Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2 Kohl Children's Museum
17 miles N of Chicago
Children as young as 1 year old can enjoy this top-notch museum. (There's even
an infants area, but I'd advise waiting until your child is a year old to really
appreciate the museum.) In fact, many Chicago parents prefer Kohl to the
Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier for its ease of access—you'll find
much less of a crowd here than at Navy Pier. In September 2005 the museum
will move to a new location in Glenview, so call for information if you're visit-
ing after that time.
ESSENTIALS
Wilmette is located on the North Shore, a swath of suburbia between Chicago
and the state border of Wisconsin that is one of the nation's most affluent resi-
dential areas.
BY CAR
Go north on Lake Shore Drive, which feeds into
Sheridan Road.
Follow Sheridan it as it winds through the campus of Northwestern University
in Evanston and into Wilmette. To reach the museum, turn left (west) onto
Central Street (at Evanston Hospital) and follow it to Green Bay Road. Turn
right on Green Bay Road and drive
1
⁄
4
-mile to the museum, which is on your left.
BY TRAIN
Catch the
Metra
train (
&
312/322-6777;
www.metrarail.com)
from the Ogilvie Transportation Center at Madison and Canal streets in
Chicago to Wilmette. As you exit the train, the museum will be an easy walk of
a couple of blocks to the west.
SEEING THE MUSEUM
The Kohl Children's Museum packs a lot into its small square footage: The
200,000 visitors it hosts annually make it the most heavily visited museum per
square foot in metropolitan Chicago. Opened in 1985, this museum is a hands-
on, dress-up-and-pretend, blow-bubbles sort of place where your kids will
amuse themselves for hours. They can shop at a simulated supermarket, take a
voyage on a Phoenician sailing ship, and join in puppet shows and singalongs.
Permanent exhibits include
The Great Kohl Sailing Ship,
which provides a
stage for imaginary play as kids journey to new worlds. The vessel is part sailing
ship, part fishing vessel, and part cargo ship. Kids wear real life vests while rais-
ing and lowering the sail, using nets or rod and reel to catch schools of colorful
fish, steering the ship in the wheel house, ringing the ship's bell, peeking through
the portholes or loading cargo into the hold, and talking through the speaking
tubes to the ship's captain.
Dominick's,
a recently renovated grocery-store exhibit, gives children a
chance to run the shop. Kids can role-play by pretending to be shoppers or the
cashier. They're responsible for the workings of the store, from shopping to
restocking to checking out. Other permanent exhibits include the
StarMax
Technology Center,
a computer center that features creative learning software;
Construction Zone,
where you can be a home builder;
H20,
where kids can
explore the wonders of water play;
People,
a multicultural exhibit aimed at prej-
udice prevention and the celebration of Chicago's diversity; and
Things That
Go!,
a CTA train that entertains riders on a trip through Chicago.
165 Green Bay Rd., Wilmette.
&
847/251-7781.
www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org. Admission $5 per person,
$4 for seniors, free for children under age 1. Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun noon-5pm.
