Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium holds the distinction of being America's first planetarium, opened in 1930. Located at the tip of a peninsula on Chicago's Museum Campus, it sits literally on Lake Michigan with the city skyline at its back — a location that provides both world-class astronomy exhibits inside and one of the most photographed skyline views outside. For families, it delivers a focused, manageable museum experience centered on space and astronomy that works for ages 3 through teenage.

The centerpiece is the Grainger Sky Theater, a modern dome theater that projects immersive space shows on a screen that curves over and around the audience. The shows take you from Earth into deep space — past planets, through asteroid fields, into galaxies — with visuals that are genuinely impressive. The feeling of floating through space while reclined in theater seats draws audible gasps from kids and adults alike.

The Adler produces original shows that rotate, so check the website for the current offerings. The most recently released show typically has the best visual technology.

For younger kids (ages 3-8), the Planet Explorers exhibit on the first floor is the highlight. This hands-on space has a play spaceship cockpit where kids can pretend to pilot through the solar system, a Mars rover building station with real engineering challenges, a rocket launcher where kids design and launch foam rockets, and a climbing structure designed to simulate zero gravity. It is thoughtfully designed — genuinely educational while being fun enough that kids do not realize they are learning.

Plan 30-45 minutes here.

The main exhibit galleries cover the history of space exploration (with artifacts from the Gemini and Apollo missions), the solar system (with scale models and interactive displays), and telescope history (the Adler has a significant collection of historic telescopes and astronomical instruments). For kids ages 8 and up who have any interest in space, NASA, or astronomy, these exhibits are fascinating. For younger kids, the galleries are less engaging — stick to Planet Explorers and the sky shows.

The skyline view from the Adler is worth mentioning specifically because it is the best in Chicago and costs nothing extra. Walk east to the tip of the peninsula and turn around — the entire downtown skyline stretches across the harbor in a perfect panorama. This is the classic Chicago skyline photo that appears on postcards. Do it before or after your museum visit.

Practically, the Adler is a 2-3 hour visit. It shares the Museum Campus with the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium, and the three are within walking distance of each other. Do not attempt more than one in a day with young children — museum fatigue is real and will ruin the second visit.

If you have one day on the Museum Campus, choose based on your child's interests: Adler for space, Shedd for marine life, Field for dinosaurs.

Admission has multiple tiers. General admission ($16 adults, $12 kids 3-11) includes all exhibit galleries and one sky show. The all-access pass ($35/$28) adds all sky shows and special exhibits. For most families, general admission with one sky show is sufficient. Illinois residents should check for free days, which happen several times per year.