Adler Planetarium is located in Chicago, Illinois, just off Lake Shore Drive next to the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History. It is open year-round, but its hours change during the summer. Make sure you check out their website before planning your trip. The price of general admission to the exhibits is $10 for adults and $6 for children. The cost increases depending on the number of shows you want to see. There are also a number of free days throughout the year sponsored by the Charter One Foundation. These days are also listed on the Adler Planetarium website.
The Adler Planetarium features a number of permanent and rotating exhibits and shows. The breadth of topics covered by the exhibits is amazing. One can view early telescopes and sundials, hear stories of the Moon landings, learn more about our solar system and the Milky Way, or look through the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory and see gravitational waves disturbing the surface of our space-time much like ripples on the water of a still pond.
The shows of the Adler Planetarium are also designed to cover a wide age and interest range. From 'One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure' featuring the gang from Sesame Street to 'Cosmic Collisions' which documents the outer reaches of our ever-changing and expanding universe to 'Skywatchers of Africa' which discusses the cultural history of the night sky, there is something for everyone at the Adler Planetarium.
Another unique feature of the Adler Planetarium is the Atwood Sphere, Chicago's oldest planetarium, constructed in 1913. It is a large wooden sphere that shows the positions of all the stars in Chicago's night sky when light is shown through it.