Hidden Gem Museums in Chicago

This terrific museum is very much a child's domain, so definitely bring the kids. There are two planetarium domes, one with the digital Definiti Space Theater, as well as a Universe 3D theatre, StarRider—a half-hour interactive "trip" through outer space—and a cool lunar exhibit called Shoot for the Moon. Anyone with the vaguest interest in space will love the museum's vast collection of astronomical, navigational and mathematical instruments including globes, star charts and moon maps dating back to the 12th century. And if you plan your visit for the first Friday of the month, you'll get to a close-up view of the moon and planets beamed directly through the observatory telescope. Combine the planetarium with a visit to the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum or Soldier Field Football Stadium, home to the Chicago Bears, which are all close by and make for a great family day out.

Open daily, entry fee $14-$20.

Focusing largely on American photography of the 20th century, with the emphasis on real-world photojournalism, the Museum of Contemporary Photography is Chicago's vanguard photography museum. The museum was founded by, and is housed within, Columbia College—an acclaimed media and progressive arts institution. The collection is limited due to a lack of gallery space, but the images and the names of those who took them loom large throughout: Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Irving Penn, Aaron Siskind, and one of my favourites, Dorothea Lange. Spend an hour or two perusing the pictures and you'll leave yearning for more ... a good reason to come back a second time. And what's more, it's free.

Open daily, free entry.

When it opened in 1933, this was the first interactive museum in North America, and still takes a very hands-on approach to its many thousands of exhibits. Technology and transportation are two central themes—there's so much to choose from I'll just mention the must-sees: a deep-shaft coal mine in the museum's Central Pavilion; the Take Flight reconstruction of a San Francisco-Chicago Boeing 727 flight; the only five-story, wraparound Omnimax theater in Chicago; an amazing model railroad; a lavishly decorated Fairy Castle; and the only German submarine in the United States, a World War II U-505. The museum attracts an array of temporary exhibitions—the new Harry Potter exhibit coming in April 2009 looks promising. Two points to note though: the museum's restaurants are well below par, and many of the high-profile exhibitions cost extra.

Open daily, entry fee $13-$30.

Fear not! The subject matter of this fascinating museum isn't just for medical students and the scientifically inclined. Anyone with the even slightest interest in the human body will be entertained and educated—if perhaps a little grossed out—by all the instruments, books and art on display. View a 16th century Austrian amputation saw, the Anatomy in the Gallery medical art collection, and the original X-rays taken by radiology pioneer, Emil Grubbé. Set in an imposing lakeside mansion, one of the few in Chicago actually open to the public, the museum attracts temporary exhibitions which complement the permanent collection. New for 2009 is Plastic Surgery: Form & Function, a topical one given the current obsession with extreme makeovers ... although you might think twice once you see the latest instruments and equipment in body manipulation! The mansion alone is worth the visit with magnificent views of the lake.

Open Tuesday-Sunday (May-Sept) and Tuesday-Saturday (October-April), entry fee $10.

This is not so much a museum as a promenade, located in the lower terraces of Chicago's Festival Hall at Navy Pier. The collection comprises 150 pieces of beautiful stained glass from the 1870s to the present day, and is divided into Victorian, Prairie, Modern and Contemporary themes. Although church-like in its tranquility, don't be fooled into thinking that stained glass is only for religious folks; there are also many secular items to appreciate, such as contemporary depictions of Martin Luther King and Michael Jordan. The Driehaus Gallery is worth checking out because it includes works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, including the exquisite Rapelye Memorial. If the sun is shining, the colors in the various exhibits really pop. There's also a tangible element of progression through time as you step from one window to the next.

Open daily, admission is free.