Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago: history, what to see, getting there, tickets

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (Griffin MSI) in Chicago stands in Hyde Park at 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, close to Lake Michigan. With 1.2 million square feet of floor space, it is one of the largest science museums in the world. You can tour a coal mine, walk through a real World War II German submarine and watch a 40-foot tornado. The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Below: its history, what to see, how to get there, hours and tickets.

History: from the 1893 fair to Griffin MSI

The building is older than the museum. It was built as the Palace of Fine Arts for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, designed by Charles B. Atwood. It was meant to show fine art and was later repurposed for science and industry exhibitions.

The museum was the idea of philanthropist Julius Rosenwald. In 1911 he visited the Deutsches Museum in Munich, with its hands-on exhibits, and wanted the same for Chicago. In 1926 he pledged $3 million to the project. The museum opened on June 19, 1933, and calls itself North America's first interactive museum. The Coal Mine was there from the start.

The U-505 submarine has been on show since 1954, and the Henry Crown Space Center opened in 1986. In 2024 the museum was renamed the Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, so older guides still call it simply the Museum of Science and Industry, or MSI. The museum says more than 200 million guests have visited. It belongs to Chicago's Museums in the Park, supported in part by the people of Chicago and the Chicago Park District.

What to see at Griffin MSI

A General Admission ticket covers most permanent exhibits. The Coal Mine, the U-505 On-Board Tour and the Giant Dome Theater need separate tickets.

U-505 Submarine

The U.S. Navy forced the German U-boat U-505 to the surface and captured it on June 4, 1944. The museum compares it to a city block in length and three times the weight of the Statue of Liberty. Around it are nearly 200 artifacts, archival films narrated by Bill Kurtis, the cramped galley and the "hot bunks" (35 bunks for 59 sailors), a submarine simulator and an Enigma code-cracking station. It is a National Historic Landmark. The On-Board Tour inside lasts about 25 minutes, including questions at the end.

Coal Mine

An underground tour with the rumble and sounds of a working mine and real equipment once used in active mines, with a short train car ride. Tours run every 30 minutes and last about 25 minutes. It is dark and loud underground, and the museum warns parents of young children.

Science Storms

Seven natural forces: lightning, fire, tornadoes, avalanches, tsunamis, sunlight and atoms. The centerpiece is a 40-foot vortex of air and vapor you can manipulate, and you can sit under a large Tesla coil as lightning strikes.

Space, trains and planes

The Henry Crown Space Center shows the Apollo 8 Command Module, the Mercury Aurora 7 capsule, a flight-proven SpaceX Dragon that flew the CRS-12 and CRS-17 missions, and items worn by Chicago native Mae Jemison. The Pioneer Zephyr, a silver streamlined train, ran nonstop from Denver to Chicago on May 26, 1934, in just over 13 hours. Take Flight has a United Airlines Boeing 727 with part of its skin peeled back.

Also worth a stop: Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle, Yesterday's Main Street, Powering the Future, the Numbers in Nature mirror maze and The Great Train Story.

How to get to the museum

Full details are on the museum's Directions and Parking page.

Route 10 schedules are on the CTA site. The museum's underground garage, entered at E. 57th Street and S. Cornell Avenue, opens at 8 a.m., closes an hour after the museum and costs $22 for guests. Most of it has 6'6" clearance; taller vehicles and van-accessible spaces are in the Blue (D) section. No motorcycles. By bike it is about eight miles from downtown on the Lakefront Trail, with racks and a Divvy station at the main entrance.

Hours and tickets

Open daily 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some holiday and extended dates run to 5:30 p.m.; exceptions are listed on the Hours page.

Hours and prices checked November 5, 2026 on griffinmsi.org; see Ticket Pricing for current rates. General Admission does not include parking, special exhibits, dome films or tours.

• City of Chicago residents: $9 off adult and $5 off child General Admission.
• Illinois residents: free General Admission on select Illinois Free Days with valid proof of Illinois residency. Tickets are booked through the museum's ticketing portal by entering your zip code. The museum announces the dates in the Illinois Free Days section of its pricing page and notes the schedule is subject to change. Dome films and tours cost extra.
• Always free: U.S. active-duty military and veterans, Illinois Pre-K to 12 teachers, Chicago firefighters and police officers.
• Museums for All: free General Admission for up to two adults and six children under 18 with an EBT or WIC card and photo ID, from any state.

Tips before you go

• Tickets are timed. Early arrivals may wait, and same-day entry for late arrivals is not guaranteed. Once inside, stay as long as you like.
• Late guests are not admitted to the Coal Mine or U-505 tours, and neither is open to strollers or wheelchairs. Arrive early: the museum suggests allowing 5 to 10 minutes from the U-505 exhibit entrance to the tour entrance.
• Outside food is allowed in designated areas, such as near the Ships Gallery, the Lower Court and the front lawn in good weather.
• Personal photos are fine, but not in the Giant Dome Theater or some special exhibits. No tripods.
• Coat check, stroller and wheelchair rental are in the Entry Hall; noise-reducing headphones are free with an ID at Guest Services. Elevators and ramps reach all floors.

More sights are on the Chicago places page, and the Chicago city guide covers the neighborhoods.

Questions people ask

How much are tickets to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago?

General Admission at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is $25.95 for adults 12 and up and $14.95 for children 3 to 11. The Coal Mine Tour is $12 and $9, and the U-505 On-Board Tour is $18 and $14. City of Chicago residents get $9 off adult and $5 off child General Admission.

Does Griffin MSI have free days?

Yes, for Illinois residents with valid proof of residency, who get free General Admission on select Illinois Free Days; tours cost extra. The museum announces the dates in the Illinois Free Days section of its pricing page, and the schedule is subject to change. U.S. military, veterans and Illinois teachers get in free every day.

How do I get to Griffin MSI from downtown Chicago?

The simplest options are CTA bus 10, which stops at the museum entrance, or the Metra Electric Line to the 55th/56th/57th Street station, two blocks from the north entrance. CTA bus 6 Jackson Park Express stops one block north. Parking in the museum's own underground garage costs $22.

Can you go inside the U-505 submarine?

Yes, on the U-505 On-Board Tour, which needs a separate ticket: $18 for adults and $14 for children 3 to 11. It lasts about 25 minutes including questions. It is not accessible to strollers or wheelchairs, and late guests are not admitted. The submarine itself can be seen from the exhibit floor with General Admission.