🔬Science Center🏠 Homeschool ProgramsPaid admission

Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60637

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About

The Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry—renamed in 2024 to honor a transformative gift from philanthropist Kenneth C. Griffin—stands as the Western Hemisphere's largest science museum. Founded in 1933 and housed in the spectacular Palace of Fine Arts building from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the museum has welcomed more than 200 million guests over its nine decades on Chicago's lakefront. The museum's 14-acre campus spans a restored Beaux-Arts building of extraordinary grandeur, with exhibit halls covering transportation, space exploration, technology, coal mining, and the physical sciences. The U-505 is a German submarine captured during World War II and is one of the museum's most powerful exhibits—visitors board the actual sub and experience the story of the 1944 mission that seized it, complete with its original cipher materials. Coal Mine takes guests underground into a simulated working coal mine complete with a mine shaft elevator and authentic mining equipment. The Giant Dome Theater presents five-story wraparound films in a domed screen that envelops the audience in immersive visuals. Science Storms recreates tornado, tsunami, lightning, and avalanche phenomena at monumental scale, while the Wanger Family Fab Lab invites visitors to design and fabricate their own creations using professional-grade tools. Illinois homeschool groups are admitted free to the museum, making it an exceptional resource for families pursuing self-directed education. The museum's programming ranges from overnight sleepovers to science competitions and teacher professional development throughout the year.

🏠 Homeschool Programs

Illinois homeschool groups receive free general admission. Dedicated field trip programming and overnight sleepovers available.

Subject Areas

🔬 Science💻 Technology⚙️ Engineering📜 History🌌 Space & Astronomy🔧 Making & Tinkering

Best For

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 All Ages👨‍👩‍👧 Families🎒 Elementary (6–10)🧑 Tweens & Teens (11–17)🧑‍💼 Adults🏫 School Groups

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Hours of Operation

Mon9:30 AM – 4 PM

Tue9:30 AM – 4 PM

Wed9:30 AM – 4 PM

Thu9:30 AM – 4 PM

Fri9:30 AM – 4 PM

Sat9:30 AM – 4 PM

Sun9:30 AM – 4 PM

Open daily 9:30am–4pm; extended to 5:30pm during summer. Hours vary seasonally; verify before visiting.

Hours change seasonally — verify before visiting.

Admission

Paid admission

Admission prices available at griffinmsi.org. Illinois homeschool groups admitted free. ASTC Passport Program accepted.

✓ Membership available

ASTC

ASTC Travel Passport Program

Members of the Association of Science and Technology Centers' Travel Passport Program offer free or discounted admission to members of other participating institutions. Over 300 science centers worldwide participate.

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47 other places in our directory accept this membership: