BargainSwag: Review: Museum of Science + Industry Chicago

There are so many amazing museums to choose from in the Chicago area, so it was hard deciding which one to select during our most recent visit. Our kids love a hands-on, interactive museum, so the Museum of Science + Industry Chicago was a great choice.

On our way up for a fun afternoon at MSI, looking forward to seeing what this museum is all about.

MSI is located at 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60637. The tickets are reasonably priced for families at $16 for adults and $9 for children, when purchased online. These tickets get you access to most of the museums permanent exhibits, but there are other exhibits that require separate tickets. We purchased the basic ticket and after spending a full afternoon at the museum hadn't even scratched the surface. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the exhibits we visited immensely and I'll share a few family favorites with you guys!

Idea Factory Exhibit:

There was so much fun to be had by the entire family at our first stop, the Idea Factory. Sometimes, museums can be hard for my youngest because she can't read and she feels left out at times. But this exhibit was right up her alley because it's described as a laboratory designed for young scientist age 10 and under and their families....This was big fun for everyone!

U-505 Submarine Exhibit:

This was my favorite exhibit and we spent the most time exploring the U-505 Submarine exhibit. It was an intriguing experience learning about what it took to hunt and capture a German U-boat. This is the only German submarine on United States soil captured during War War II by American forces off the coast of Africa on June 4, 1944. Not only did they capture it, they had to keep it a secret too. One of the questions asked and answered while visiting the exhibit is... "Could you imagine what it would take to hide something the length of a city block, weighing three times the Statue of Liberty?"

Genetics and Baby Chick Hatchery Exhibit:

We were all so very excited to see the baby chicks. We patiently waited with great anticipation and were fortunate to witness three separate baby chick hatchings in the incubator during our visit. It was exciting to watch the process as the chicks made their first small cracks in the eggs, popped their little heads out and wiggled out the shell into the world. Then, they were so exhausted all they could do was lay down and take a nap. The museum's first baby chick hatched in 1954 and these days, the hatchery helps preserve rare chicken breeds. The little ones and I could have watched the baby chicks all day, they were super cute.

This exhibit was a great opportunity to introduce the kids to the world of genetics and DNA.

Toymaker 3000 Exhibit:

The Toymaker 3000, an adventure in automation was the highlight and one of the most exciting experiences at the museum for my children. For $5 the children get to go inside the Toymaker 3000 exhibit; which is like being inside a factory where you can watch the assembly line process from parts to packaging as robots work to build a custom made toy top from start to finish. When it was all said and done each child got to take home their very own Toymaker 3000 Gravitron. Now that's what I call a great souvenir, every time they play with it they'll remember what a great time they had at the MSI Chicago.

Science Storms Exhibits:

My little one was totally in awe at the sight of the 40-foot tornado in front of her. She paused for a minute to watch beauty, then walked right up passed children much bigger than her and let it be known that she wanted her turn now. Her wish was immediately granted, then something else caught her eye and she was off. We witnessed and learned about the cool science behind tsunamis, avalanches, lightning and so much more. We've had endless discussions about the things we saw at the Science Storms exhibit and recently my oldest selected a book at the book store about tornados. I love providing opportunities to introduce them to new things and peak new interest and MSI Chicago did just that.