Chicago Children's Museum!

I still have several posts to get to from our time in the Indiana area.  Here's one.

After my brother-in-law got married in Chicago, we finished out the long weekend by exploring the city.  I really haven't been to much at all in the city, so we headed down to Navy Pier to see what all the buzz was about that area.  Amongst other attractions there, was the Chicago Children's Museum.  This one was a bit pricier than some children's museum (about $14 a person), but once I got free admission by showing my teaching credentials that lowered the overall price a bit and was a nice surprise (police officers, fireman, veterans, and military can also score free tickets). 

Once inside, our crazy three year old was able to do what he does best-run around and get into everything.  The only hard part about this place was keeping everyone together (two kids, two parents, and two grandparents).

Theo acting like a vet for a pony in "Ready, Set, Pet"

And Eli acting like a pet.

Theo putting out fires in "Play it Safe"

Eli exploring buttons with grandma in "Michael's Museum".

Theo building with dada in "skyline".

Eli working hard to push the screws back in that mama pushes out in "skyline".

Eli really liked this part of the "Tinkering Lab" called the early learning nook.

There are several areas just for crawlers.

Theo loved the pretend car in "Kids Town".

And we basically had to pull him out kicking and screaming from the "WaterWays".  He definitely wasn't ready to leave and could have stayed and played all day.

The museum was very young-child friendly, with most of the areas designed for kids five and under.  However, some exhibits stretched their age threshold with specific adaptations for the older kids as well (the tinkering lab, climbing schooner, skyscraper challenge).

The whole place was also very friendly toward nursing mothers with specific locations for nursing throughout, which I definitely appreciated.

Overall, a very cool place.  It would not necessarily be my first stop on a Chicago visit (since most cities have similar children's museums nowadays), but if you have several days and want a place that is easy to take kids, I'd definitely recommend it.