolutely stunning, as well, housed in a building originally constructed in 1893 for the World's Fair. The ever-changing exhibits keep each return visit feeling fresh. I especially enjoyed the Anne Frank exhibit and The Costumes of Paul Tazewell (Wicked). There is a designated paid parking lot, but you can also park in the underground garage for a fee. The Obama Center is walking distance so don't skip that if you're in the area!

We probably covered 30% of all MSI has to offer, and my almost three year old is already planning…read morehis next trip! This place is really incredible. I was worried my toddler might be a little bit too young, but MSI does a great job of having spaces for all ages. We spent a lot of time downstairs looking at the fairy castles, baby chicks, in the mirror maze, and the idea factory! The idea factory was definitely a little outdated (my husband said nothing has changed since he came here as a kid) but even still, it was super cool and super perfect for toddlers. It's also great because this area is suuuper interactive (and especially aimed for smaller kiddos). The other space we spent a lot of time was the space exhibit. This is so cool with so much to see and learn. We can't wait to come back and see more of MSI! Super happy with our first visit with a little guy though.

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.

This is a cool museum for dinosaur lovers! It has Sue the T-rex bones (the largest preserve t-rex)…read moreon display. We visited the museum in December during Christmas holiday on Sunday. The museum was packed since it was snowing outside. The museum has 3 floors full of different themes. We walked into the ancient Egypt room that resembles the inside of pyramid with the mummy coffins display. The underground adventure was pretty fun for small kids since it has interactive display. We love the dinosaur room with various type of dinosaur fossils. At the end, we saw Sue the T-rex and it had cool projected narration about the fossil. We roamed around for about 2 hours since we were already tired. However, we would love to visit this museum again as there are still a lot to see.

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.

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.

It was a small but very cute place for kids and families! My 8 and 2 yo enjoyed it!! There's a…read moretoddler area where you have to take off your shoes- so I highly recommend wearing socks! There's also a water area and there's some aprons for the kids to wear. My kids still managed to get wet - so maybe also a change of clothes will be a good idea!

Came here for the first time for a birthday party so I wasn't sure what to expect. The place was…read morerecently renovated so things did not seem that dated. There was a variety of different areas to play in, different pretend areas- veterinary, building and grocery. There was a big climbing structure to get into with a variety of different obstacles inside. And there was a water play area. Overall a lot of variety for the space. The things were well maintained. The room was also kept pretty warm.

We love going here on the weekends! Their membership is such a great deal if you live nearby and…read morethey always have new exhibits so it doesn't get stale for the kids. They also have a great outdoor area.

We visited the Kohl Children's Museum and had a good time. There are lots of different activity…read moreareas for kids to explore, and it's a fun place for children to learn through play. Admission is $20 per person. However, I also visited about four years ago, and I was surprised that almost nothing has changed. Many of the toys, exhibits, and play areas looked the same and felt quite worn from years of use. I would recommend visiting at least once because it's a nice experience for kids, but I don't think it's a place I would return to regularly unless they update or refresh the exhibits.

AMAZING butterfly room. There's sooo many butterflies I was surprised. We were able to watch them…read morerelease a few too. Sometimes they will also land on your arm. It costs money to get into the museum, then an extra $5 to go to the butterfly room.

Beautiful Nature Museum on Lincoln Park. Exhibit for kids and nature walks for adults. Check out…read morethe bird walk on the 3rd floor. Neat nature-related merch at the store too!

We had such a great experience at Color Factory Chicago!…read more It truly was everything I expected and more. I went with both of my daughters (ages 22 and 11), and we all had an amazing time. It's not always easy to find something that everyone enjoys across that kind of age gap, but this was a hit for all of us. The exhibits were fun, interactive, and visually beautiful. You can tell a lot of thought went into each space. And of course, the ball pit was our favorite -- we could've stayed there all day! The staff really stood out as well -- friendly, welcoming, and very accommodating, which made the experience even better. Overall, such a fun, memorable outing. We'll definitely be back!

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!

We had an amazing time visiting the Adler Planetarium during our trip to Chicago. There were so…read moremany fun exhibits with interesting history on space. We also went while there was a university student answering questions so we got to learn more about the black holes she's currently studying which was interesting. Our son had a great time exploring and playing in the interactive kids section.

Man what a real treat. It was my daughter's idea to visit the planetarium on a weeknight. Luckily…read morefor us the observatory was open to take in the amazing view of the moon! There was also a gentlemen next to the observatory with a smaller telescope who offered to take a few photos of the moon with my phone! The theatre show inside of the planetarium was insightful and entertaining. Lots to learn! Our host had a great old school FM voice. Icing on the cake was seeing the fireworks show from Navy Pier. And the staff was friendly and professional. I highly recommend Adler Planetarium for everyone.