Aim High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen at The Chicago Children’s Museum

The Chicago Children’s Museum recently hosted an opening for their newest exhibit – Aim High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen and my family had the wonderful opportunity to take a sneak peek. My husband is a private pilot and our family has a unique passion for aviation and honoring the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.

This children’s museum exhibit does such a wonderful job of encouraging children to take flight from a pilot’s point of view with interactive experiences perfect for all ages and abilities. Children (and adults) are able to fully immerse themselves into the world of aviation and aeronautics. By learning more about the Tuskegee Airmen and aviation in a play-based setting, children have the opportunity to see themselves as future aviators as well as discover other impactful roles in aeronautics.

The exhibit also features Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight which is hosted by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES)  in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, with generous support of MetLife Foundation. Black Wings honors the story of African Americans who reached great heights in aviation, despite the many racial barriers they faced. This collection of artifacts and pictures is a great collaboration with the STEAM based hands-on experiences your children will explore during your visit.

Features of Aim High

A few highlights of the Hands on Experiences include:

Cockpit Flight Trainer: Close-up look at the inside of a cockpit. This features videos, plane sounds, and a row of airplane seats from a real-life plane. My daughter had so much fun pushing the seatbelt button, playing the role of a flight attendant before she jumped in the pilot seat for take off for our pretend trip.

Imagination Mirrors: This mirror was a huge hit! Pressure activated mats activate a mirror with lit images of airplanes. Children are encouraged to wear reflective yellow vests and grab a pair of orange marshaling wands to guide their aircraft back to the appropriate gate.

Wearable Wings: Guests can create their own rocket ship or wearable wings. There is a fun activity involving air pressure if you decide to make a rocket ship involving air pressure and launching your rocket ship towards a specific target.

Other activities include a tarmac with block-like airplanes, puzzles, and exploring the historical artifacts on display throughout the exhibit.

Coat Closet and Locker Options

On the museum’s first floor, to the left of the check-in counter, there is an unattended coat closet and paid lockers ($3/medium locker and $5/large locker). You also have the option of parking at Navy Pier and leaving your layers in the car and walking indoors from your vehicle to the museum. The Aim High exhibit is located next to the Play it Safe Fire Exhibit in the museum.

Restrooms

There are restrooms, family bathrooms, and nursery rooms located on every floor. All bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. Both regular bathrooms and family bathrooms have changing tables, and there is a separate nursing room.

Hours

• Current Hours of Operation
• Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10am – 2pm
• Tuesday: CLOSED
• Friday through Sunday: 10am – 5pm
• Play for All Hours
  
  Check their website for holiday hours and seasonal schedule changes.

Prices

• Adults and children 1 year and older
• Illinois Resident (with proof of Illinois residency) $21 per person
• Non-Illinois Resident $23 per person

Pricing has been updated as of September 26, 2024 and is subject to change.

Discounts for Chicago Children’s Museum

• Check in using the Go City pass, Explore More Illinois pass, Military I.D., EBT card, or WIC card in the general admission line. All discounts are provided at the museum, on the day of your visit, with no reservation required! See below for discount details.
• Veterans and Active Military
• Veterans receive one (1) free admission for themselves every day with the presentation of valid military status identification. Active military receive one (1) free admission for themselves and up to three (3) guests, child or adult, every day with the presentation of valid military status identification. Advance reservations are not required for a veteran and active military party visiting the museum. Stop at the tickets desk and our guest staff will provide you tickets for admission.
• Museums for All
• Chicago Children’s Museum is a proud Museums for All partner. We offer families that qualify for state food assistance and are in possession of an EBT card or WIC card $3 admission per person for up to 6 people when identification is presented in the general admission line. We accept EBT cards or WIC cards from every U.S. state and territory.
• Note: The Chicago Public School-issued EBT cards and the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) cards are not eligible for this program. All Museums for All groups must include at least one adult and one child age 17 or younger.
• Go City Chicago Pass
• See the best of Chicago with Go City! Visit bucket list attractions, explore the city on a top tour, and discover plenty of hidden gems – including Chicago’s Children’s Museum. Save up to 50% on your chosen Chicago attractions, with the freedom to do what you want, when you want and without multiple entry fees or paper tickets! Simply download your pass, show your phone, and you’re all set.

Recommended Ages

The Children’s Museum is good for all ages, 0-12 as there is something to do for every age range. The new Aim High Exhibit is ideal for all ages.

Best Days/Times To Go

The museum is less crowded on Mondays, Thursdays, and Friday mornings. If you’re planning to visit the museum over the weekend, be sure to check Navy Pier’s calendar for other events hosted.

Accessibility

While there are therapeutic play guides for each of the exhibits, there are no quiet areas in the Children’s Museum. The museum is wheelchair accessible, and they also have a few wheelchairs on the premise for public access.

Kids Climb High — Like, REALLY High — at Cloud Buster at the Chicago Children’s Museum

I inched forward, trying not to look down at floor far, far below. Finally, I reached my destination: a tiny apartment, complete with a green lawn and Chicago city posters, perched at the top of the world. I leaned against the wall and surveyed the view through the metal mesh. The glass-enclosed botanical garden below made me feel like I was really in the treetops.

I called to my 4-year-old, who’d scampered right up the twists and turns much faster than me. He waved and grinned. He was already halfway back down, and having a marvelous time.

Cloud Buster at the Chicago Children’s Museum

The Chicago Children’s Museum invited us to attend the grand opening of Cloud Buster, a permanent exhibit that opened to the public in November 2019. I checked it out and am happy to report that it’s really cool.

While my 4-year-old and I waited for our turn, I chatted with Katie Slivovsky, the museum’s exhibit development director. She told us that Cloud Buster is meant to tap into the same joy kids feel when they climb trees. They’re able to choose their own paths, take risks, and challenge themselves at their own pace.

When we got in and my son donned his required orange helmet, I definitely saw what she meant. There’s no one path through Cloud Buster. Kids can explore where they want, going up to the very tip-top or winding through the middle. They can scramble from platform to platform or take a winding ramp up.

While the structure itself it 37 feet high, the Chicago Children’s Museum itself is not on the ground level. The tunnels let kids peer out over the expanse of the Navy Pier hall below.

Best of all, all the exits lead to the same place! That means you can wait on the ground and be sure to catch your kid coming out.

Best Ages for Cloud Buster

While even adventurous toddlers can climb up with a parent behind them on a calm day, preschoolers through grade schoolers will enjoy tackling it independently. While I did climb up after my 4-year-old, I took my time and came down long before he did. He was just fine without me!

You’ll definitely want to take busyness into account. If it’s a calm school day, preschoolers should be more than fine tackling the Cloud Buster solo . . . but if it’s a busy weekend afternoon, it may feel more crowded with the big kids. While the metal netting makes it easier to spot climbing kiddos, you probably won’t be able to see them at every moment.

Speaking of big kids: Cloud Buster is great for tweens! Most 12-year-olds would be more than happy to check out the cool, climbable structure. (It’s pretty fun for grown-ups, too, come to think of it).

Parking and How to Get to Navy Pier

We paid $35 to park in one of the Navy Pier garages, which is by far the most convenient option. It’s a very short walk from the garages to all of the fun on the pier. Find more parking info here. Finding alternative parking is tricky in this part of town; you’ll probably end up walking quite a bit.

Another option: Take the train downtown! The 124 Navy Pier bus route picks up at both Union and Ogilve stations. (As of publishing, bus fare is $2.50 per person and requires exact change if you don’t have a Ventra pass.)

If the weather is nice, there’s also the water taxi from Union Station to Navy Pier, which runs May through September and adds to the fun with a boat trip. The free Navy Pier trolley also runs seasonally.

Is Cloud Buster Accessible?

While there are some spots to play on the ground floor, the structure itself is not navigable by wheelchair.

There are several nooks and spots where kids can take a breather inside of the exhibit. However, it can get pretty noisy.

What to Do and Where to Eat at Navy Pier

Navy Pier is full of activities, restaurants, and adventures beyond the Chicago Children’s Museum . . . although honestly, the museum itself is so big that you can spend all day there playing! My kids loved it.

There’s a ton to do at Navy Pier, including the Ferris wheel, Crystal Gardens, IMAX movies, and more. In fact, I’d recommend making a plan ahead of time so that your kids are clear on what you are (and aren’t) doing.

Navy Pier’s restaurants are definitely the most convenient dining option. There’s a lot to choose from, including sit-down Chicago classics like Giordano’s and the Billy Goat Tavern. The food court has a ton of fun options at a wide range of prices.

Chicago Children’s Museum
Navy Pier
700 E. Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 527-1000

If you’d like to learn about past exhibits at the Chicago Children’s Museum, keep reading.

For more fun and the latest on new exhibits, check out all of the local Chicagoland children’s museums.