This post was sponsored by Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago and Mode Media. All opinions are of my own.
Chicago has so much to offer and though I live in Wisconsin just 2 hours away, I haven’t spent a whole lot of time in the city. Now driving through, that’s a whole other story! Well Lil Man and I recently took a little day trip to Chicago with some of our family and we got to visit the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago?for the first time. I wrote a?World Premier of Robot Revolution ? MSI Chicago article last week that you might consider reading in addition to this post.
There is no way that I could explain to you all of the amazing things that you can experience at MSI Chicago. In just one afternoon, we?didn’t even have enough time to see everything that?MSI Chicago has to offer, so I plan to go back very soon ??and take Big Bro and hubby with me next time! Since I’d end up writing a book to share everything we saw and experienced with you, I decided to focus on 5 of my favorite exhibits.
5 Must-See Exhibits at MSI Chicago
U-505 Submarine – Submarines have always intrigued me, so this exhibit was really fun to see ? and it’s huge! The U-505 is a German U-boat submarine that prowled?off the coast of West Africa during WWII. It was on the hunt for American and Allied ships, but was blasted out of hiding by depth charges from the USS Chatelain on June 4, 1944. The U-505 Submarine had a violent run, almost altering the outcome of the war. It now sits inside MSI Chicago as a national memorial to the 55,000 American sailors who made the greatest sacrifice of all with their lives during WWI and WWII.
To get to the?U-505, you must first walk through other exhibits from the wars. It’s a great way to brush up on and learn more about our history. One exhibit features newspaper articles, while another shows a life-like replica of sailors floating in the water after their ship was attacked.
Newspaper articles from wartime
Sailors floating in the water
You’re then led to the platform that surrounds the?U-505 and you can see just how massive it really is. It’s incredible!
U-505
U-505 – side view
Once you make it to the lower level where the ship rests, there is so much to see. One of the things that I really liked was the bunk room they had. My niece couldn’t resist taking a rest on it!
MSI Chicago offers tours of the?U-505 during specific times of the day. These tours are in addition to the regular cost of museum entry, but it’s definitely something that I plan to do on our next visit.
Farm Tech – Farm Tech is a great experience for the whole family. It teaches you all about what life is like on the farm and shares the newest innovations farmers use to get fresh food to your family’s dinner table. You can learn how they use newrobotictechnology to milk cows, turn poop into power, get up close and personal inside a real tractor and so much more.
This exhibit was a lot of fun for all of us and since we had two little ones under 6 years old with us, we spent a lot of time in this area since it was really hands on for them. We even got to see some baby chicks ? they were so cute!
Milking a cow
Taking a tour of the big green tractor
Science Storms – The Science Storms exhibit is just so cool. Like the others, it’s really hands on and was one of Lil Man’s favorite places to experience at MSI Chicago. He loved the ball of energy where he could place his hands on each side of the ball and bring the energy to his fingertips. His face reminds me of a mad scientist!
In Science Storms, you’ll learn all about lightning, fire, tornados, avalanches, tsunamis, sunlight and atoms in motion. It is very educational and fun for the family. You can even take a seat, relax and check out a real lightning show!
The mad scientist
Kids can?get right next to a 40 foot tornado and then take control of your own miniature vortex. You can even experience wind speeds up to 80 miles per hour in a wind tunnel booth!
The eye of the storm
YOU! The Experience – This a really neat exhibit where you can experience all about YOU! You’ll get to try to make faces on the computers interact with and laugh at you, learn what it’s like to be a hamster on a ?wheel, see your veins through an infrared light and so much more. The family got a kick out of the vein area, but it wasn’t for my weak stomach so I had to get out of there. They all enjoyed it though, so if that’s your thing, do it!
Just another hamster on a wheel
Robot Revolution – Last but certainly not least is the Robot Revolution exhibit. This interactive and hands on experience requires an additional timed-entry ticket and is not included with regular museum entry. It is a lot of fun though and I definitely recommend checking it out! You can see all sorts of different robots, get hands on with some of them and even learn how to make one! Read my?World Premier of Robot Revolution ? MSI Chicago?article to learn all about the?Robot Revolution exhibit!
These robots climb walls
Make your own robot!
We had such an amazing experience at MSI Chicago, which happens to be one of the largest science museums in the world. They really do make science come alive in a fun, yet very educational way. If you haven’t visited with your family yet, you absolutely must! There is so much to experience and do, I’ve shared just a very small portion of the entertainment you’ll enjoy. Visit MSI Chicago to plan your visit and purchase tickets.
The Museum of Science and Industry [www.msichicago.org] is one of the largest science museums in the world and offers world-class and uniquely interactive experiences that inspire the inventive genius in everyone and foster curiosity. Visit MSI (www.msichicago.org) on Facebook to learn more about MSI’s groundbreaking exhibits that can?t be found anywhere else and hands-on opportunities that make you the scientist.
