# Things to do with kids at Adler Planetarium

> 1 upcoming family events and 3 ongoing programs and visits at Adler Planetarium, 1300 S DuSable Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, in the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin area. Dates and times are Central Time. Today is Sat, Oct 24.

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 25, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/chicago/venues/adler-planetarium

## Events ahead

- [Dark Matter Day at Adler Planetarium](https://grassyknees.com/chicago/activities/dark-matter-day-at-adler-planetarium--listing-7b96185fbb4133052d45263c) — Wed, Oct 28 · 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Adler Planetarium · All ages · With admission · checked Oct 11. Meet regional dark-matter scientists and explore hands-on demonstrations, activities and talks.

## Ongoing programs and visits

- [’Scopes at the Adler](https://grassyknees.com/chicago/activities/scopes-at-the-adler--listing-11927b140a5f0d48c8ecae54) — Terrace observing on selected days; Doane Observatory on selected Wednesday nights · Adler Planetarium · All ages · With admission · checked Oct 11. Look through telescopes from the terrace or Doane Observatory with guidance from museum educators.
- [Astronomy Conversations](https://grassyknees.com/chicago/activities/astronomy-conversations--listing-3d758e64e5963c138e3292a5) — Regular Wednesday 6–8 pm and Saturday noon–2 pm sessions; special Thursday sessions also… · Adler Planetarium · All ages · With admission · checked Oct 11. Ask practicing astronomers about their research in the Space Visualization Lab using immersive space visuals.
- [Operation Airlift — School and Youth-Group Engineering Competition](https://grassyknees.com/chicago/activities/operation-airlift-school-and-youth-group-engineering-competition--listing-4e2f5e33ef3f0199218701c8) — 2027 competition; applications open through November 8, 2026 · Adler Planetarium · checked Oct 11. Seventh- and eighth-grade teams work with STEM mentors to design and control airships for engineering challenges.

## Nearby

- More venues in Chicago: [Griffin Museum of Science and Industry](https://grassyknees.com/chicago/venues/griffin-museum-of-science-and-industry) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/chicago/venues/griffin-museum-of-science-and-industry.md), [Plum Creek Nature Center](https://grassyknees.com/chicago/venues/plum-creek-nature-center) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/chicago/venues/plum-creek-nature-center.md), [Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier](https://grassyknees.com/chicago/venues/chicago-children-s-museum-at-navy-pier) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/chicago/venues/chicago-children-s-museum-at-navy-pier.md), [Lincoln Park Zoo](https://grassyknees.com/chicago/venues/lincoln-park-zoo) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/chicago/venues/lincoln-park-zoo.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Chicago](https://grassyknees.com/chicago) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/chicago.md)
- [This weekend in Chicago](https://grassyknees.com/chicago/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/chicago/this-weekend.md)

Venue pages are listed once a venue has 3 current listings.