Adler Planetarium

Adler is a fun spot if you enjoy Space and Science. The place was packed and noticed how kinda crammed it is. I enjoyed a lot of the displays they had up but considering I live 4 miles from The Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama a lot of it seemed the same. The best thing was probably watching a movie on exploring the Cosmos in the Dome theater.

Fantastic! Tons of great exhibits and for only $ 20 more my girlfriend and I got into the cosmo show. Normally its $ 25 a person but with the student discount it ended up being $ 20, so bring your student ID! Really recommend Adler Planetarium, especially if you love space like my girlfriend and I.

This review might sound silly, but it is only going to be about the outside of the planetarium. For all you tourists, I suggest you stop by JUST for the view of Chicago. It is unlike anything I’ve seen before. Especially because I came during the winter time (January) the entire lake was frozen over. There were crystals that formed in the water. Coming from so cal, it was definitely a breath taking sight. Only note is that the parking situation is a beez. I suggest you do what I did… pull over and put your hazard lights on to take quick pics!

It was my most amazing experience I had in my life! The most coldest adventure I been through to see the beautiful skyline. I have the admit Chicago is extremely cold, but when you’re by the water it is 10x more cold.
The planetariums’ staff is quite nice. At first we went in there just to hibernate because there was nothing open around that area, but this exposition. She did not ask us to leave and she did not make it obvious that we came in just to warm ourselves up. It is a great place to learn about the astronomy and telescopes. I think they can advance abit more about the solar system for the price people pay to get into this place.

The Adler is a very nice place to visit if you are in the area. It’s located right next to the Shed aquarium, and there is plenty of parking available. A great place to learn about astronomy, and have fun; with exhibits, shows, lectures, and telescopes!

Had a blast today viewing the new exhibits and relearning all the old ones! Great memories made again! Cannot wait to go back next time!

Perhaps this is my fault for having a raised expectation, but I gotta say, this place was pretty wack. Given that this planetarium is in Chicago, I expected more exhibits and interactive things for the kids, and was disappointed at the lack thereof. If not for our museum membership that got us free general admission, I would have felt pretty cheated.
If you’re debating on this place or the museum, or aquarium, I’d say skip it. Unless you’re really into the solar system. Just hold back your expectations.

ok so i didn’t go into the planetarium, I was in town for a short weekend visit and someone told me this would be a great place to get a view of the city. Parking was easy and probably the least expensive i’d seen my whole trip.

First off, I cannot stress enough how priceless it is to visit the Planetarium as it has not only the best view of the Chicago skyline, but it has one of the most breathtaking views I have ever witnessed period (and I’ve seen many breathtaking views, ranging from the view 1,800 meters up on top of the Yellow Mountain and the surreal blue-​green waters of the Jiuzhaigou National Park). The view of the skyline is way more satisfying than the Planetarium itself.
For the view of the Chicago skyline, the Planetarium gets +2 stars. The Planetarium gets the credit as I would have never come here otherwise.
I would have deducted 1 star had I not had the CityPass. With a CityPass, you get to skip the line as well as access to two shows. Each show is about 30 minutes long. Due to time restraints, I was only able to visit one. I ended up going to the Cosmic Wonder show, which provides a plethora of mind-​blowing facts and visually appealing images on a 360 screen. I thoroughly enjoyed it so +1 star for Cosmic Wonder.
During the Cosmic Wonder show, they provide everyone with a penny (for size and weight comparisons mentioned during the show). You can keep the penny for use in the elongated souvenir penny machines. Conveniently next to the machine is a dollar to quarter machine as well, since it costs .50 cents and a penny to get the elongated penny.
The last +1 star for this place goes to how kid/​family-​friendly the museum is. Tons of activities, demonstrations, and simulations for the kids. I swear the kiddie playground takes up half the museum. Definitely a place I’d take my kid to (uh, if I had one hah!).
However, with that said, this place is tiny which means it gets crowded easily. Without a CityPass, it can be an hour wait for a mere 20 minute experience if you’re just there for a casual visit. I will be coming back for the view of the Chicago skyline, though!

great educational visit. Loved the layout, tho the coat room and bathrooms get confusing. decent food in the café. Which by the way is the most beautiful café, with the most stunning view toward the skyline. loved the kids activity center. spend hours there with nephews.

Horrible experience. We waited in line for 1 hour; half of it was standing outside in the freezing wind and the other half going around in circles to arrive at yet another line to buy the tickets since they only have 3 – 4 machines.
The telescope and Astrolabe sections were pretty cool though and we would’ve loved to see a show in the dome if we had time however the next show was going to be 1.5 hours after we were done.
I’m glad it was the Bank of America free weekend since I wouldn’t have paid for the visit.

This was fun. They have a lot of interactive learning experiences for all ages.
My husband has been to many planetariums, and feels that this is the better if not the best one he has been to.
The shows are entertaining as well.

Nothing puts in perspective how small we are or the enormity of the universe than a trip to the planetarium. To me, the two shows we saw, Cosmic Wonder and Undiscovered World, were worth the price of admission. Usually a dark show or movie is a chance for my wife to take a quick nap when we’re in amusement parks, but she was wide awake, as was I, for the duration of both shows at Adler.
If you’re coming via CTA, you can take the Red Line to Roosevelt and connect to the 146 bus which will drop you off 50 feet from the entrance. City Pass holders can enter at the lower entrance to the south of the main entrance and our entry got us into three shows, we only went to two of them.
Both shows had cool visual effects and for those of you with neck issues, sitting toward the rear of the seating areas would be the least stressful. Both shows we saw demonstrate how much we are discovering about the rest of the universe, but also how little we know still and how much there is yet to be discovered. Interesting and thought provoking stuff for me.
Skip the Telescope and Astronomy in Culture exhibits but the other exhibits might have some information that interests you. I don’t think there’s value coming in just for exhibits which is what general admission gets you, but I think the shows are worth it and it beats looking up at a domed ceiling with just highlighting of certain constellations and planets that you would get at other planetariums.

This is one of the stops you will make in Museum Park. However, it is my least favorite. It does have one or two exhibits that are nice and interesting but the rest seems to be catered to school kids. The interactive exhibits at times do not work and there is not much to do here. I like the sculptures of the Chinese Zodiac they put in front. Otherwise, if you don’t have much time I say skip this one!

The planetarium by itself is pretty cool, but the Adler After Dark events are ¹¹⁄₁₀. These late eveinings have great local bands, captivating talks, and often a really fun theme.
We went for Brew and Bots. The line for beer was long, but hey, you get science and to have a slight buzz. Anybody that loves science will enjoy this place, and it is a great place to take a date that will stimulate the mind.

We decided to visit on one of the free general admission days and happy to say I found it both informative and fun at the same time! However on my next visit if like to go to one of those showing on the theater as well as the Atwood sphere… The souvenir store got some interesting stuff!

We didn’t go inside the Planetarium. We came very late at night for the Chicago Skyline view and it was amazing. The night was clear and the lights from the buildings made for a perfect Kodak — or iPhone — moment.

I’m a fan of the Adler Planetarium, and I haven’t even been inside yet. That evening we were there, we came to see the Chicago Skyline at night. It was very beautiful. My pictures do not do the skyline justice.
Will have to return here in the future to check out what is happening inside!

We came here on a free day. It was fun but just note that the experience is not worth the $ 12 ticket. Their were some cool exhibits around here and their and we mostly walked around and read their facts. Other then that, it’s just okay. I would never pay $ 12!
Parking is cheap outside! $ 2 for an hour, and we found parking easily at noon. The best part about this museum is the skyline view from the planetarium! I can sit outside for hours!

As a former science teacher, there’s a special place in my heart for museums– but especially for planetariums! Space is freakin’ awesome, as all the employee shirts say. I love how personable the staff are here, wandering around answering questions or set up at an educational station interacting with visitors. That’s what makes science come alive!
That said, my experience wasn’t that great. You purchase a ticket and select shows based on times and availability, and wander the circular museum space in the mean time. The displays ranged from space tools through time to individual displays for each planet (and included an honorary section on Pluto!) but the layout, materials, and information seemed a bit on the dated side. I understand that they can only update museums so often, but this may not be the place to take the kid who is fascinated by space and up to date on the current research.
The planetarium shows spanned a range of topics, but the couple of shows we saw, other than the fun of being projected onto a screen in lay-​back seats, were about as exciting as a weekday special on the Discovery channel. I was hoping for something more, I guess.
Pricing is a bit steep: $ 25/​adults, $ 20/​kids, for what seems to be only one show? $ 10 more gives you unlimited (same day?) access to as many shows as you like. As others have said, if you plan on doing even one or two more attractions, City Pass is your best bet.

I came to visit the Adler Planetarium for the first time for their Lunar Viewing Party. Even though we woke up super early to get to this event (3:30−6:30am), it was a neat way to experience most of the planetarium’s exhibits and demos. For FREE. Metered parking was free between 10pm-​8am. Out of the experience, the most memorable parts for me were:
(1) taking the IR selfie, in which you could see which parts of your body were radiating heat.
(2) viewing the lunar eclipse with the magnifying telescopes, from which you could see the craters that blemish the moon’s surface.
Note that you can take great panoramic shots of (a) the sunrise over Lake Michigan from the east end and (b) Chicago skyline from the northwestern end of the planetarium. Also, bring your own water and snacks to fill any hunger pangs.

Je né suis pas vraiment allé dans le Planétarium, mais je suis allé profiter de la superbe vue qui entoure cet endroit, de nuit, comme de jour, c’est exceptionnel et cela vaut le détour qu’il faut faire (bien qu’il vaut mieux avoir une voiture pour y aller) …

Im Adler Planetarium werden verschiedene Shows vom Sternenhimmel über Chicago angeboten und auch gut erklärt. Die Projektionsgeräte sehen zwar sehr veraltet aus, erfüllen jedoch voll Ihre Zwecke. Das kleinste und erste Planetarium ist ebenfalls dort ausgestellt und kann bewundert werden, mit einer kleinen Gondel fährt man in die Metallkugel ein und es wird einen ein kleines Programm des Sternenhimmels von Chicago vorgeführt. Ausstellungen über den Mond-​, Flug und Besucher veranschaulichen den Weg durch das Weltall auf den Mond. Eine Ausstellung über Navigationsgeräte aus dem Mittelalter wird ebenfalls schön dargeboten.

This is a really fun museum that’s located near the Shedd Aquarium and The Field Museum. It overlooks Lake Michigan and has an amazing view of downtown Chicago. It has a bunch of great exhibits, but the best one is by far the Gemini 12 capsule; it’s amazing and worth the trip just for that. I definitely recommend this for anyone who loves astronomy or space exploration history!