The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is located on the edge of Hyde Park and offers magnificent views. With over 2,000 exhibits spanning 14 hectares, it is one of the largest science museums in the western hemisphere. One of the most popular cultural attractions in Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry attracts numerous visitors every year.
Visitors can carefully observe various natural phenomena in the Science Storms exhibit or visit the U-505 submarine captured during World War II. They can also learn about coal mine operations and visit Chicago's only five-story spherical dome cinema. In addition, visitors can witness the hatching of chicks up close from the Hatchery's viewing platforms. The museum also offers many advanced technologies and interactive experiences for a richer visiting experience.
The Art Institute of Chicago, established in 1891, is located in the city center by Lake Michigan. The museum consists of three interconnected Victorian-style buildings, with two giant bronze lions in front. A railway passes through the museum, and visitors may hear the sound of trains. The museum has numerous exhibition rooms and a diverse collection of art, including painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, handicrafts, and textiles. The collection spans from ancient Egyptian art from 3000 BCE to contemporary pop art. The museum's collection mainly features European and American art, but also includes art from India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Africa, and the Americas. It is considered one of the world's great art museums and one of the top three museums in the United States.
The museum is known for its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces, including over 350 works by artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Renoir, and Calder. It is also one of the top three locations in the U.S. to view Surrealist artwork. During the season finals of the hockey and football teams, the bronze lions in front of the museum are dressed in the team's clothing or caps to show support.
The museum also displays exquisite fragments of iconic destroyed Chicago architecture, including a reconstruction of architect Louis Sullivan's classic Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room. The Nicks Sky Bridge on the third level connects the museum to the Millennium Park. Be sure to take a photo with the famous lions at the entrance.
The Adler Planetarium is the first astronomy museum in the western hemisphere and one of the oldest museums in existence. It is part of the Chicago Museum Campus, along with the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History. Visitors can explore multiple exhibit halls, including the Planet Explorers Exhibit Hall, the Moon Photography Exhibit Hall, the Journey to the Stars Exhibit Hall, and the Telescopes Exhibit Hall, each showcasing different astronomical knowledge and experiences. Outside the museum, there is also a 13-foot copper coronagraph sculpture called "Humanity's Plunge into Space," symbolizing humanity's exploration and conquest of the sky.
In addition to viewing exhibits, the Adler Museum offers multiple interactive projects and activities. Children can experience the feel of the moon surface in the "Moon Jump" interactive project, watch interesting IBEX films, interact with beloved cartoon characters in the Sesame Street puppet show, or even drive their own spacecraft to "explore" new planets. Moreover, the Adler Planetarium also has a Sky Theater that takes visitors on a wonderful journey that seems to travel through the universe, or participate in an interactive atmospheric flow experience project that allows everyone to have a deeper understanding of the universe and science.
The Field Museum, founded in 1906, has over 21 million specimens including beetles, mummies, primates, and gems. It is also home to the largest and most complete dinosaur fossil, "Sue," which is over 67 million years old.
The museum has multiple galleries including the Egyptian Tomb exhibit, Native North America exhibit, and Ancient Americas exhibit. The Egyptian exhibit houses over 5,000 years of hieroglyphics and 23 mummies, while the Jade gallery showcases the largest collection of Chinese jade in North America. The Gems gallery displays the world's largest blue and yellow diamond, and the Evolving Planet exhibit features the only known specimen of a "predator dinosaur" species.
Additionally, the Field Museum displays a specimen of the Tsavo Man-Eaters, two lions that killed 135 people during the construction of the Kenya-Uganda Railway in 1898.
Shedd Aquarium is one of the most popular museums in Chicago. As the first inland aquarium to exhibit and care for saltwater fish, it has always been attractive. Visit the large Caribbean reef exhibit to see marine life feeding performances by divers in the aquarium. In the shark exhibit, observe marine life face-to-face through resin glass. Of course, there are also marine animal performances, including the exhibition of marine mammals in the Fantasea Hall and 24 great white sharks in the Wild Reef exhibition hall. At the same time, you can also touch the starfish with your own hands in the touch pool of the Polar Play Zone, and enjoy the shock of the 4D cinema.
In addition, the aquarium has hired many "star curators", such as the oldest member of the aquarium, "Big Daddy," an 85-year-old Australian lungfish, and the fattest beluga whale "Narwhal" in the aquarium.
Summer is the busiest season for visiting Shedd Aquarium, so be patient and ready to wait in line for tickets.
The DuSable Museum is named after Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a Haitian man of African and French descent who is known as the "founder of Chicago". In the 1960s, Dr. Burroughs and other Chicago activists established an institution to fill the gap in education about black history and culture and to convey and preserve the rich experiences and achievements of African Americans. DuSable Museum not only filled this essential educational void, but also played a significant role in the Black community movements of the time, including hosting political fundraisers, celebrating holidays and community events.
