773-684-1414 
www.msichicago.org

The Museum of Science and Industry may be one of the oldest science museums in the western hemisphere, but it is also one of the most fascinating, attracting almost 2 million visitors a year. Opened since 1933, it is among the seven most visited museums in the United States.

Whether you visit alone or with your family, the museum will bring out the child in you, with hands on interactive exhibits. Walk through a cantilevered Boeing 727 or a WWII captured submarine, travel down to a working coal mine shaft replica from 1933 or watch young minds create in "Idea Factory", an interactive exhibit especially designed for children 10 years of age or younger.

There are more than 800 exhibits in the museum, located on three floors. Plan to arrive early and spend the entire day here. The Museum of Science and Industry is located on the south side of Chicago near Hyde Park and is a destination itself.

Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle, a 3,000 square-foot model railroad, and the Circus exhibit will bring back childhood memories, while the exhibits Reusable City and Imaging: The Tools of Science and Virtual Reality Experience look toward the future.

Take a walk down Yesterday’s Main Street - a recreated street from 1910, view the latest Omnimax film or step inside a 16-foot replica of the human heart. Watch new baby chicks take their first steps in the baby chick hatchery or explore communication in the whispering gallery. The Museum has something of interest for just about everyone.

Just east of the Museum’s Central Pavilion, you’ll find the Henry Crown Space Center and the Omnimax Theater within it. Here you’ll find 10,000 square feet of space-related exhibits, including the original Apollo 8 Command Module and the original Aurora 7 Mercury spacecraft.

Space buffs can watch the film "To Be An Astronaut" shown every 30 minutes in the 34-seat Space Shuttle Theater. Afterward, get a look at the a lunar rock brought back by Apollo astronauts, and real space suits worn by astronauts.

The Omnimax Theater immerses visitors in a world of wonders ranging from the Great Barrier Reef to Antarctica and even outer space. The screen is 76 feet wide and five stories high - domed over the 344 seats. The Theater utilizes the largest motion picture sound system in the world.

The Museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The rest of the year hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays, and 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekends and holidays. Admission is $7.00 adults, $6.00 seniors and $3.50 children 3 -11. Omnimax films are an additional charge. Admission is free on Thursdays.

Be sure to grab a handy museum map when you enter the Museum of Science and Industry. It contains information on everything from the floor plans and where to eat, to the locations of public phones and an ATM. For more information on the museum, call 773-684-1414 or on the web site, www.msichicago.org.