Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
along the lakeshore path to the museums. Or, 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 Campus. 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.
A large indoor parking lot is accessible from Lake Shore Drive
southbound; you can park there all day for $15. Be aware that there
is no public parking during Chicago Bears games in the fall; Soldier
Field is next to the Museum Campus, and football fans get first dibs
on all the surrounding parking spaces.
Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum The build-
ing may be historic, but some of the attractions here will captivate
the most jaded video-game addict. Your first stop should be the
modern Sky Pavilion, where the don't-miss experience is the Star-
Rider Theater . Settle down under the massive dome, and you'll
take a half-hour interactive virtual-reality trip through the Milky
Way and into deep space, featuring a computer-generated 3-D-
graphics projection system and controls in the armrest of each seat.
Six high-resolution video projectors form a seamless image above
your head—you'll feel as if you're literally floating in space. If you're
looking for more entertainment, the Sky Theater shows movies with
an astronomical bent. Recent shows have included Secrets of Saturn
and Mars Now!, both of which are updated as new discoveries are
made.
The planetarium's exhibition galleries feature a variety of displays
and interactive activities. If you're only going to see one exhibit (and
have kids in tow), check out Shoot For the Moon , an exhibit on
lunar exploration that's full of interactive stations (it also showcases
the personal collection of astronaut Jim Lovell, captain of the infa-
mous Apollo 13 mission, who now lives in the Chicago suburbs).
Other exhibits include Bringing the Heavens to Earth , which
traces the ways different cultures have tried to make sense of astro-
nomical phenomena, and From the Night Sky to the Big Bang,
which includes artifacts from the planetarium's extensive collection
of astronomical instruments (although suitable for older children,
these can get a bit boring for little ones unless they're real astronomy
nuts). Allow 2 hours, more if you want to see more than one show.
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