As the Occupy movement continues, we could not help but notice a little protest going on in the Museum of Science and Industry---and we mean, very little, just an inch or two in height. more ›

Did you know Seuss was a painter, too? more ›

Driving on some Chicago streets is like navigating a mine field. The city is supposed to fix potholes because that's where our taxpayer dollars go. But if you're fearful a city employee won't do their job you can go through a middle man, another city employee. Hyde Park Progress details their experience. more ›

Whether you love spending time with your family or need to get them out of the house (or both), today’s a great day to take (or send) your out-of-town visitors to one of Chicago’s museums. There are some great exhibits showing, so skip Black Friday and work off your tryptophan hangover with some culture. While we think the crowds will be a lot more pleasant at the Art Institute than the mall, this is a busy day for museums, so plan accordingly. more ›

If you're planning on heading to the Museum of Science and Industry for the Jim Henson exhibition, you'll also be brought into the early holiday spirit with their annual "Christmas Around the World & Holidays of Light" exhibit. The centerpiece, a 45-foot tall tree in the Rotunda, is decorated with over 30,000 lights, 1,000 ornaments and surrounded by over 50 smaller trees decorated by volunteers to reflect Christmas traditions in other countries. more ›

Yesterday, Chicagoist sat down (virtually) with Kate McGroarty, the winner of MSI's Month at the Museum contest. Karl had already bothered her for the podcast, but we wanted to know more details about how you eat when you're stuck living in a museum! Is she stuck eating from the food court? What about (horrors) a month without booze? more ›

Yesterday we started talking about hanging out at the Museum of Science and Industry and sleeping with Muppets (not like that, sicko), eating astronaut ice cream and having movie night in the IMAX theater. What else is on tap for Kate McGroarty, who's currently smack-dab in the middle of her Month At The Museum? more ›

Kate McGroarty went into the Museum of Science and Industry just about two weeks ago, and as of yet has only emerged momentarily. For the rest of the time, she's been doing handstands in tornadoes, helping baby chicks survive, hanging out in coal mines, sleeping in submarines and generally inhabiting the Museum of Science and Industry. It's her Month at the Museum, and we're bending her ear about it halfway through. more ›

Anybody under the age of 50 knows that a Mold-A-Rama isn't a spore museum, but rather blow-molding machines that have fascinated area children since they were first introduced in the 1960s. Today's Sun-Times takes an in depth look at the machines -- currently residing at Lincoln Park Zoo, the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry and Brookfield Zoo -- and the Jones' family business that keeps the Mold-A-Ramas in the area alive. Because once they're gone, they're gone for good -- as Paul Jones tells the paper, "No one [today] is going to build $50,000 machines to earn back $2 at a time." more ›

Allow your inner child a moment to rejoice - the Muppets and other creations from the mind of Jim Henson are coming to the Museum of Science and Industry. "Jim Henson's Fantastic World" opens at the MSI this Friday and runs through the end of January. The exhibit brings puppets, props, illustrations, experimental films, and hands-on puppet shows and character creation for the kids in case they're freaked out by the inanimate dangling Kermits. more ›

Any Chicago Public Schools student that shows up for the first day of classes this Tuesday, September 7, will receive a family pass to the Museum of Science and Industry--an incentive being used to increase attendance on the first day. more ›

Pam Zekman, an investigative reporter for CBS 2, is always one to go after the pressing issues that affect Chicago citizens most -- and this time, it's sex in public on the city's South Side. Zekman received a tip from a man who regularly drives school kids to the Museum of Science and Industry, who says he's spotted naked men have oral sex in their cars and engaging in "sexual activity" in a nearby public restroom in a parking lot supposedly right by the MSI. He called the activity "disgusting for the location" and "disrespectful for the kids and the tourists that come out there." more ›

A lot more than just "A Night At The Museum" is on the line - the Museum of Science and Industry is inviting applicants to sign up for the opportunity to spend a full month trapped enclosed within the ancient walls of the only remaining building from the Columbian Exposition of 1893. (Ghost of H.H. Holmes not included...probably.) more ›

This Saturday, cinephiles from across the city will humbly assemble at The Museum of Science and Industry to honor a filmmaker who has toiled in underappreciation for decades. As Cinema/Chicago describes him, more ›

Starting next week, general admission to the Museum of Science and Industry will be free from April 19 through the 23rd. Exhibits that come with the price of general admission include all permanent, hands-on displays like the new "Science Storms and You," "You!: The Experience," and old favorites such as the U-505 submarine. However, there is still one special exhibit that will require a ticket, which is the Smart Home exhibit that opens on April 22. Smart Home focuses on maintaining a green lifestyle and is part of the Earth Day celebration at the museum. [Chicago Sun-Times] more ›

A woman who slips into the new Galaxy Dress will literally ‘light up the room’ thanks to a new prototype gown created by Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz of the London-based company CuteCircuit. The dress is embroidered with 24,000 full-color LEDs, and according to the Museum of Science and Industry, is the largest wearable LED display in the world. The design duo used flat, paper-like LEDs which were hand-embroidered onto four layers of silk chiffon to diffuse the light and give the dress a fluid, iridescent glow. more ›

Earlier this week, we got a sneak preview and tour of YOU!: The Experience, the Museum of Science and Industry's new, 15,000-square-foot permanent exhibit that explores and pays homage to the human body, mind, and spirit. High on interactivity and low on "eat your peas" preach, YOU! — which officially opened yesterday — emphasizes the importance of wise decision-making when it comes to our diets and lifestyles, and how our decisions affect our health and development over the course of our lives. Through a combination of traditional just-look-at-me displays and modern-day interactive exhibits, YOU! draws attention to aspects of nutrition, human development, and health that some of us, floating adrift in the seas of high-fructose corn syrup, or simply disconnected from our own bodies, might not think about very often. Some highlights include: more ›

The famous walk-through heart at The Museum of Science and Industry has gotten a much needed upgrade. This week, technicians put the finishing touches on its replacement: a new, three-dimensional animated heart that stands 14-feet-tall. Occupying the balcony of the museum’s North Court, the new heart not only shows the inner and outer workings of the organ through full-color animated projections, but it also matches the pulses of visitors through a pair of hand grips in front of the exhibit, and then displays their heartbeat. more ›

We have an insatiable appetite for both miniature scale architecture and things built with Lego. So imagine how excited we are to see the ART + SCIENCE = ARCHITECTURE exhibit, opening at the Museum of Science and Industry today. more ›

The 1893 World's Fair is still long remembered for many reasons, not least of which because of the way it was captured in book form. But the Museum of Science and Industry is using this year's centennial celebration of Daniel Burnham's Plan for Chicago as a reason to revisit the White City. The UCLA Urban Simulation Team, led by Lisa M. Snyder, has recreated the World's Fair as it looked originally and will be presenting their recreation at the MSI. more ›

This Friday, the Museum of Science and Industry is hosting the inaugural session of a new farmer’s market. Tomorrow morning, starting at 7:30, there will be a grand opening celebration featuring the Hearty Boys, as seen on the Food Network. They will be doing cooking demonstrations, making Orange Blossom pancakes with Mascarpone and fresh berries (yum).The farmer’s market, featuring produce, flowers, baked goods and other local products, will be held in the Museum’s East Parking lot. The cooking demos will be in the garden of the Smart Home. more ›

There's a new, magical exhibition brewing at the Museum of Science & Industry, and it's sure to please Potter-philes and non-fans alike. Comprised of over 200 costumes and props used in the filming of the movie adaptations, the Harry Potter Exhibition, opening today and running through September 27, gives visitors an up-close look at the fantastical world that hasn't been offered before. Though "exhibition" isn't quite the right word so much as "experience." Beginning with a session with the Sorting Hat (I was sorted into Ravenclaw), the exhibition is laid out in stages, guiding you through the experience of a student attending Hogwarts, the famous wizard school. From the Gryffindor common room, through the Quidditch field, Hagrid's Hut, and even the Forbidden Forest, the exhibition is as thoughtfully laid out and created as the props and costumes themselves. With video screens showing clips from the movies creating atmosphere (and context for non-fans), it's a completely engrossing experience. (The exhibition also features an optional audio tour.) Besides the numerous costumes on display, props on display include the Marauder's Map, the Triwizard Cup, the Sorcerer's Stone, Qudditch equipment, and some of the mystical creatures that populate the Harry Potter universe such as Buckbeak the Hippogriff, Fawkes the phoenix, and even a Dementor. more ›

You still have time to catch the 38th annual Black Creativity exhibit, which runs until March 1 at the Museum of Science and Industry. This year's theme is "Green Revolution," and highlights the lives and accomplishments of 30 African American architects, designers, engineers and business leaders in the green movement. Learn about innovators such as Johari Cole, who owns Iyabo Organic Farms, organic chef Bryant Terry, and George Washington Carver, an early 20th century botanist and inventor whose studies and teaching revolutionized agriculture in the United States. In addition to the exhibition are workshops, a juried art exhibition and a Keep Chicago Beautiful certification for parents, educators and college students on Feb. 28. more ›

In spite of the current recession, Chicago's museums are still managing to bring in a healthy number people. Total attendance in 2008 at the city's top 10 "major cultural attractions" was only off by one percent for a total of 7.7 million. The Shedd Aquarium saw a drop of seven percent, but was still had the highest overall attendance at 1.9 million; The Museum of Science & Industry had a larger drop at 15 percent, but was second overall with 1.4 million. In spite of these drops, the eight other attractions saw increases. The Art Institute of Chicago drew 1.4 million for third place overall and the Chicago History Museum saw a healthy 22 percent increase in visitors for a total of 266,000. The overall attendance on "free days" also saw a hefty increase of over 15 percent. more ›

Green Revolution, Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, January 15 - March 1 more ›

Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Fridays and Saturdays through 12/20, 11:30 p.m., $16 more ›

Looking for an fun, educational, and cheap way to entertain the family tomorrow? Look no further than Hyde Park. The Museum of Science and Industry is open tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and offering up free admission all day. Can't make it by tomorrow but still looking to entertain those out of town guests? The MSI will be open all weekend (at regular admission, of course) and with some great exhibits like the Smart Home and Christmas Around the World, it's a great time to pay a visit. The MSI is open Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. more ›

Since May 8, thousands of visitors have been amazed by the style, innovation and comfort of the Museum of Science and Industry's Smart Home: Green and Wired. The Museum, in partnership with Wired Magazine and architect Michelle Kaufmann, built an entire house, complete with landscaping, on the lawn outside the Henry Crown Space Center. Visitors can tour the entire house (including the utilities spaces, the roof and the grounds) with a guide for a small additional fee. We had the opportunity to visit the Smart Home a few weeks ago, and our recommendation is simple: If you haven't been, go right now. more ›

History buffs, Devil In The White City fans, and those in search of an atypical Sunday date, you can now take a virtual tour of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition at the only remaining pavilion, The Museum of Science and Industry. The 90-minute tour, called "Blueprints to Our Past" is offered on select Sundays throughout the rest of the year, but you must order tickets in advance and groups are limited to twenty. Museum heads put the tour together in part due to the increased public interest thanks to Devil In The White City and worked with Lisa Snyder of the UCLA School of Architecture to recreate the fair based on old maps, blueprints, and photographs. The tour consists of walking in and outside of the museum as well as taking a virtual ride on an "electric-powered" gondola throughout the fair's canals. more ›

Eco-friendly advancements are being made in building design and construction—think sustainable materials, efficiency of resources, and energy-reducing wiring and appliances. If this topic interests you, the new Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit, opening tomorrow at the Museum of Science and Industry, is a neat opportunity to learn more about green buildings. more ›