It’s difficult to design a museum suitable for both kids and adults, but Adler makes it look easy. Children will love the area known as Planet Explorers, where they can play astronaut with space rovers and rocket-launch simulators, peer through microscopes, and crawl through caves and tunnels. Adults will love the Our Solar System exhibit and the CyberSpace room. The Adler is housed in a large semicircular stone building right on the banks of Lake Michigan, with giant glass windows on both floors and lovely views across the lake. It has an enormous telescope and a couple of star theaters with daily shows spotlighting space travel, night-sky vistas, and interplanetary relationships. Whether you go by yourself or bring your kids, it’s a great place for visitors of any age.
Fritz Geller-Grimm
Clayton Hauck for Choose Chicago / FCB
Clayton Hauck
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Free Access to Chicago's Incredible Skyline
Not only is the Adler Planetarium a super-cool place in general, but it also boasts one of the best skyline views of the city. You can camp out in the grass or sit on the endless steps that follow the lakefront in this incredible spot. You get an amazing, sweeping view of the whole skyline, from the Willis Tower, all the way to Navy Pier. This is a great place to take out-of-town visitors at any time of day, or a place to have a picnic on a warm summer day.
