Adler Planetarium

As a Chicago wedding photographer, I can't recommend Adler Planetarium enough for couples who are looking for a unique, iconic venue in the heart of the city. The venue and ceremony sites, both indoor & outdoor, have unbeatable views of the Chicago skyline. The space is large, with several rooms for entertaining, and it can accommodate larger guest counts. Its location also grants couples a gorgeous photo location, so they don't need to stray far from the venue for their formal portraits. Another perk of the location is that it is a bit more off the beaten path, while still central to downtown, so foot & car traffic of residents and tourists is less compared to many other central downtown venues and photo locations. At a recent wedding I photographed at Adler (pictured), they had their ceremony inside the solarium facing the city; it was a surreal experience watching the sun set & the skyline transform during their ceremony, captivating the couple and all the guests. During cocktail hour, guests were able to roam throughout the exhibits with drinks & apps in hand. As a vendor, the staff was very friendly and helpful throughout planning and on the day of. The highlight of the wedding for me, as well as many guests, was the after party in the Sky Theater, which is an IMAX screen with projections of space scenes on the domed ceiling. The couple & the guests had the time of their lives, and it was such a joy to photograph.

Unfortunately this was a let down for us on our vacation. We got there we'll before closing and the lady was very rudely turning people away unless they bought their tickets in advance. The last family she told them she didn't care where they bought there tickets but they had to do it over there and pointed to the bottom of the steps. Once in the lady checking us in was clearly having a rough day but was trying to be nice. We had the Chicago pass and got 2 shows included. The first show we saw had 2 screaming children and one parent that kept getting up and down with their child. The Planetarium cannot control that so that is not against them. The show itself was very kid friendly and was like watching a YouTube exposed of kid science. I was very disappointed to see that all of the shows they offered were mainly geared for children. The museum portion is very spread out and many floors had very little on it or they had all of the same thing just different replicas. This was my first time at a planetarium so I wasn't sure what to expect but coming from the Field museum and Shedd Aquarium I expected more. We didn't even see the second show. We were there for about 40 minutes and just left. Next time we will pick something else for the Chicago pass.

An amazing scientific experience. I went here for my YouTube channel, and it did not disappoint. Veterans get in free. Lots of awesome stuff to do for kids and adults alike. Food is also decently priced, and they do serve alcohol in the food court. There are plenty of bathrooms and areas to rest.

What a vibe! The Planetarium was a great adventure of fun seeing the solar system and planets was a joy. Everytime i come each time i am just blown away by the displays. The Alder Planetarium is great for adults, kids and more. If in the area go check them out. Always good vibes and endless memories. ☀️🌍🪐🫶🏼💙

Definitely not what I expected. Every other planetarium has seats that recline. This one has cheap lawn seats that do not and you end up with a crick in your neck. One of the two shows (included in city pass) was geared towards 3-10 yro but they do not tell you that when deciding. It's called destination solar system. The remainder of the exhibits are mainly on the lower floor but scattered a little on the upper where the theater is. They are more about technology finding space not so much about space itself -again a big letdown. The store is awesome includes so much from both the planetarium and NASA.

😕 Pretty disappointing for such an expensive museum. Not sure why a nonprofit is charging so much while offering underwhelming exhibits and poor service. Honestly, DC museums are free and have way better content. Many top museums around the world provide great value, but this one misses the mark. In other words, it is quite a costly way to help people to fall in love with science. 🧾 The cashier printed a huge pile of paper tickets — total waste and super slow ⏳. Feels like outdated and poorly managed operations. Staff weren’t very friendly either 😐. Using more commanding words... 🛰️ The exhibits weren’t that engaging. Definitely not ideal for little kids — more suited for teens or adults. The shows were decent, but could be improved. For instance: 🌍 ➕ Please use the metric system — a lot of visitors are international. 📺 📝 Add on-screen text during the shows. When you mention something like Polaris, display the word so kids and non-native English speakers can follow along and learn. 💫 I really want to love this place. After all, space is awesome! But the energy just wasn’t there. The shows felt a bit dull, and I was expecting something more exciting and inspiring. It was only for domestic customers. 🍔💸 Also — food and snacks? Way overpriced.

We went for free which was awesome, but you have to pay $15 for the show which is the actual cool part. The show inside the dome though was definitely catered to kids, so look ahead of time for what show you’re attending!

We brought our planet loving son here,and it didn't disappoint! There are a lot of interactive exhibits for kids, and a lot of cool exhibits for adults. The Destination Solar System show was cool too. Our son absolutely loved it, and already wants to go back. It would be cool if the gift shop had more planet toys, but that's a minor feedback.

Great view of the skyline right outside the planetarium. You really can't get a better view unless you are on a ferry. If you arrive without tickets you can purchase them from the accessible entrance on the first floor. If you have a mobile ticket go to the second level to check in. This is also a museum so you can look around while waiting for the planetarium show. The cost depends on how many shows you want to see.

04/24/14 - In April Adler Planetarium had a free Wednesday admission from 4-10pm. Tonight was the last free Wednesday. I was able to go w/my friend and spend a few hours. Neither of us has been at the Planetarium for decades so it was pretty cool to go inside and see some of the exhibits. I never cease to be amazed at the vastness of the universe & what a minuscule little speck planet earth is in the universe. Our solar system sits within the milky way galaxy which is estimated to have 100 - 400 billion stars. The andromeda galaxy has an estimated 1 trillion stars (no I didn't count them). The Milky Way Galaxy is estimated to be 2.5 million light years from the Andromeda Galaxy. It's estimated that there are 2 trillion galaxies in the ever expanding universe. So as large as earth is to us it's just a little speck in the universe. Anyone who thinks we are alone in the universe is delusional. Out of the trillions of stars & planets there is 100% chance that there are other life forms

What a piece of (add expletives here) this spot is. Bought tix to Pink Floyd show but had accident that prevented from getting to show on time and needed to cancel....All sales are final not to mention when you get to this planetary dump you have 2 guys screaming at the top of thier lungs while standing at top of the stairs with their heads hanging out the door yelling about "do you have tix"!!! Easy cowboy I just got out the uber at the foot of the steps...lol So the bad experience begins the moment you get there. Let me just end this rant by saying just go buy a telescope and go into the woods far away from Chicago and enjoy the stars...Screw this place

We watched the special viewing of Pink Floyd " dark side of the moon " superb experience, we were transported to outer space, amazing visuals/graphics. Highly recommend. It's been a few years since our last visit to the Adler and we throughly enjoyed the various exhibits.

Absolutely love coming here for the community event. They did as thousands of Chicagoan gathered to watch the solar eclipse. They gave out glasses and it was a really great experience.

The Adler has one of the best locations of any museum I have ever been to. It's located on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan with a postcard backdrop of the city skyline. Another advantage it has is its within walking distance of two other Chicago landmarks, The Shedd Aquarium and The Field Museum. I believe that this planetarium claims to be the oldest in the US. It is a 3 level building but only two have exhibits with the third being administrative and meeting areas. Inside it has all the standard space stuff like the US manned moon missions, displays on the planets in our solar system, other displays about the Milky Way galaxy and The Universe with several interactive demonstrations that you can participate in. In the Grainger Sky Theater (the domed theater) they offer sky shows that usually last about 30 minutes and require a separate ticket. My Go Chicago pass allowed me to attend two of them and I chose Planet Nine and Imagine The Moon and both were entertaining. Planetariums don't have the same awe to me that they use to. The projector technology developed in the 1930's to visually show people movies in a domed theater has been exceeded by the advent of IMAX movies that show high definition movies on a curved screen in a reclining seat in many movie theaters. However they are useful in teaching people about space and hopefully with the arrival of the Artemis program (going back to the moon) it will provide planetariums like this one with new material to show the public and add more value to going to a planetarium.

3.5/5 We visited during "Adler at Night" which currently is every Wednesday from 4-10pm. We were able to visit for free as Illinois residents, although shows required additional tickets. Compared to the Field and MSI, Adler is much smaller and could be easily knocked out in a few hours. Since it was free for us, we didn't feel obligated to read or look at every single thing so we got through in less than 2 hrs. It is an interesting museum at one of the best scenic locations in Chicago, but unfortunately feels a bit dated and the exhibits were lacking in the "WOW" factor. One of the most interesting and historic pieces, the Atwood Sphere, is tucked away in a corner and was not in operation during our visit. It would have been cool to see how it works in person. The Doane Observatory was open for viewing, but it was a chilly night so we opted not to stand in line for the opportunity.

The Adler prides itself in being the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, built in 1930 on the shore of Lake Michigan, offering unrivaled insights into our solar system. Among others, its' permanent exhibits are- Solar System, Mission Moon, The Universe: A Walk Through Space and Time, Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass, and Astronomy in Culture Its facilities include the Doane Observatory, which has the largest telescope available to the public in the Chicago area, through which visitors can glimpse celestial objects trillions of miles away the Adler also has three full-size theaters - the 3D Universe Theater, the Definiti Space Theater and the Grainger Sky Theater - - in which it screens programs like "Destination Solar System," "Planet Nine" and "One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure." Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, and the Adler Planetarium -are all in the Museum campus and at a walkable distance between Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan view from here - it's amazing...!!

The Adler Planetarium was really cool! I love anything about space and so I was intrigued about the facts of the planets. I also enjoyed the sky show! We had to reserve a time to watch it because it does get filled up. Just be careful, it is very comfortable inside the planetarium and dossing off will be inevitable, haha. But we had a blast and was grateful to be able to visit while we can.

I used to walk past this all the time when going to the museum campus. I decided to come here since we had tickets to see one of the sky shows. I do agree with some of the other reviewers, that this place needs a makeover so that some of the exhibits would look more modern. I was able to go through this museum a lot faster than the other major ones and that included the sky show. So, plan to spend about 2.5 hours or less here. They have a lot of articles for reading. The sky show was great to see and easily the highlight of the entire place. Admission is $19 for an adult. That's without any sky shows. Not sure I would come back unless they do a massive renovation of the place.

We purchased our tickets online on a third party app (Citypass) and the purchasing process was smooth. No reservation was required and we could arrive at any day and time. We arrived at 1:30pm on Wednesday and we waited in line to be let in. The older lady scanning tickets at the front desk was the rudest lady I had encountered on this trip. I asked her a simple question regarding purchasing additional tickets for the 2:30pm show and she basically yelled at me and told me that they were all sold out. My cousin got her ticket scanned after us and that same lady offered her tickets to the show I had just inquired about for free. So my cousin took a ticket. I was irritated but no biggie, I figured we had enough to do and see anyways. We walked through the different exhibits and nothing was really impressive as everything looked pretty outdated and old. The outside view of the lake was nice. It took us about 35 min to see it all. The outside structure of the building is pretty cool. I do wish I would've been able to see a show but that's my fault that I didn't purchase a ticket beforehand.. I don't recommend coming here as its underwhelming and not worth the ticket price, oh and because that grouchy lady is there.

Great museum but just like a museum about the sky, the prices also happen to be sky high. If you happen to be an Illinois resident it has free days though. Adler Planetarium is a classic collection of newer and older space artifacts. Has some cool newer things to keep children interested a bit. The older stuff is also good such as the space crafts and moon rocks. As is the case with any museum that charges admission, it can be expensive. It's about $30 for regular admission for adults, which is way too much for any museum. The good thing is it's free for Illinois residents on Wednesdays. Of course then it gets busy. The other bad thing is getting here. It's a long walk unless you take a bus. Lots of cool artifacts to check out inside. Among these are actual space crafts. There's a few capsules and some other equipment that was in space. It has an exhibit featuring each planet, but it's mostly basic information. Same thing with much of the museum. For as expensive as it is there should be more about it. The sky shows are pretty cool but they cost even more on top of the already high price. Come on the free days if you're an Illinois resident and it's more worth it. It's just too expensive to pay that much for what they have. The free admission is Wednesdays.

Easily, my favorite place in Chicago. I enjoyed every second of this, but I am a space nerd. The surrounding location is amazing and felt like home away from home. Such a blissful experience. Just go!

Checking out the planetarium in Chicago and one of the first ones built in America. I saw this on a Youtube episode and wanted to see what this was all about. This place would be great for kids though and I feel like it also has a lot of readable material all around the place. It is quite small though and could be finished quite easily and quickly. If you do enjoy space and science this is probably your thing to come to. I did get to find some cool facts that I didn't know about and some of the parts were pretty interesting! The thing about how to tell time without a clock was pretty cool and quite useful!

We got a Chicago City Pass, and Adler was one of our choices. Located near other popular attractions also. You'll probably spend a few hours here depending how much you enjoy the solar system. Our City Pass also includes 2 shows of our choice. We decided on the time when we checked in the front desk. I'm not a space geek, but this place here is pretty interesting. Some things are interactive. Informative and interesting things about the solar system. There is also a dining area (expensive food/drinks) and a gift shop. Worth a stop if you're into space stuff. It's pretty cool.

We enjoyed our trip to the planetarium. There is lots to see, and some interactive exhibits as well. We loved the "theater" part and we super enjoyed the historic Atwood sphere, which combined astronomy and history! It was a super fun experience.

The Adler Planetarium is a beautiful museum dedicated to the unknown of space and our solar system. It is a beautiful museum, however I do not feel there was a lot of interactive materials outside of the shows, which do cost extra. The information is excellent though and found some unique experiences that I haven't had from other planetariums/conservatories.

We came for our first time from Wisconsin on Sunday March 10th to see the Pink Floyd dark side of the moon show for my birthday. When we went online to buy tickets, you had to buy a ticket for the museum as well ($19 plus $20 for the show = $39 total each) We figured we'll just check out the museum/the rest of the planetarium after the show. Well when you enter, they ask you what you're there for & scan your tickets & direct you to the line for the show. Then after the show, they direct you OUT OF THE BUILDING! So we paid a museum entry for quite literally nothing since they direct you straight to the show then out, $78 plus $25 parking for not even an hour. We felt so scammed & robbed. The show itself was very cool but it WAS NOT worth spending over $100. We also ended up with plenty of time to kill before my dinner reservation since we figured we'd be at the planetarium until at least 5. Definitely felt like I should've spent my birthday elsewhere for the distance we drove. I was very very disappointed.

Super fun and well worth the visit! Plan to take around 2-3 hours to see everything fully, but if you don't read all the info cards then 1.5 hours is plenty. I went to Adler for their Adler at night, which is every Wednesday and is free to Illinois residents. The planetarium stays open until 10 pm, while it stays open until 4 every other day it's open. I went using city pass, which gives you entry to some main chicago highlights. Even if you're not super into space, this is still a fun way to spend some time. Most of the exhibits are interactive, which is fun for kiddos and grown ups. They have sections on the space race, planets in our solar system, the history of astronomy and the telescope, the universe, and two theaters. We went to a night sky show, where a knowledgeable and funny employee explained common constellations. Definitely check this place out, especially on a Wednesday night for free!

Adler is... ok. As an important historical building in Chicago it's interesting, and of course it has architectural interest. But it's not all that exciting, to be honest, and the entrance fee is high. The Adler Planetarium has an important history. Did you know it was the first planetarium in the United States? And it dates only to 1930! The building is this... maybe I'm making it up, but it seems to be a brown marble. What I love the most are the astrological symbols that are carved around the perimeter of the building, inside and out. It's fun to check them out. When I visited we went to one of the sky shows and wandered the area on the main level. The Doane observatory was not open at the time we visited. So did we miss a level? I don't know, but honestly I hope we did because otherwise I can't really recommend the Adler, much as I would want to. Having said that, when I'm comfortable and they re-start additional programming, I would definitely go to Adler After Dark.

This place is very interesting, I enjoy how they have multiple sections for little ones to play around in. They have many interactive things to use and explore with, it is a fun yet educational place that you can take your family to.

Nice place to visit. Clean facility. Price wasn't too crazy. I enjoyed my visit. I was just a bit disappointed that there wasn't more to see. I did not see any of the shows. It is worth checking out at least once.

Not kid friendly. Unable to use bathroom unless jumping through multiple hoops and explaining myself. Pretty disappointed.

Pricey. Adult museum admission with one show was $28. Child admission with one show was $17. Add $25 for parking. The show, Imagine the Moon was okay, I did not closely track the running time, but I'd estimate it was between 30 and 40 minutes. No pix allowed during the show. Space exhibits and kids' areas are interesting and fun, but not a lot of bang for the bucks. While bonding with my grandkids is invaluable and we enjoyed our day, the cost is astronomical (pun intended). BTW, the gift shop does not have paper or plastic bags available for purchases, not even for the city's 7 cent fee. Cheesy!

Umm not so much. I think for the super space enthusiast or someone wowed by the view, the rating would be higher. When I arrived yesterday, I realized much had not changed in the 10 + yrs since my last visit. Well except now I had a child. Lol. For the young toddler the play area works for a bit. But it included just seemed dated and would be mostly parent led. It would be a great alternative if they had an attendant that offered a mini lesson and parents could sign up and join. We opted for the Destination Space movie. Cool sound and the overall space but as another review said it was fully pre-recorded. The view of the city is top notch. Pack a blanket and grab a bite and sit outside and enjoy the sights. As for the museum, try finding the all pass or some other discount I definitely think of the 4 main museums in the area this one is over priced.

I didn't go inside but I was outside. You get a great view of the city. Even wedding photos where taken here. You get to see the water real close too.

So the reviews really confuse me because this museum as far as space content and relevancy goes, and organization, is very well laid out. I got in free as a perk of a conference in the area, and I'm an astrophysicist, so call me biased perhaps. If you're down to learn a lot of cool things on the history of space exploration, come here. Pay extra for some of the shows, get the full experience. They update it with astronomical findings and keep it recent. 5 stars.

I knew people at the SVL. I'm biased. I still love the place and really the dome shows are the stars. Big play areas for the kiddos in the outer ring expansion. But it's deceptively large in the outside, those big theaters take up a ton of space inside leaving not so much for exhibits. Still, how can you hate Gemini and Apollo?

Best spot in Chicago for a skyline pic. Just pull up and jump out for a quick pic. Don't block the buses around the turn.

Okay, this place was incredible. Plenty of exhibits to explore and enjoy, and they were pretty nice, but when you come here, you should come here for the shows. We watched the Planet Nine show and it was absolutely incredible. The projection tech was so immersive that I was fully engaged the entire time, and almost felt like I was going to fly off my feet and into space at some moments. This immersion was followed with an expert pacing and high educational value, allowing the viewer to learn things with ease without ever feeling like they're getting bored or overloaded with info. I highly recommend.

I love this museum. It's less hectic and not as crowded as the others. It is very interesting for adults and kids, too. The views are stunning. You only need about an hour unless you watch the shows. I watched 2 shows and 2.5 hours was plenty of time. Park in the parking lot for easy access-get there early for $12 parking for the day-which is unheard of downtown. Such a good deal.

Love this place! This is the perfect place to bring your little ones to play and have fun. Not only do they play, but they also learn. Enjoy exploring a world of space and stars!

My husband and I just visited this weekend to view the Pink Floyd Dark side of the moon show and it was really good. I suggest getting in line early as shows may be full and seating is a first come first serve. If you are fortunate to arrive early I would suggest sitting in the middle towards the back iys a perfect view of the entire show. Great music and visuals.

While it's a part of the Chicago experience, I really wouldn't have minded not going here. It's a good spot for kids since they have lots of interactive machines. However if you are getting City-pass I wouldn't recommend using it here. The movies are educational but aren't super exciting. I'm sure some people love it but it wasn't great for us.

Cool to have a planetarium nearby so +1 just for that, otherwise TOO MUCH reading, too little doing. Probably one of the worst museums in Chicago I just wanted to see stars through a telescope but it's all "blah, blah, blah" history reading trash. They only do a realy telescope viewing at night around 7:30PM if the weather permits though they do have a skylive view that teaches you how to find constellations, everyone's favs like the astrology ones and main ones. So that was the big reason this place is kewl, but the live viewing needs to be MORE accessible or I will come back and 1 star this place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wonderful to visit the Planetarium after it had been closed for a couple of years. What a beautiful and educational place this is. Their educators and lead scientists are particularly impressive. We like the fact that they have designated days for student access - so thoughtful.

I feel bad for giving anything related to scientific education to the public under 5 stars, because these types of buildings are important for the fabric of society. People educating themselves about the world and space, etc are extremely important and these buildings serve as some of the best resources for all ages to learn so much information! We came here on a Wednesday night for their free Chicago resident night. I just moved to Chicago so I've been excited finding events that are free to "locals". I brought a form of ID and a house bill with my address to be safe as I still have an ID from a different state. They didn't even check. They just wanted our tickets to scan which made it very easy to get in. Anyways, I like that this place has a little cafeteria to grab food as well as alcohol! We grabbed a beer and took in the city skyline at night (which mind you, if you want some of the best views of the city, this location even from the parking area and grassy park space outside, will be absolutely stunning). Afterwards, we ventured in and were able to see a decent amount of areas with lots of information. Obviously, with it being a free night for locals, the place was pretty packed... and if you've had a long day at work, it might take a lot of energy out of you to even stop and read all of the informational guides and facts that they have all around. I for one, was a bit tired when I was there and would really need to return during the day time to fully appreciate this place and what it has to offer. The Planetarium has been closed for quite some time (definitely during the entirety of peak COVID-19) so I was expecting them to do a bunch of remodeling and what not as that is what I was told they were doing. That didn't seem like much of the case... at least not inside. In my opinion, the inside seems very outdated. As a world-class city such as Chicago, you'd think something as prominent by the lakefront as this place is, it would be a bit more modern inside and have more of a "WOW factor". Maybe I'm just being too picky here, but that's genuinely how I felt. To be fair, we did not pay for the extra exhibits and I would love to come back and do so. I would love to be able to look into a telescope and see stars and what not. That's always a fun time. I just felt that my first experience here could have been better, and the trek to get here after commuting on the L and then walking from the Roosevelt station was a lot for a place that was just meh to me. I'll still return though. I want to fully experience it all next time.

I have visited the Adler multiple times over the years and even with well-spaced visits, I've found the content to be repetitive. The lighting is abysmal in places where people need to move; shows are sold out and there are long lines. (This time I had the misfortune of visiting over spring break). I'm pretty sure accessibility is being hampered significantly when folks are lining up for shows. The food court makes inedible food. (Yikes, how do you mess up pizza and sandwiches?) The prerecorded shows that we were able to access themselves were underwhelming and poorly scripted, including the special about Niya and the Multiverse (which the kids were really looking forward to). The one with high ratings was sold out (the solar system). The interactive sky watch show was better since an associate was leading it. Considering how well other kids' and teens' attractions are updating themselves, the Adler would do well to invest in some upgrades.

The woman that I first encountered when opening the door today at noon basically yelled at me to go outside and don't come in until I had purchased the tickets. I opened the door again bc I had a question on the timing and she looked down and me and with no patience responded. Very rude individual tbh, I'm sorry she hates her job but it's not the visitors problem. The woman in the front desk receiving the tickets was not very nice either when asked for directions she only pointed to a QR code without further explanation. The woman at the planetarium show entrance wasn't any more friendly than the two before her. She was lying on the desk and looked contemptuously when it took me more than 2 seconds to find the ticket for the show for her to scan. The planetarium is just fine, very good shows, I wish the people they hire for customer service matched the level of the display.

A lot of the exhibits were confusing as to what they were, and not much of it caught my attention. The space shop was the best part. That and the kids area, which I think is a great idea. Overall I struggled to keep my 5 year old interested for an hour and a half here. We did not see any shows so I can't speak to their quality. I went on the free day for Illinois residents and I'm glad I didn't pay. I think that when compared to the FM, MSI, aquarium, it's not in the same class at all.

Ok I came here as an attempt to get my kids off the video games for a few hours. I already knew it wasn't all that from seeing it 10+ years ago. I was hoping to see something new and amazing. First off - $12 for parking (Friday) no attendant. Swing and a miss Adler. They had the same displays as before near the cafe. If you hit a button and want to hear about a planet, you get a person reading a prompter about the planet. You can find better videos on YouTube. They were either too cheap to produce a better video or the science folks wanted some FaceTime. It was not interesting. We walked around and viewed everything within 30 minutes. Saw nothing amazing. It was quite underwhelming. The sky show was quite good. The Discover the Solar System was also good but my kids thought it was too young for them ( Ages 10 and 12). My son had a hard time with the dome theater but my daughter did not. We stopped by the lakefront and my daughter did not want to leave that area. For us it was not worth it coming from Racine,wi Museum is lackluster - then museum needs to provide more interactive experiences but the shows are good depending on your age and interests.

We easily took the El then bus to the planetarium. We booked our tickets which includes entry for exhibits & two sky shows ahead of time. There were three different levels with different topics. There were also different theaters to watch the sky shows. Our adult daughters really enjoyed Planet Nine, but Destination Solar System had a fun theme more suitable for younger kids (also the most popular). It would have been nice to have more interactive exhibitions. Some of the exhibitions also did not work and it looked like they were updating. It would also have been helpful that the theater for the shows actually matched their museum guide. But definitely fun & educational.

Must visit place while you're in town. Great place for the kids and beautiful view of the city.

If you are older, this is probably not a place for you, it was very much geared towards younger children. If you have a city pass they pick your show time and they picked a show 2 hours after we got there. There was not nearly enough to see to fill up two hours and we even are when we got there. We ended up not staying for our show because there just was nothing to do. It is clean, and great for kids, it just isn't great for other age demographics u less you get to pick your show time. It was nice though.

This place isn't what it sells itself online. There's not much educational value to it and seems to be completely catered towards children under 8. The shows are NOT worth your time or money. If you get the city pass, use it on something else. This place isn't worth it. Definitely something to skip in Chicago.

If you're choosing between this and the other two museums close by, this is an easy third place. It has some cool exhibits and decent planetarium shows, but it's age just doesn't allow for it to be as cool as other planetariums I've been to. I also prefer to watch shows that are narrated live vs. the fully recorded ones that Adler has to offer.

Let me preface this by saying that I'm extremely biased for this review because I LOVE astronomy and space! That being said I went on a Wednesday night (when they actually open after hours) after going to the field museum earlier that day. It is so awesome to be able to see and compare this planetarium with the Griffith observatory. As a California native, I love the Griffith observatory. But this was really cool! I loved being able to go to 2 different theaters to see two different shows. The exhibits were fun and engaging. It definitely highlights what people love about space and crams in as much geeky goodness into their exhibits. From the Big Bang to the history of telescopes, to stars/planets to NASA space flights; each was interesting in its own right. And to top it off, it is in arguably the best location because you see Lake Michigan on one side and the Chicago skyline on the other. Also at night, you're treated to awesome fireworks (I don't know if it's every night or on certain days), that's a big plus. This is a must-see planetarium. And if you go on Wednesday's ( as if 6/22/22), you can double or even triple up on things to do in this museum campus area!

I came here to attend a private party one evening. They are closed at night to public but available for a private party. It was pretty spacious inside. I got to enjoy the planetarium show, a staff narrated during the show was pretty funny. Although we weren't allowed to wonder around inside, they seemed to have a lot of area designed for little kids including nursing area, diaper changing area, stroller parking area. I think this will be a fun indoor place to visit for families with small children. I also liked the view of the downtown Chicago from their patio area. Sunset was very beautiful.

We enjoyed our time at the planetarium and the Planet Nine show. If you enjoy learning the science of space exploration and the history of NASA, this is the right place for you as an adult. Otherwise, this place is more for school kids, in my opinion. I have been here countless times, from elementary school to the present. We spent about 2 hours to include a show, which is enough to see everything. To make your parking worthwhile, you need to do both the Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium since the parking fee is $25 ($12 for an early bird), and both places are across from each other or a few minutes walk. Another bonus is that outside the planetarium's main entrance is the best place to take an excellent panoramic photo of the Chicago skyline.

We recently went to Adler After Dark to take advantage of the lower admission price, adults only/no kids, and explore a gem of the city! Things to note: -Go as early as you can. The line wasn't long for us at all getting there at about 6:30/6:45. However, if you're there early enough to get a lay of the land, you can make a game plan for all of the visual presentations/films. -They have super cool looking dry ice space cocktails. :) -The photo booth is worth the line because the props are funny. Plus, you walk away with a free souvenir. -Also, go early if you want a poem on the spot. They were backlogged even when we got in at 6:45. Not a ding on them, just shows that they're popular. They request a $5 donation for the poem, FYI. -The food options are limited, so if you don't want a BBQ chicken pizza or some pre-made items, eat beforehand. -There are lots of bars scattered around, so they took care of us on that front. -Astronomy on Tap did a trivia hour which was fun but so hard! I learned a few new things, though, and that's the whole point. If you're into trivia, come with a charged cell phone and enjoy it! -The one film we were able to see ("Planet Nine") was GREAT! I think the host/narrator's name was Kristy. She's delightful! You're in reclined seats looking at a large dome as a screen. It was super cool. When we go back (next one is February 2020), I'm going to focus more on the films. The other one we tried to get into was full by the time we got there. The historic artifacts are very interesting and there's plenty to see/learn. Oh, and there's a scavenger hunt if you're into that sort of thing, too!