Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

What it is

The museum is a private non-profit set beside Lake Michigan and next to the University of Chicago. Its headline objects are real machines: U-505, a German submarine taken in World War II; a Boeing 727 once flown by United Airlines; the Pioneer Zephyr, America's first streamlined diesel passenger train; and the command module from Apollo 8.

There is also a life-size replica of a coal mine and a model railroad covering some 3,500 square feet. Other galleries cover manufacturing, chemistry, physics, computers, the human body and the brain, farming and the environment.

A bit of history

The building itself is a survivor of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, provided the original endowment, with support from the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the museum opened its doors in 1933, while the Century of Progress world's fair was running. It is a designated Chicago Landmark. On May 19, 2024, it took the name of financier and benefactor Kenneth C. Griffin.

Visiting tips

Give it at least half a day; the big exhibits alone can fill several hours. Admission is charged. Restrooms are on site, and the museum is listed as wheelchair accessible.

The Barack Obama Presidential Center is about 0.3 miles away, the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures about 0.8 miles, and the Hyde Park Art Center about 0.9 miles, so this corner of the South Side can easily fill a full day before the drive begins.