Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium at 1300 S DeSoto Ave sits at the tip of the Museum Campus peninsula in Chicago, Illinois, opened in 1930 as the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. The domed Art Deco building, built of rose-colored granite, faces Lake Michigan and offers one of the best skyline views in the city from its outer walkway, which looks north across the water to the Loop and Willis Tower.

Inside, the museum combines exhibitions on astronomy and space exploration with several theaters. Sky shows run in the planetarium domes, including a large dome theater that projects the night sky and immersive films, and a smaller theater for live presentations by staff. Permanent exhibitions cover the solar system, the history of astronomical instruments, and space missions, and the collection includes antique astrolabes, telescopes and other instruments from centuries of observation. Interactive displays let visitors explore planets, orbits and the physics of light. General admission is approximately $25 to $35 for adults and $13 to $25 for children, and the sky shows cost extra, so visitors usually choose a package online at adlerplanetarium.org.

A visit usually takes two to three hours, longer with multiple shows. The museum is typically open daily from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, but hours change seasonally and on event nights, and the schedule should be checked before traveling. Weekday mornings are the calmest, while weekends and school holidays are busy and show times can sell out. The outer walkway is open to the public and is a favorite place for photographs, particularly at sunset when the skyline lights up across the water. The Adler is a long walk from the nearest rail stations, about 25 minutes from Roosevelt, so many visitors use CTA bus 146 to Museum Campus or combine the visit with the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium, which share the same lakefront campus.