No, I didn’t make a spelling error in the title I promise. I’m referring to the Wndr Museum in Chicago. This weekend my family and I headed to the West Loop to check out the
Of course, as a blogger and an Instagram junkie, this place was a dream come true. Every turn provided a one of a kind photo op. But, besides that,
When you first enter the museum you get the opportunity to wander around and check out a few interactive installations. There’s a station where a poet will customize a poem for you, too. The kids really loved this. There’s also a wall of candy dispensers – which I don’t know if that’s a good idea or a bad idea. The kids seemed to love it though.
Before you enter the main space, there are complimentary lockers you can put your coats and items in if you don’t want to carry them through the museum. Once in the museum, you’ll be guided through each room by an employee who will share all the information about the installation.
There are a few rules, you can’t climb on or touch a lot of the art installations – so I wouldn’t recommend it for very small children (crawlers or new walkers). Or, if you take them just be sure to watch them closely. We did see a few toddlers get in trouble for throwing some of the art bulbs lying around and grabbing sections of the art. There was also a baby crawling around in some of the dark rooms – which is not safe for anyone. Comes down to common sense parenting really. This is not a play space per se, it’s an interactive museum. Mentioning this so you can determine if it’s something you want to do with your young kids.
There are about 10 spaces to walk through, all very different and cool in their own right. The last space offers a room with balloons everywhere and kids are welcomed to play in there. There are fans on the floor which keep the balloons floating upward and the kids loved it.
My favorite installations came at the end. There is an area to take cans and hold them up to wires to hear sound from the wires. If you walk around the whole structure the sounds change. Pretty cool!
Once you reach the last part of the museum you walk through the installation featuring the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirror Room. Yayoi Kusama is an 89-year-old Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation but is also active in painting, performance, film, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts. She’s spent the last four decades voluntarily living in a psychiatric hospital due to mental illness. Her work is adored by millions all over the world.
You only get one minute in the Infinity Mirror Room and have to wear booties over your shoes. They are very strict and have a person manning the exhibit to protect it, but 60 seconds was enough time to capture the awe and beauty of the room and snap a few pics.
Upon leaving you
Definitely a fun winter activity and one you don’t want to miss before it leaves Chicago. Tickets are $32 due to the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Room, but well worth it. You can read more and buy your tickets here.
Here’s some moments we captured at Wnder:
