ADLER PLANETARIUM

Permanent Mission Moon. The museum’s latest exhibition examines the history behind man’s attempt to reach the moon. $20–$25. 1300 S. Lake Shore. adlerplanetarium.org

DuSABLE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

Permanent Freedom, Resistance and the Journey Toward Equality. From the transatlantic slave trade to the 21st century, this new exhibit takes visitors on a multimedia journey that illustrates the African American experience. $2–$10. 740 E. 56th. dusablemuseum.org

CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM

Through 2017 Chicago Authored. This multimedia exhibition housed in a new café-style reading room examines the city’s rich literary history.

 

Through 2018 The Secret Lives of Objects. Get a glimpse of Ann Landers’s typewriter, Charlie Chaplin’s bamboo cane, and more historical paraphernalia in this exhibition culled from the museum’s vaults.
$12–$14. 1601 N. Clark. chicagohistory.org

Gwendolyn Brooks
Gwendolyn Brooks Photo: Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum

FIELD MUSEUM

11/25–4/10 The Greeks: Agamemnon to Alexander the Great. Admire more than 500 Hellenic artifacts from 21 Greek museums in this new exhibition exploring the country’s ancient past. General admission $13–$18 (free for children under three); all-access passes $21–$31. 1400 S. Lake Shore. fieldmuseum.org

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

11/19–1/3 Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light. More than 50 volunteer-trimmed trees celebrate the city’s diverse cultural identities, with the museum’s 45-foot Grand Tree looming above them.

Through 1/3 Robot Revolution. Interact with 40 world-class robots at this new nationally touring exhibit supported by Google.

Through 1/31 Materials Science. Metals, plastics, magnets—see how scientists probe the possibilities of the materials that make up our world. Take a peek at the impressive atomic probe field ion microscope, too.
$9–$11, not including general admission. 5700 S. Lake Shore. msichicago.org

THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE

Through 2015 Persepolis: Images of an Empire. Explore the afterlife of the first Persian Empire through photographs, a video display, and satellite imagery from the Institute’s excavation in the 1930s. 1155 E. 58th. oi.uchicago.edu