Exploring Chicago's Museums

Our first stop took us to the Adler Planetarium. I must admit that my first thought as we walked in was that the shore of Lake Michigan was a strange place to put a planetarium, but there's quite a history to this place that I wasn't aware of. The Adler first opened in 1930 and was the first modern planetarium in the western hemisphere. Somehow I wasn't surprised to learn that, as we had already discovered that Chicago likes to have the first, tallest, and biggest of things!

Those roots can be seen most clearly in the Atwood Sphere, which is a walk-in planetarium, built in 1913. It's a simple enough idea, with hundreds of holes drilled into the surface of what is essentially a huge metal ball, representing the stars you can see in the night sky above Chicago. You enter the sphere in what can only be described as the equivalent of a small mining car or elevator that heads into the sphere on tracks. Seating about seven or eight people, you then watch the stars move across the sky, as the sphere slowly rotates. It's an amazing piece of engineering, when you remember how old the thing now is, and it's surprisingly relaxing to be in there.

Somehow, this was perhaps more enjoyable than some of the Adler's e-ticket attractions, the planetarium theaters. There are three of them, and you're faced with a bewildering choice of shows to pick from when you enter. We went with Skywatchers of Africa, simply because it fitted the timescale of our visit. Interesting though it was, it obviously didn't engage any of us enough, as the three of us all managed to rest our eyes at least once during the presentation. We blamed it on some very comfortable seats!

Outside of the planetarium shows themselves, there are some fascinating exhibits to be found here, including one called Shoot to the Moon, which recalls the moon landings 40 years earlier. We were pleasantly surprised at the content of this exhibit and, sadly, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida could learn a lot from the presentation here, as it's much more engaging than they manage.

Heading further out in the stars, you can also learn about our Solar System and the Milky Way Galaxy and, once again, there was a lot to do here, with plenty of hands-on exhibits for younger members of the family – and some older ones too!

Tearing yourself from here isn't easy and you could easily spend the entire day here, but there's much more to explore on Museum Campus. Head west and you'll find the John G. Shedd Aquarium, which opened in the same year as the Adler. Unfortunately for us, time was taking its toll on the Shedd when we visited, with the main attraction, the Oceanarium, closed for the first time in its 17 year history, which was a great shame. Having heard so much about the Oceanarium, I was expecting to very disappointed by the Shedd without it, but nothing could have been further from the truth.

Other highlights you can enjoy here until June 2009, when the Oceanarium is scheduled to re-open, include Wild Reef in the underground wing, which takes you on a fascinating journey through coral reefs of the world. As one of the newer areas of the Shedd, it uses the latest techniques to showcase the marine life to you. I was particularly impressed with the stingrays swimming right beneath us.