Detailed review by 1krispy1
1krispy1
Broomfield, USA98%
On the way home from the Ohio leg of our cross country road trip we stopped in Chicago to visit my daughter. During our visit we picked the Museum of Science and Industry in the city to visit. So we got out to the car and headed south to the city.
The museum is an amazing place to visit. It is very large and fully packed with interesting things related to science and the industry all around us that takes the lessons taught to us by science and gives them a practical application.
There is plainly too much to see in a single days visit. So we narrowed our selections and picked the U 505 a World War II German submarine captured by the United States Navy June 4, 1944 off the coast of Africa. From there she was towed all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to Bermuda, then to the Portsmouth, Navy Yard where she was kept for nearly a decade before finally being donated to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Now she is kept indoors in a climate controlled facility to prevent corrosion. It was an amazing display with all manner of wall murals depicting the event. The sub is set up with a torpedo being fired from the forward torpedo tubes. Tours of the interior are possible but our arrival was too late in the day and all the tickets for the day had been passed out. However the displays relating to the exhibit are extensive and some are interactive (like a pair of periscopes) Battle damage is apparent all along the conning tower. It was most impressive. There are only three other surviving U boats and the U 505 is the only type IXc known to survive. It is now a National Historic Landmark and a war memorial dedicated to those that served on both sides of the Battle of the Atlantic.
We also visited an exhibit hall with a huge display of model trains. The display shows products moving from raw material sources to places of industry then getting distributed through the rail system. It was amazing. We got to see the former holder of the land speed record, the jet propelled car the Spirit of America. There were plane hanging from the ceiling and a rail engine.
I think one of our favorite parts was the Harry Potter exhibit. It was in a separate tent like structure outside the main building. The staff of the museum led us down a series of passageways to the exhibit. Once inside there were many of the props used to produce the films. It was fascinating to see all the clothes and attention to detail in all of the props. For example the wands were very detailed and quite different from one to the other.
It was interesting to see the changes in the sizes of clothes for the "stars" of the movies from the very early movies to the most recent.
The only complaint I had about the museum was the cost. First we had to pay to park in the underground car park. It was more than the admission to the museum itself. There was a $13 charge to gain entry, the Harry Potter exhibit was an additional $13 and it would have been an additional $7 for the tour of the U 505.
The museum is located on 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive. It is open every day of the year from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with reduced hours on Sunday. Those hours are 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The museum is closed Christmas Day.
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry8
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It is a fantastic place to see. Lots of interactive exhibits, lots of hands on activities. The only downside is the cost. Expensive to park and addition expenses for certain of the major exhibits.
