Chicago’s Best Museums

As the weather turns from sunny days to overcast skies, fall is a great time to check out one (or several of) of Chicago’s top-rated museums.

Thanks to public and private support, Chicago truly has some of the country’s best museums.

Here is a sampling of the most popular ones.

Shedd Aquarium (1200 South Lake Shore Drive; map) -  Find all you need to know about oceans, rivers and waterways. Top exhibits include the  Oceanarium, Amazon River and Wild Reef.

Museum of Science and Industry (57th & Lake Shore Drive; map) -  One of Chicago’s most treasured buildings on the city’s south side, the Museum of Science and Industry was originally part of the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1933 and now educates audiences about science and technology. Popular collections include a captured German World War II submarine.

Art Institute of Chicago(111 South Michigan Avenue; map) – One of the most stunning art museums in the country, the Art Institute on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park houses a large collection of French Impressionist paintings, as well as a Mini and the new Modern Art Wing. The museum is most famous for having more than 30 paintings by Claude Monet and important works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse. In 2009, the institute built a 264,000-square-foot Modern Art Wing.

Museum of Comtemporary Art (220 East Chicago Avenue; map) -  Located near the famous Water Tower Place and close to Michigan Avenue, this contemporary art complex showcases art created since the 1940s. Recent exhibits have included a monthly 12 x 12: New Artists/New Work exhibition series and was the only American museum to host Bruce Mau’s Massive Change exhibit, concerning the social, economic and political effects of design.

Adler Planetarium (1300 S. Lake Shore Drive; map) -  For star-gazing buffs, this is your museum. The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum is America’s oldest planetarium with two star-gazing theaters, a collection of antique instruments and a space exhibit.

Photo credit: SXC