Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2 The Earth, the Sky & the Sea: The Big Three
in the Grant Park Museum Campus
With terraced gardens and broad walkways, the Museum Campus at the south-
ern end of Grant Park makes it easy for pedestrians to visit three of the city's
most beloved institutions: the natural history museum, aquarium, and planetar-
ium. The campus is about a 15- to 20-minute walk from the Loop, and is eas-
ily reached by bus or subway (a free trolley runs from the Roosevelt Rd. El stop).
To get to the Museum Campus from the Loop, head east across Grant Park on
East Balbo Drive from South Michigan Avenue, and then trek south along the
lakeshore path to the museums. Or, you can make your approach on the path
that begins at 11th Street from South Michigan Avenue. Follow 11th to the
walkway that spans the Metra tracks. Cross Columbus Drive and then pick up
the path that will take you under Lake Shore Drive and into the Museum Cam-
pus. The CTA no. 146 bus will take you from downtown to all three of these
attractions. Call
&
836-7000
(from any city or suburban area code) for the stop
locations and schedule.
The website
www.museumcampus.org
has driving directions and informa-
tion on parking, as well as information on public transportation. (Be aware that
there is no public parking available during Chicago Bears football games in the
fall; Soldier Field is located right next to the Museum Campus, and Bears fans
get first dibs on all the surrounding parking spaces.)
Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
The building may be
historic, but some of the attractions here will captivate the most jaded video-
game addict. The first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, it was founded
by Sears, Roebuck and Co. executive Max Adler, who imported a Zeiss projec-
tor from Germany in 1930.
The good news for present-day visitors is that the planetarium has been
updated since then. Your first stop should be the modern Sky Pavilion, where
the don't-miss experience is the
StarRider Theater
. Settle down under the
massive dome, and you'll take a half-hour long interactive virtual-reality trip
through the Milky Way and into deep space, featuring a computer-generated
3D-graphics projection system and controls in the armrest of each person's seat.
Six high-resolution video projectors form a seamless image above your head—
you'll feel like you're literally floating in space. (On Thurs, Fri, and Sat nights,
the theater is open late for
SonicVision,
a head-trippy digital animation show
with an alternative music soundtrack.) If you're looking for more entertainment,
Museums for Less
If you're planning on visiting lots of Chicago museums, you should invest
in a CityPass, a prepaid ticket that gets you into the biggest attractions
(The Art Institute, Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium,
Adler Planetarium, Museum of Science and Industry, and Hancock Obser-
vatory). The cost at press time was $49 for adults and $39 for children,
which is about 50% cheaper than paying all the museums' individual
admission fees. You can buy a CityPass at any of the museums listed above,
or purchase one online before you get to town (www.citypass.net). Also,
see the “Museum Free Days” box, above, for schedules of when some of
these museums are free.
Value
