Museum of Science & Industry
Huge hands-on science museum in Hyde Park — U-505 submarine, coal mine, baby chicks.
The call
Worth it if you are traveling with kids and you want context, not just the photograph.
Why
- 01
The most interactive of Chicago's big museums and a clear kid-pleaser: a captured German U-boat, a working coal mine, and rooms of buttons to press.
Our read - 02
The catch is location — it's in Hyde Park, well south of downtown — and the sheer size means you'll only scratch the surface in a single visit.
Our read
Is it a fit?
Go if
You are traveling with kids
With kids, Museum of Science & Industry is an easy yes.
You want context, not just the photograph
Museum of Science & Industry rewards a trip built around depth & learning.
Think twice if
You are traveling as a couple
As a couple, skip Museum of Science & Industry.
You are watching the budget
Museum of Science & Industry can strain a tight budget. Go only when it is a priority.
You only have one day
Keep Museum of Science & Industry only when it outranks a half-day elsewhere.
You are traveling solo
Solo, Museum of Science & Industry needs the right timing and tolerance.
Plan it well
- Cost
- $25–36 adult
- Timing
- Weekday; allow three or more hours and pair it with a Hyde Park lunch.
- Booking
- Pre-book timed tickets; the U-505 onboard tour is a separate add-on.
- Allow
- 3–5 hours
- Accessibility
- Fully accessible with elevators.
- Getting there
- In Hyde Park ~7 miles south of the Loop; Metra Electric to 55th–56th–57th St or the #6 bus.
Consider instead
Sources and method (2)
- Renamed the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry on May 19, 2024 after a $125M gift from Kenneth C. Griffin — the largest in its history en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Houses U-505, the only German U-boat in the U.S., captured in WWII; general admission ~$25.95 with paid add-ons for U-505 onboard and Coal Mine griffinmsi.org ↗