This was the most wonderful experience! I highly recommend it if you're in Chicago. It's located in the 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. read more

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The Woman in the photo is a current employee at the Color Factory in Chicago She made our experience TERRIBLE As soon as we walked into her location inside the ball area she greeted us rudely and spoke to our kids as if she didn't want to even be there. She does NOT like this job and does NOT know how to speak to children or treat them. It was our child's birthday with all her friends from school and kept rolling her eyes at them to the point where I finally approached her and told her the way she is talking and behaving in front of children is unacceptable Please get this girl proper training She is NOT cut for a job around kids Rudest employee I've ever met read more

Color Factory - The Rudest Girl I've ever met. - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place was so much fun for the kids. They were so happy to explore the different rooms. The laffy taffy and fortune cookie were a nice touch. The ballon room was neat. read more

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Super fun place that engages all of the senses! Loved the built in feature for photographs, especially as I explored this place solo. The engaging of taste in addition to sight was a cool addition you won't get everywhere. I do think every taste including the $1 scoop of sorbet could have been included but it was worth the money. Many interactive displays kept the fun rolling, although more wayfinding and instructions for the "best photo" would have been helpful, there were definitely times when the room was "awesome" but I didn't realize what the illusion or interesting component was. Either way, I was able to pull out some awesome photography and make a few memories. It's worth the visit! read more

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I really enjoyed this unique experience! In the different rooms there are small treats, various photo opportunities and interesting exhibits! They'll provide your individual QR code and you'll register your email and phone. There are cameras set up where you scan your QR code and the photos are sent to your email after your visit. I can't spoil it for others but definitely a cool place to check out. There is free coat check. If you Google or search on social media, you can find promo codes. read more

Color Factory - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The Color Factory is such a fun experience. This is located in the bottom floor of the Willis Tower (where you enter for sky deck). Color Factory is a unique kind of pop up shop experience that will take around 1 hour to experience completely. It's all about colors there - you will tour a ton of different rooms on how we all interact with colors every day a with our senses and more - such a fun experience. The highlight of the experience for me at least was the giant ball pit at the end of the exhibit - made me feel like I was a kid again at jungle Jim's if anyone remembers that in Des Plaines! Definitely check out Color Factory for a unique experience - perfect for dates. read more

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I love checking out art and creativity when I travel so when I ran across an online ad for the Color Factory, I had to check it out. While it's probably best for families or a fun date, I dropped in solo after purchasing tickets online along with a photo package. Get scanned in and there's a small complimentary coat check area along with some beverages to tide you over. The lobby has a pretty surreal prismatic installation above and then head down a brightly striped hallway into the Color Factory rooms. I won't spoil the surprises but most of them are fun and quirky, offering some photo spots where you scan a QR code which sets off a digital camera to capture your visit at various points along the way. I'd have to say my fave room was the ballpit room, I mean who can resist? Anyhow, I found it all quite a bit of wonderous fun and I think you will too! read more

Color Factory - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Took my family to the color factory and we LOVED it! They have so many fun rooms where you either get to taste something (we had flavored fortune cookies, guess the color candy, salt water taffy, and paid 99 cents for ice cream), do activities in the room, or run around and take pictures. Only reason I am docking a star is that they give you a little scan paper so that you can take free pictures at various booths in the rooms. I love that it's free but we only got about half the pictures we took! So be prepared to use your camera and their cameras to capture the full experience! read more

What's not to like about the color factory? Start with the ticket buying process. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for kids. You can use your phone or their devices on the wall to buy the tickets. Everything is electronic and the entries are spaced 15 min apart. Pro-Tip#1: search the internet on your phone for 15% discount codes. We found several that worked. Enter into a room that is mostly white with the sign that says Color Factory and your first snack of jelly belly jelly beans. Pro-Tip#2: you can't take your stroller in if you have little kids and it's best not to have your coat on, or any bags, so there is a free coat check right there. Several of the rooms have some form of sugary sweet candy for you to enjoy. Limit one per person per room. They range from jelly beans to a fortune cookie, saltwater taffy, pop rocks, and ice cream. Pro-Tip#3: Sign in on the tablet with your email and your personalized QR code because there are cameras at different angles and you can get some unique pics using your QR code. End the experience at the ball pit room with its slides and squishy plastic balls. On your way out, smell the various smells in the smells room. Exit through the gift shop where you can get any items stored in the coat check and buy any souvenirs. I did find the souvenirs a bit pricey but when you get the ice cream from the ball pit room, there is a $2 off coupon there. Grab it because you can't later if you decide to buy a souvenir. I don't know any kid or adult that didn't love this place and didn't have a big smile from ear to ear. read more

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So so cool! I go to Chicago all the time to see family but this was my first time with a toddler so I've been looking for age appropriate things we can all do! Color factory was perfect for all ages. This appeals to all senses and is so interactive and fun. Loved the tasty treats involved and all the cool photo ops. My son's favorite was the ball pit and the room with the color gradient lights, he kept running back to the pink room! Ticket prices vary depending on the time of day that you visit, and when we got there they were running behind so we had to wait an extra 15-30 minutes past our time. A tiny bit tough to find as they don't have it marked super well but we asked a few people for directions. Absolutely loved our visit here and so happy we visited! read more

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a dark and stormy night....... But all that changed when we walked into the wonderful, colorful world of the Color Factory With 12+ rooms to explore, complimentary sweet treats, and unlimited digital photos from their photo stations, we had a blast! Did I get in the ball pit? You bet I did! And it was so much fun read more

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We went to Chicago over the 4th of July holiday weekend and booked a time to visit the Color Museum. We were greeted right away by friendly staff and were started on our journey through the experience. It does have some fun snacks for kids and the first one was colored/flavored fortune cookies. Each room was a different color and sensory experience which was really interesting. Some of them even with deep meanings for adults visitors. At the end of our trip when I asked my daughter what her favorite activities were she said definitely the Color Factory! read more

Color Factory - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Amazing experience! Everyone from the adults to our 15 month old grandson had a great time! Between the ball pit, confetti room, different lights, sounds, taste... Encompasses all your senses. It was clean and the workers were all very friendly. I would highly recommend. Our family really enjoyed our visit. read more

We had such a great experience at Color Factory Chicago! 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! read more

The Color Factory is a great experience for a family - especially with kids! There are so many fun rooms and the staff is so friendly. There is a huge ball pit and fun little puzzles and games as you walk through the color exhibit. read more

This was the best experience of my life! I went with a pal and we spent nearly 2 hours there. We loved the ball pit, pop rocks taste test, audio coloring room, and the horns. You truly can't go wrong with a single exhibit. Great to get out of the Chicago winter cold. Also don't forget to pre buy your ice cream! We loved the melon one :) go to the color factory because we WILL be back. read more

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The new exhibit here has all of the fall vibes and excitement you need and I'm so thankful they invited me out to experience it! It's literally the perfect fall kick off activity for any type of occasion and all ages! The adults that I saw look like they were having more fun than any kids that were there.... Including me LOL!!! From beginning to end - there is an immersion of color, activities and fun...... and let's not forget the free treats along the way! And you can take free digital photos with their cameras that are set up throughout the entire exhibit. At the end, you have the option to purchase them or to email them to yourself for free. How dope is that?! I love how many of the exhibits carried the theme of mindfulness and being appreciative, while giving you time to fully absorb each of the 14 art exhibits that you go through. It's only here until NOVEMBER 3rd, so head downtown and immerse yourself!! read more

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We had a fantastic experience, and the snacks were delicious! This was my second visit, and I continue to adore the vibrant colors and the interactive rooms that invite creativity. We celebrated our recent engagement this time, which made the day even more special. It was a joy to take photos together, capturing our laughter and excitement in each moment. We truly had a blast exploring everything the venue had to offer! read more

Color Factory - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We went on a Sunday evening when there were only like 6 people in the entire place and it' was FANTASTIC and SO FUN! Party of 6 with 3 teens in our group we visited for a fun activity to celebrate my daughter's 15th birthday. Amazing! So many rooms to take photos and goof off. They also have it set up in most rooms where you scan a personalized QR code with your email linked to it to take photos. Professional Grade photos! Then they are automatically emailed to you after every take. How cool is that!? Props. Free Treats. A Taste Test. Sketch test (so hilarious). Ball Pit. Balloon fun. Music. Very interactive. Good for all ages. Worth the price. I mean we didn't want it to end! I would suggest being dressed comfortably. The birthday girl was able to wear her tiara the whole time but we were jumping around being silly so our sweats and jeans made it that much easier. Definitely Recommend They had a coat check and let us check our birthday cake! They even refrigerated it for me. read more

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Color Factory is conveniently located on the lower level of the Willis Tower and is surrounded by multiple parking garages (use SpotHero to make your visit even more affordable!). Ticket price depends on the time of the day/week, and kids under 3 are free! There are so many rooms to enjoy, that children and adults of all ages will find something to love about Color Factory. I truly loved all of the extra "perks" that I wasn't expecting - like the conveyor belt of macarons to choose from (1 per person), and there's a very special surprise waiting for you after the ball pit experience! There are plenty of photo opportunities, and multiple selfie stations set up throughout Color Factory, and all of the photos are yours for free by digital download at the end of your experience! The entire experience took us about an hour and a half, and the staff along the way were, for the most part, very friendly! They're there to enhance your experience and help guide you, so be kind and listen to directions ... Definitely recommend this experience for anyone either visiting or living in the city! read more

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Stop reading reviews & GET THE TICKETS! Don't look at too many photos beforehand, it's so fun to be surprised here. All you need to know is: Check website for a coupon code. Walking is involved, and some areas have "wind" so plan dresses accordingly. If you must take a bag, try to be hands free by using a crossbody or fanny pack. Go to the bathroom before your experience starts - not super accessible during. yes your young kids and teens alike will enjoy this - and adults, too! You don't need the photo add on for $20, it's just 5 prints you can get for $2 at Walgreens, you get photos emailed to you included w the base price by scanning a QR code you register early in the experience and scan in different rooms. Takes 1-1.5 hours to go through, and there's a cute gift shop at the end. Know allergies of anyone in your party. The slide - don't go until the countdown finishes and says "slide now" (or you'll have to climb out to do again ). Pay attention to parking. They validate for a discount at a few garages, we didn't pay attention and ended up parking at a place they aren't affiliated with and parking cost us $61 - lesson learned! Have fun! read more

Color Factory - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I didn't know that it existed until I visited the Willis Tower. It takes at least 2 hours to enjoy the full experience. I highly recommend coat checking your outer wear and bags as you'll be moving from room to room plus the pictures turn our nicer that way. Each room had interactive space where you can take pictures, make noise, or play guessing games with each other. There are a lot of primary colors which is particularly attractive to younger kids. There were at least 12 rooms so pace your time if you are in a hurry. Some rooms are specially created with holiday themes such as Halloween during October. You receive a lot of great pictures as aftwerward. read more

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Beautiful photo opportunities! I went with my family and we enjoyed the exhibits, treats, and photo opportunities. I really love the use of color, flavor, sound, and scents. It might be difficult for the little ones to enjoy, but my young niece liked the ice cream, sound, and smell exhibits. There were some older kids running around so maybe ages 10+ enjoy going here more than toddlers. I did notice some people going here just to take photos but most of the people were actually enjoying the museum and taking turns for photo opportunities. You can take photos on your own, but I would recommend taking advantage of the provided QR codes since the color factory uses high quality cameras. I will definitely be going here again! read more

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Very cute place to go with your friends or your significant other! A lot of opportunities to take pictures and immerse yourself in each exhibit! One thing I did not like were few exhibits that I was a bit clueless about and didn't understand why it was set up in that fashion. But I love the yummy treats given throughout the experience like macaroons, jelly beans, taffies, pop rock, and ice cream! Very family friendly and an alternative activity to do in the city at night! read more

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Love this fun interactive museum! Took a few hours to receive our photos after receiving the email. If you've never been to a Color Factory, this one is fantastic. The horns room was my favorite! read more

Color Factory - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fun time and loved how the pictures get sent to your email. They have their own cameras that have timers to take your pictures so you don't have to do anything! Also loved the birthday color note as an astrology person read more

Color Factory - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I wasn't sure what to expect. What a fun place for kids & adults! If you go to Chicago, add this to your "must do" list. read more

Color Factory - Entry - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What a great time! There are different rooms with exhibits/activities. I don't want to say too, too much because it's something you truly need to experience, however, it's very interactive and you also get different Candy & treats during your experience! The gift shop also has some very cute Merch. It's in the same building as the SkyDeck. If you'd like you can knock out two activities in one place. Perfect for adults and children. The kids love the ball pit at the end for sure. You really don't have to take pictures on your phone if you don't want, as there are cameras in the exhibits and the pictures you take are sent to you. read more

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Make Color Factory an stop for your Instagram or Snapchat or whatever is the latest craze a stop. This interactive "museum" is at the base of the Willis Tower. Each interactive rooms you go through have some kind of meaning. Go have fun at the place. read more

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I saw a good amount of videos here and we thought it looked really fun so we bought a couple of tickets for a Tuesday afternoon to avoid big crowds. It's a little pricey (around $40 a ticket) but after leaving I felt it was very worth it. This place is on the bottom floor of the Willis (Sears) Tower. A plus to this place is that they have a coat check so you don't have to drag your stuff around. Basically this place consists of multiple rooms where you can participate in different activities and interact in these museum exhibits. I also love the feature that lets you scan the card they provide you and can take as many photos as you want and you can have them emailed to yourself. It really helps minimize the need for taking the pictures with your phone. I can't think of a room where we didn't think, "this is so cool". Even before going into the first room we got a macaron, bag of jelly beans, and we got to take our first picture. The rooms with the popping candies, the megaphones, and the ball pit really stuck out to me but they all were really great. My girlfriend and I had a really great time and probably one of my favorite museums. This place would be great for families with kids or anyone going on a date. Just make sure to go during the week. You may feel rushed if there are a lot of people trying to get photo ops. Luckily we didn't have to go through that too much and got a bunch of pictures. read more

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Allright let me say this I am not a museum person. Whenever I see museums I avoid. This is different! More than a museum this is fun filled activity for at least 2 hrs. You can even spend more time than this. The place is located in Willis tower google maps made us go through the same point and we were circling willis tower and couldn't find the place. The other confusion I had was at LL2 the color factory had a good staging area for taking pictures and what not, however I got confused if the location for wacker drive is for all the fun stuff. And yes it is. You pay $48 per person, which is ridiculous but for me its a one time thing. So I was ok. Also keep in mind there is no restroom inside, so make sure your bladder is empty :) Now comes the fun part, I appreciated colors it made me happy. There are different sections of the rooms you go through, you take multiple pictures along the way (and the best part is they email you. The emailing is included with the entry fee. So make sure you scan the QR code you get when you enter. With fun event, maze, and many more! I have revealed lot of activities in my pictures. you will get candies, macarons and ice cream. Overall $48 is a bit pricey! However everything is expensive these days so I guess its ok! read more

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A friend of mine wanted to come here since it was her first trip to Chicago. Tickets were $40 and included 5 photos to take home - she bought the tickets so I am not sure if she added on the photo package or not. I think the price is justified when going on a not so busy week day - however if it is busy and you are rushed or it's crowded then I don't think it would be as easy to enjoy some of the rooms especially the highlight of the museum the ball pit! Let's go over what I liked about the museum - each room was themed around different aspects of color. Some rooms included interactive activities for you and your friends, one room was based on sound and movement, and another different smells which represent different colors. There were different goodies available in some of the rooms - when you first walk in they have a free coat and bag check - I wish I would have done this as my pics would have been nice without the purse. The different treats received in each room I am going to rate here: 1st room: small bag of jelly belly jelly beans 5/10 ( not a fan of jelly beans but free jelly beans are average), 2nd room: Macaron - there were a list of flavors; my friend chose chocolate, I chose black currant which was delicious! 10/10, 3rd room: Pop rocks - 3 packs of different flavors you taste to relate to a color; I received banana, lemon lime and cola - the banana was the best of the 3. 5/10. 4th room: blueberry saltwater taffy - 0/10 not a fan at all. 5th room: receive a souvenir and a ice cream cone: mango or honeydew, the mango was delicious. This place is great for estethic instagram photos with friends and family. I think kids and adults alike will have fun and the green room ball pit with slides is so fun - picture the big bang theory scene with Sheldon and leonard - that was me and my friend - she lost her phone in the pit and it was harder to find than you would think so be careful. The covered slide is hard on the booty at the end but fun! My only real complaint is don't call it a color interactive museum when there is nothing educational throughout. You get a QR code to download your pics for free after so that is wonderful. It was fun and made me and my friend closer. read more

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We didn't get the full experience. They gave us one type of candy to guess for the tasting room (apparently we were supposed to guess all the flavors?), there was no confetti coming down in the confetti room, no macarons, no jelly bellies, and several rooms were closed. Very disappointed. Seems like they gave up on the experience and are doing the bare minimum. Not worth $30 in any way, shape, or form. read more

We visited the Color Factory for a fun Valentine's Day date, and it was absolutely adorable! Each room had its own unique theme, complete with interactive props for great photo ops and even sweet treats in some rooms. At the beginning of your journey, you're given a QR code to scan in each room, which automatically takes pictures for you. This was a clever touch, especially if you don't have someone to take pictures of you or set up your phone. A few of our favorite rooms were the Illinois-themed confetti room, the interactive audio room, and the ball pit room. It's the perfect place for a date or a fun photo-filled outing with friends. read more

This was such a fun interactive day activity for a big group of friends. The different colorfully decorated rooms made for great picture backdrops, and they also make the price worth it by providing different sweet treats and adding in activities like a blind candy taste test, a drawing exercise, and a sound room. I loved that they have cameras set up around the different rooms so you don't have to take your own pictures. You scan a QR code to activate the cameras, and the photos are saved and sent via email for a seamless process. My friends and I had such a great time here. Definitely recommended for a group wanting to capture memories together! read more

Had so much fun here with my husband! Very interactive and I did not feel like it was mainly centered around kids, so adults can go too! Photo experiences throughout the exhibits. read more

Color Factory - Art Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I think this place is good to go to at least once to escape the city or to just do something unique and interesting. I love how there's a complimentary coat check! the system takes a picture of you and your belongings to make sure you get your things back. Then you input your phone number to get it back at the end. That was probably my favorite thing because I had a tote bag I had been carrying around all day and it was super heavy so I was able to check my bag. I only kept my phone and my picture code to take pictures throughout the place. Each room is so different. Lots of interesting things to see. I loved how there's a selfie area in most rooms. It's hard to take pictures alone but having that added feature is priceless! Some of the rooms had little treats/surprises. My favorite room of all was this room where you have a partner, you enter different sides of the room that's divided by glass (kind of like a visitation jail center lol) but you sit down and you have coloring pencils, a piece of paper and some complement cards. You put the headphones on and they instruct you what to do! We had a lot of fun doing this! Of course the ball pit is fun! And just overall, we had a great time. I'd give it a 10/10 for the experience. Especially with children, I'm sure they'd have a blast. Would I do it again? By myself, probably not. With someone new, maybe. I think overall the experience was great. It's a little expensive but nothing crazy. We spent around $100 for 2 people. I think since they add little treats here and there, plus the picture opportunities, that really makes up for it. At the end, you're able to print your pictures if you want. Again, a tad on the costly side. It was $10 for one 5x7 print. However, you're able to download all your pictures to your phone. So I only bought one picture that was worth it to me! Overall, loved this place. read more

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We had an absolutely amazing family day at the color factory. Our boys will not stop asking when we can return. Every single room had a different theme to it and some had snacks too. Overall highly recommended, our boys are aged 4.5 and had great fun. The rooms we enjoyed most was definitely the confetti room and the ball pit. There were way more rooms than my photos are showing. We spent about 2 hours in there. read more

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3.5 stars My husband and I brought my almost 5 year old niece and she loved the treats and ball pit. She could care less for everything else. I can't tell if an older kid would've enjoyed it more but this seems more like a place for adults to post on their instagram. I thought it was cool they gave you a personal QR code to get pictures taken at specified spots during the exhibit. You can then download them for free or pay to print. Going through all the rooms took about an hour - we spent a good chunk of that in the ball pit room. The best treat was the mini Kurimu ice cream cone at the end. Overall, not sure if it was worth $130 for the three of us but I'm glad we got to try it. read more

Our favorite thing we did in Chicago. My kids were the perfect age for this at 7 and 8. They understood the science explanations and enjoyed the art and colors. The treats throughout were the topping on the cake. We loved how all of the free pictures came out also. Worth every cent it costs read more