Museum of Science and Industry

An extraordinary look at technology and innovation

Noteworthy for: From space travel to hatching chickens, there's precious few aspects of technology not covered by this remarkable museum.
Word to the wise: While you can board the museum's U Boat for 8 dollars, the number of tickets on sale is limited on purpose.

So interactive it's almost like a theme park, the colossal Museum of Science and Technology in Jackson Park is the largest institution of its kind in the western hemisphere. Among its many exhibits, highlights include a World War II German U-boat, a full sized replica coal mine and the surviving modules of the Apollo 8 spacecraft used during the first moon landings.
These displays are often brilliantly contextualised - the U Boat display, for example, comes with explanations of the Atlantic convoys and the Enigma code machine, explored through photographs, radio clips and projected holograms.

Wandering beyond these high points, the museum’s huge collection just keeps going on. Including a robotic assembly line, a tornado wind machine, a chick hatchling center, and numerous famous aircraft and vehicles, it's a wonderful place that, while aimed at families, still offers plenty of interest to well-informed adults.