Museum of Science and Industry

About

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, still called MSI by most Chicagoans, occupies the last building standing from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. It sits at 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive on the north edge of Jackson Park in the Hyde Park neighborhood, a short walk from Lake Michigan and a few miles south of the Loop.

The headline exhibit is the U-505, a German submarine captured in 1944 and now parked indoors in its own hall. You can view the boat from the surrounding gallery, and a separate ticketed tour takes you inside through stairs and tight passages. The Coal Mine tour includes an elevator ride and a short train ride through a simulated shaft. Science Storms fills two floors with a 40-foot vortex of wind and mist and a Tesla coil that fires every 45 minutes. The Pioneer Zephyr, a 1934 streamlined train, stands in the Entry Hall area with seating inside and beside it. The Idea Factory, on Lower Level 1, is a water-and-machines play space for young children, and the nursing room is inside it. The Giant Dome Theater runs films on a five-story screen with sound strong enough to shake the seats.

Regular hours in 2026 are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with longer days during spring break, summer and the winter holidays. The museum is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. General admission prices vary by age and residency; Illinois residents get free general admission on select days, and Museums for All (EBT) admission is booked by phone at (773) 684-1414. The Museum Kitchen serves food inside. Coat check in the Entry Hall costs $3 per item, card only, and there are no lockers.

Driving, set your GPS to E. 57th Street and S. Cornell Drive for the underground garage, which cost $22 for non-member guests in 2026 and closes one hour after the museum. By transit, the CTA #10 bus stops at the museum entrance, the #2 and #6 stop a block away, and the Metra Electric 55th/56th/57th Street station is two blocks from the north entrance. The museum also opens its north lawn and, in summer, a Museum Garden (closed Wednesdays).

Accessibility

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is wheelchair accessible, with two well-known exceptions: the walk-through tour inside the U-505 submarine and the Coal Mine tour both involve stairs and tight spaces and cannot be done in a wheelchair.

Park in the museum's own underground garage, entered at E. 57th Street and S. Cornell Avenue at the northwest corner of the building. Accessible spaces are in every section, but van drivers need the Blue (D) section, where clearance starts at 8 feet 2 inches and drops to 7 feet 2 inches; the rest of the garage is 6 feet 6 inches. The garage connects directly to the museum through an automated push-button door. If you arrive on foot or by rideshare, the main pedestrian entrance has curb cuts, push-button doors and an elevator. The CTA #10 bus stops right at the entrance.

Inside, elevators and ramps reach every floor, and the museum map marks the elevator locations. Science Storms uses an escalator between its two levels, so use the elevator there. Every restroom has accessible stalls, and all-gender restrooms are on Lower Level 1 (between Museum Kitchen and Farm Tech), Main Level 2 (near Yesterday's Main Street) and Balcony Level 3 (Yellow Stairs).

Free manual wheelchairs are loaned at Guest Services in the Entry Hall against a photo ID, and you can reserve one ahead through the Guest Service Request form. Segways and hoverboards are not allowed. The Giant Dome Theater has designated wheelchair seating reached by elevator, and depending on the film it offers closed captioning, audio amplification and video description. ASL interpreters and scripts for Dome films, tours and programs are available if you submit the request form at least one week before your visit. Service animals are welcome.

For sensory needs, noise-dampening headphones are loaned free at Guest Services with ID, and EnChroma color-blind glasses are available first come, first served at Coat Check. Low-Sensory Mornings in 2026 fall on February 15, May 3, August 23 and December 13, with 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. early entry, dimmed lights and lowered audio until noon, and the Tesla coil switched off. On normal days the quieter galleries are Eye Spy, the Ships Gallery, Art of the Bicycle and Yesterday's Main Street. The museum does not publish details on Braille signage or a dedicated quiet room, so ask at Guest Services or call (773) 684-1414.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Illinois

• Adler Planetarium (Chicago)
• National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago)
• DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center (Chicago)
• Garfield Park Conservatory (Chicago)
• Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (Chicago)
• Lincoln Park Conservatory (Chicago)

Photo credits

• Grand columned exterior of the Museum of Science and Industry beside a lagoon.: Knarfol at de.wikipedia, Public domain (source)