Field Museum or Museum of Science & Industry

We have 2 boys (4 and 5 1/2) and will only have time for 1 of the museums. Which would be the better choice for our trip in May.

Field Museum or Museum of Science %26amp; Industry

It really depends upon your boys%26#39; interests. If they are more interested in history, archaeology, or paleontology then the Field Museum would be a good choice. If they are more interested in science and technology then the Museum of Science and Industry would be the better choice.

Field Museum or Museum of Science %26amp; Industry

The little guys in my life (13, 9 and 7) have always preferred Field Museum (and Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium) over MOSI. MOSI is pretty outdated in my opinion...they still have a lot of the same exhibits as they had when I was your kids age ;) I%26#39;m almost 30 now... Though, MOSI does have good exhibits on occasion. I recommend you check out the website and see wheat exhibits will be in town and go from there... if the boys are really in dinosaurs, prehistoric, etc., they should be pretty wowed by Field Museum.

Field Musuem is probably easier to get to, more centrally located. It has that giant SUE dinasour. It has all kinds of stuffed bears and lions. It has a fun interactive egypitan exhibit where you can walk through pyramids, look in a mirror that distorts you to make you look Egyptian, there is also a pirate exhibit going on in May, they have a interactive somalia village where you hit a button and a somalia shopkeeper talks to you, etc, they have a real nice exhibit on gems and diamonds (you want to be happy too! Plus the kids like sparkly things). Science Musuem has a heart you can walk through and talks about ears and eyes, etc. They have a submarine you can walk through, a giant fairy castle, they have live baby chicks in a big hatchery and some of them are born, some of them are kicking their way out of eggs which is amazing, they have a big model train that zooms around a village, and I think they have a harry potter exhibit too.

Pick what your kids would like.

We just did both in March and to our surprise we enjoyed the Field Museum much more (kids are 8, 15 %26amp; 17). We could have spent the entire day just looking at the animal exhibits! The egyptian and dinosaur exhibits were definitely a hit with the family also. When we left the Museum of Science and Industry everyone was ready to go but when it was time to leave the Field Museum we were all bummed :(

With our 6-year-old, we seemed to prefer the Field Museum. Recommend you get there right when it opens; the later in the day it gets, the more crowded and frustrating it can get. Another option is to wait out the crowds and go after 4, when most people have petered out.

And, if you have time, you can add Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium. The Museum of Science and Industry%26#39;s location is further south and a bit of an island compared to the other museums%26#39; locations.

My kids have had more fun at the Field Museum. (They also enjoy the Shedd Aquarium, which as mentioned previously is right nearby.)

Another nice thing about the Field Museum is that it%26#39;s in a nice area for walking. If the weather is fine, after enjoying the museum you can take a walk along the lake front, north past the harbor. If you%26#39;re up for a bit more walking, cross Lake Shore Drive at Balbo and go see Buckingham Fountain. (There is a stoplight there, but be aware that you have to cross several lanes of traffic.)

I am a big fan of natural history museums and the Field does not dissapoint! If that%26#39;s where you choose to go, ask at the information desk about the free tours. Your two boys might be a shade too young, but the tours are so interesting and make the exhibits come alive, so it%26#39;s worth checking out.

Whichever has the special exhibit in which your kids would be most interested, because those (believe me) are really the *big*, spectacular draws...

The Museum of Science %26amp; Industy has ';Harry Potter: The Exhibition'; starting April 30. They also show the two OmniMax movies which are usually very good (you can pick one, both or neither when you purchase your tickets). Of the regular exhibits, the U505 WWII German submarine (and really try to get onboard tickets for $5 pp - you normally have to go first thing in the morning to do so, though); perhaps the Coal Mine; and the Great Train Story might be of the most interest, although I think lots of kids (of all ages) enjoy watching the chicks hatch. Plan on spending most of the day there because this is one *HUGE* museum. So if you only have 3-4 hours allotted for a museum, this probably would not be the one for you.

The Field Museum has the ';Real Pirates'; special exhibit. Of the regular exhibits, Sue (the world%26#39;s most complete T-Rex skeleton) would probably have the most interest for them. As mentioned above, the Field Museum is located in Museum Campus, which is immediately adjacent to the Shedd Aquarium and just a little further from the Adler Planetarium. If your boys are interested in boats, you are right at Monroe Harbor.

I go with Field Museum too. Have you considered the Children%26#39;s Museum on Navy Pier? There is a lot of activity at the Pier in addition to the Museum that the boys might like - Ferris Wheel, upstairs garden with shooting fountains (I get a kick out of these), lots of vendors, the harbor, lots of boats that offer trips, restaurants and of course - McDonalds, usually street performers, and music.