Free Admission to the Museum of Science and Industry weekdays in January

To help get through the chilly (if not downright freezing) Chicago winter, weekday general admission to the Museum of Science and Industry is free the entire month of January.

The museum's history goes back to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The building was built as The Palace of Fine Arts for the World's Fair. It, along with the Art Institute on Michigan Ave., are the only surviving structures from the famed "White City."

During the 1893 World's Fair, the main entrance was on the canal side, with patrons arriving by boat. As anyone who has seen what is now the "backside" of the museum can attest, it's really the most beautiful part of the building.

The Museum of Science and Industry is the largest science museum in the western hemisphere.