Chicago- Part 3: The Adler Planetarium

 The Adler Planetarium is the oldest in existence today and is located on the Chicago Museum Campus near the Shedd Aquarium and The Field Museum. The Adler Planetarium is a great place for kids to do some hands-on learning about astronomy. My kids (2&4) had a fantastic time here. There were also many things that my husband and I found interesting. If we're ever in the Chicago area again, we'll definitely go back. In the summer hours are from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm. For regular and holiday hours and special events go here. Admission is $25 for adults and $21 for kids. This includes unlimited shows and a tour. If you want to just see the exhibits, admission is $10 for adults and $8 for kids. We saw one of the shows, and yes it was impressive and I think it was very educational for my kids, but I wouldn't say that it was worth $15 per person. Perhaps if you have older kids who can sit through more than one show. But it was included in our whole CityPass package. The parking situation is the same as The Field Museum, $16 (cash only) for all day. Here is a list of free admission days.

 Ok, I know this picture turned out super blurry for some reason, but here is my daughter displaying the craft that she made that shows day and night and the rotation of the earth.

My husband and daughter controlling land rovers on "Mars".

My favorite thing about this place is that it wasn't crowded, unlike the other Chicago attractions we visited, which really surprised me. (We went on a Saturday morning and we weren't there first thing either.) My kids had a chance to play and learn and there were plenty of staff that were excited to teach and assist them. There were rockets for them to launch, small learning crafts, remote control land rovers, short educational videos, interactive models, and scale planetary models that they enjoyed. There were also many science artifacts that my husband and I found interesting. I highly recommend this place.