We are members here and we do not come here enough! I would say we average about 3-4 visits a…read moreyear. However when we do come, our toddler has a blast! Your children will as well. As members, we do get discounted parking at Navy Pier. While it does help, it still can be a little pricey. Ok there is a gift shop right before you enter so if you can support it, great! Head up the stairs or elevator and get ready for 2 floors of fun! Whether you visit the dinosaurs, construction area or the fire station, this museum appeals to every childs interests. This particular day we spent a lot of time in the firehouse as seen by the video. Regardless, he had fun, make some friends, had some snacks (2nd floor) and had a great time! We love coming here!

We recently returned to the Children's Museum, and our young boys really enjoyed the experience…read more While the water area was closed (which was a disappointment as it's a fan favorite), my kiddos continue to enjoy the makeshift CTA bus and firetruck. The rotating display this time around was 'castle,' which had fun dress up options and little play areas. While we like the children's museum, with the water area closed and tickets still $21/person, we likely won't come back for some time. However, definitely a great spot to check out if you've never been!

What a lovely museum and a must see for any parent with a kid visiting the Chicago area (parents…read moreenjoy it too). You can spend days here! Our main excitement was U-505 submarine. We bought the additional tour of the submarine and it was well worth it. My kiddo is obsessed with submarines and what a story this submarine has to tell and even more incredible how they got it here. We also loved the exhibit on Paul Tazewell which was a limited engagement to see his beautiful pieces of art (costumes) especially those from Wicked which were just out of this world. We also loved all the interactive exhibits like the one where butterflies land on you on a screen based on how still you can be. We also spent a great amount of time looking at the space artifacts and even took in a movie (additional cost) which was a great way to unwind a little after being on our feet the majority of the day. Love this museum!

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/

For myself and three kids it was $200. Pretty steep for essentially 20 vats of slime to try and a…read morecouple extra things like walking on slime or making slime. The process was easy. The place seems upkept and clean. Staff was very nice. It's just a short experience. I think younger kids would like it for an hour.

So many feelings. First of all I loved this WAY more than I thought I would. I HATE slime but my…read moregirls love it. So deep breath and who cares if clothes get ruined?! We went on Good Friday, lots of kids were off of school. We got the first time slot! Highly recommend this! The place is self guided and you can always go back to feel some more! If you think about germs and are easily grossed out, there's plenty of hand sanitizer around, or bring your own! But everyone is basically reaching in to feel the same slime you are. There's a small area the kids can take their shoes off and play in. Some squishes and slime they can go into (it's hard and doesn't stick to clothes!). They also have the "get slimed" station. I believe it's $30 and from the looks of it, it's just blue water. Didn't seem worth it to me. But my kids loved watching! The best part is being able to make your own slime! You can pick the consistency, smell and color! And as an added bonus you can pick out 3 charms! There's no food or drinks allowed in and they have a complimentary coat/bag check! Take a picture of your bag in case you drop your ticket! In addition, I find it hilarious that people are complaining about the price. Of course the place raises the price during peak hours. Now do I think $56 for a ticket is steep, yes! But plan ahead and always purchase tickets ahead of time! We paid $135 for 3 and were there almost 3 hours! We only left because we had lunch reservations!

We recently visited Yellowstone National Park, and we remembered that the Field Museum in Chicago…read morehas a life-size bison on exhibit! If i recall, it was on the east side of the second floor. We saw a large herd in Yellowstone, and several scattered pairs and individuals. We were about ten feet from one while we were driving to Old Faithful. This felt like that experience. Yikes! Yeah, they are this big.

The Africa Fashion exhibit was everything. The colors, the fabrics, the way each piece told a story…read moreit gave me chills. Seeing over 20 countries represented in one space felt powerful and inspiring, and honestly it made me look at fashion in a whole new way. This is one of those shows you have to catch while it's here. It's not just fashion, it's history, culture, and art all in one. You can check out my full review and everything I did on Instagram and TikTok: @travelnistaonthemove

The ice cream hotdog was nasty and the smoked salt that was on the peach Paloma made the whole…read moredrink horrible

What a fun time!! The staff is very energetic and seem to enjoy their job. I wish there were more…read morerooms to explore but you can eat all the nice cream you want. While the hot dog ice cream was the worst thing I ever tasted, it will be a lasting memory for my family and the laughs we had trying it. This a fun stop to explore for all ages. Signed- Le'Mon Keezy (my ice cream name) . This isn't a spot I'd continually visit but you should definitely give it a try!!

Came here for the first time for a birthday party so I wasn't sure what to expect. The place was…read morerecently renovated so things did not seem that dated. There was a variety of different areas to play in, different pretend areas- veterinary, building and grocery. There was a big climbing structure to get into with a variety of different obstacles inside. And there was a water play area. Overall a lot of variety for the space. The things were well maintained. The room was also kept pretty warm.

They raised the prices as of October 2025 and parents still have to pay just to get in…read more Would love if the could partner with a local disability services vendor to run a small cafe. It would be more on par with the other indoor spaces.

We visited the Kohl Children's Museum and had a good time. There are lots of different activity…read moreareas for kids to explore, and it's a fun place for children to learn through play. Admission is $20 per person. However, I also visited about four years ago, and I was surprised that almost nothing has changed. Many of the toys, exhibits, and play areas looked the same and felt quite worn from years of use. I would recommend visiting at least once because it's a nice experience for kids, but I don't think it's a place I would return to regularly unless they update or refresh the exhibits.

What a special spot for kids and families!…read more While visiting family nearby, they suggested that we all take our kids to the Kohl Children's Museum for them to play and run around. (It was also a particularly good move because we would be leaving shortly thereafter on our five-hour roadtrip back home -- so great for getting out the wiggles!) This museum is one large floor filled with spaces for kids to play with. There's a play grocery, play restaurant, play doctors office, play mechanic, play water tables, play music area -- even a play bookshop. Everything the kids could touch and learn from. We easily spent a couple of hours exploring everything alongside our kiddos. The trick was keeping an eye on our kids since they were constantly running from one thing to the next. We also visited during a weekend of a freezing cold snap, which meant it was packed with families hoping to wear their kids out indoors. Even still, we were able to play with everything without a long wait. I loved seeing how thought out each area was and all the ways that the kids could interact with everything. If I lived in this area, I would definitely have a membership and visit often!

AMAZING butterfly room. There's sooo many butterflies I was surprised. We were able to watch them…read morerelease a few too. Sometimes they will also land on your arm. It costs money to get into the museum, then an extra $5 to go to the butterfly room.

We had a wonderful time exploring the Nature Museum with our two kiddos (2.5yrs & 5.5yrs old)…read moretoday! There was tons to do - water play (in multiple areas), living & taxidermy creatures to see/learn about, two play spaces to get the wiggles out, and of course the beautiful Butterfly Haven. We went on a weekday around 11am during spring break and it was moderately busy, but there was no line to get in. We paid extra to visit the butterfly haven (100% worth it!). The 1st exhibit included water play, which our kids loved, but def bring a change of clothes for when they get wet. There is another water play zone on the 1st floor next to the play area as well. The highlight of our visit was the Butterly Haven. It's very beautiful and I honestly could sit there forever watching butterflies flutter around. They release butterflies daily at 2pm, but we didn't see that. We also enjoyed the digital interactive butterfly exhibit, where kids color a butterfly on paper, scan it, and it appears fluttering on a giant digital screen. Street parking was full, but there is a small lot across the street from the entrance and it was $24 to park. It was a short walk to the entrance. The gift shop is super cute and has snacks/drinks, but nothing fresh-made (mostly pre-packaged options). They have tables & high chairs near the entrance for snacking/resting. Also family restrooms, stroller parking, & an elevator. Super kid/family friendly and we'll definitely be back!

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.

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.

We had an amazing time visiting the Adler Planetarium during our trip to Chicago. There were so…read moremany fun exhibits with interesting history on space. We also went while there was a university student answering questions so we got to learn more about the black holes she's currently studying which was interesting. Our son had a great time exploring and playing in the interactive kids section.

Man what a real treat. It was my daughter's idea to visit the planetarium on a weeknight. Luckily…read morefor us the observatory was open to take in the amazing view of the moon! There was also a gentlemen next to the observatory with a smaller telescope who offered to take a few photos of the moon with my phone! The theatre show inside of the planetarium was insightful and entertaining. Lots to learn! Our host had a great old school FM voice. Icing on the cake was seeing the fireworks show from Navy Pier. And the staff was friendly and professional. I highly recommend Adler Planetarium for everyone.