I think all the folks complaining about the experience should try experiencing it with a little…read morekid. I came with my SIL and my 19 month old nephew on a quiet Sunday. He had been cooped up in the house for a few days due to weather and needed to get out and about. My brother had taken him about 6 months ago and he enjoyed it even as a baby so I was hype to see it with him now that he's a little older. Rundown: -SIL paid for the tix so I dunno how much it cost -easy parking -no lines around 11am on a summer Sunday -in and out in about 45 minutes Notable exhibits: -the first one is an eye scan. I have soft tissue injury icks but I survived -the jellyfish mirror room - kids (and adults like me) go wild for this -any of the tactile ones where you touch and music happens -the ball and mirror room. Nephew went crazy for this as balls are his fave thing. -My ABSOLUTE fave was the DJ beats making room. I mixed some sounds while nephew danced. Some of us writing reviews for this place are old, jaded, have "seen it all" and seem to be approaching this from a transactional angle - I spent this so I want such and such experience. But if you watch a child's eyes light up at all the colors and sounds, watch how excited they get when they realize that their movement and their touch changes the floor pattern or the music, then you really get to experience what the place is about - Wonder!

Wasn't sure what to expect but this place was great to explore. This would be a great time for the…read morewhole family. Interactive rooms, areas where other guests were taking photos, bright and colorful. Staff was very nice and very helpful. Getting through the museum and for guidance. The location was easy to find and there is parking close by.

Open on Thursdays from 11-4. As of April 2024, they accept a modest entrance of $2 or canned food…read morefor the food pantry per person.

I visited Chicago this past weekend with some family and friends, and it turned out to be a very…read morearchitecture-heavy trip. We decided to stop by Pleasant Home since we were in Oak Park for a tour of (you guessed it) the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Pleasant Home was a bit of a disappointment for us, but it was probably partly our fault. I was dragging our group around to look at historic buildings all weekend, and I was a bit worried the two people less interested in architecture were beginning to get bored. When we arrived at Pleasant Home, I saw they offered guided and self-guided tours. Because I was worried a long tour might be the breaking point for two of our group, we opted for the self-guided to keep it a bit shorter. What I didn't realize is that if you do the self-guided tour, you are limited to the bottom floor of the home. You are given a single laminated sheet of paper with the floor plan and some very basic information about the house. On top of that, the bottom floor of the house has no furniture in it (with a couple of exceptions - two tables maybe?). So, while the price for the self-guided tour was reasonable (only $5 per person), you basically have access to five or so rooms with no furniture in them. We were in and out in about 15 minutes. The house is beautiful (although the lighting seemed very low, making the house appear very dark), but I cannot recommend a self-guided tour. If you're interested in the house, pay the extra $5 and arrive on the hour for a guided tour. You'll get to go upstairs and learn more about the house than what is on the laminated floor plan guide. It might be a wonderful guided tour, I can only say that the self-guided tour option is not worth doing.

First a clarification. This place is called the Allstate Arena these days and no matter what you…read morecall it the acoustics were TERRIBLE last time I was there! But perhaps there is hope. Not too long ago I met a guy who said that he worked with a company that designs acoustics for large forums and he told me that his company had recently reworked the United Center. I didn't ask him about the Allstate Arena - but perhaps they worked things out there. Seems like quite a challenge as this building was not designed for concerts!

Huge convention center! This is a great place to catch a show. However, since it so large, tickets…read moreto sit near the front row tend to be expensive. They have good food and decent licour prizes. I saw one of the best concerts here in my life: SADE. Amazing.

I had never had a virtual reality experience before going to EXP. EXP provides a variety of VR…read moreexperiences. We went to see the Pyramids of Khufu with some friends. When they say they open at 1:00, they open at 1:00 sharp. We arrived a little early and found the doors locked. We went to another business across the parking lot to kill 1/2 hour before we could get in. The first thing you do when you walk in is watch a brief video explaining what you will experience and how to use the VR headsets. Then, you must sign a waiver of liability before you are allowed to continue. Essentially, you waive any liability of injuries caused by falling, vertigo, epileptic seizures due to strobes, etc. I actually read the waiver before signing. It seems pretty iron clad. When you start, you meet your virtual tour guide. They walk you through the exhibit, which is really one big empty room. My one issue is there are multiple groups that go through at the same time. There isn't any way to keep from running into other groups and we almost collided with other groups several times. The program is well done. We had a walking tour of the exterior of the pyramid and surrounding places, as well as the interior of the pyramid. The resolution of the VR was excellent. I wouldn't say I felt like I was actually inside a pyramid, but it was well done. Pay attention to the warnings you receive. I felt dizzy a few times and almost fell once. I found myself shuffling my feet to avoid stepping on VR obstacles (yes - silly, I know). But take seriously that you need to pay attention. They have ways for you to let them know if you need help, which is good. Fortunately, I didn't need any help. So, in all, it was a good experience. They have other exhibits, too. But given the dizziness, I'm not sure I would go again. But some of the exhibits look interesting so I may give it another go.

This exceeded my expectations. I'm an experienced VR gamer so I was concerned that it would seem…read morelike something I could just download and do at home. But this is a bit more ambitious than that. The "play" area is very large, way larger than any of us normally has access to for any kind of indoor recreation. Once you've been waiver'd and orientated, you will wear a VR headset similar to the kind you might have at home. No hand controllers though. You will be immersed in a situation and directed to walk around, with some degree of freedom to inspect your virtual surroundings more closely. A story of some sort plays out, which you simply observe without any interaction, but you are fully immersed; it's like you're there. We had booked the Egyptian pyramids experience ("Horizon of Khufu"), and we enjoyed it enough that we reupped for the second experience they had at the time with the dinosaurs ("Life Chronicles"). Again, as someone experienced with VR gaming, the quality of the graphics was not particularly impressive but it got the job done. And I can tell that some impressive under-the-hood logistics worked well to allow dozens of concurrent people to use the same space. You see "ghosts" of others that are nearby to help you avoid bumping into them. I was impressed that it knew one of the ghosts was in a wheelchair; it seems like very thoughtfully-designed tech. If immersive educational exhibits interest you, you will probably quite like this. If you are turned off by VR, you might be pleasantly surprised. The discomfort that is sometimes experienced with at-home setups is greatly offset by the fact that you physically walk around in a large space.

One of the best of the best summer weekend festivals around Chicago. Hungry - choose from around 25…read morelocal vendors; thirsty - no problem; games and rides for the kids - voila!; Music - nearly non-stop - vendors with clothing, crafts, jewelry, toys, beauty items, candles - enjoy. See you next year!

I have not been to Taste of Elmwood for decades and it has not changed. It had several food…read morevendors, at reasonable prices. Everything from Italian, Mexican and American. To purchase alcoholic drinks you are required to get carded and a wristband, regardless of age. Cocktails were good, but a bit pricey for the size. There were music events throughout the fest.

A hidden gem!…read more Located in Lincoln Park, this museum offers education, fun kids' activities, a ballroom you can rent for wedding or events, a cafe with good food, interactive exhibits, and tons of Chicago info, of course. + Affordable entrance fee + Complimentary coat check + Educational, thought provoking exhibits + Children's section with interactive exhibits + Cafe with good food + Friendly staff + Museum store with cool Chicago souvenirs + Beautiful architecture + Ballroom to rent for events overlooking Lincoln Park The only negative: - Street parking is hard to find. Approx time you'll spend here: 2 hrs Highly recommended!

To understand who we are we must look at our history. It's…read moreamazing how much creativity, protest and innovation came out of Chicago and continues to come out of Chicago. Start on the second floor and you will see the products, the protest and special exhibits including Al Capone stuff. On the bottom floor are some amazing dioramas from back in the day. Can easily spend three hours here. The person who checked me in and give me a great history lesson of the combination of San Francisco in Chicago.

Most museums ask you to imagine the past. This one puts you inside it. The Griffin Museum of…read moreScience and Industry, set in Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side, occupies the last remaining building from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition -- and that alone makes it worth the trip out from downtown, before a single exhibit is even in view. https://lisaefreedman.com/the-griffin-museum-of-science-and-industry/

Museum of science and industry brings the best of the best…read more Great spot for kids. There is so much to see and do. But as a highlight reel, the updated water exhibit was excellent. All the interactive science stuff in the balcony level is super fun. There are plenty of things to check out that it requires a full day or multiple short days. There are not enough words for me to say how great this place is, so come through.

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.

When we first visited Color Factory two years ago, my daughters did not want to leave. On our most…read morerecent trip back to the city, they wanted to see it again. We still had a good time, but the venue was pretty much the same, so there was nothing new for them to get as excited about. We still enjoyed walking through the rooms, etc. Hopefully, the CF team can develop some new experiences in the space to get us to go back on our next visit to the city.