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    Chicago History Museum

    4.1 (410 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 5:00 PM

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    Zay M.

    I visited here with my son at 1pm on Sunday after leaving museum of contemporary art. We were using Go City pass. Check in was quick and easy. They have a free coat check which we utilized. They had two public tours that day. We saw the exhibits solo and not with the tour. This museum was large and had two floors. It's located near bus stops, if visiting and using public transportation. There was an exhibit for Emmitt Till that was very informative yet saddening. I'm glad there is a dedicated section for this tragedy. The Chicago fire exhibit was engaging, informative, and interactive. There was full size L train car in the exhibit. Normally, you could go inside but it was closed due to renovations. There were sooo many areas the touches on all the history of Chicago and it's fairly thorough. I really enjoyed the interactiveness and the various designs. It's more inviting and interesting vs traditional museums, especially for children. I highly recommend this. I wish I had allotted more time here.

    Sunny K.

    Chicago is so rich in history... Had no idea... Learned so much... Fell in love with Chicago even more... Exhibits were fantastic Staff was wonderful The hot dog stole the show with the kids Highly recommend

    This is a blue book which is from the 1900s in Chicago. If you wanted to look someone up and find their address, you used this.
    Maralyn O.

    The museum itself is incredible so many great exhibits. I learned something new every time I go there. But what I really love to do is go to the research library where you can look up anything about Chicago. The researchers there are really interested in your project and will help you. Maggie was helping me learn about the 1891 bldg I live in!

    Ann-Marie H.

    For Indigenous Peoples' Day, I decided to visit this museum since I had the day off, and it was a free day! Honestly, you have to come see it for yourself, which is why I'm not posting any pictures--I don't want to spoil the experience for others. I'm glad I came on a free day because, to be honest, the museum was smaller than I expected, and it didn't have as much as I thought it would. We were able to walk through it in under an hour, so if I had paid full price, I might have been a bit disappointed. That said, for someone like me who's passionate about history, particularly African-American history and culture, it's a place I'd definitely bring my parents when they visit. My favorite exhibits were the train section and the jazz and blues exhibit. I loved the interactive aspect of the jazz portion, where you could participate in a "table conversation" with cards that made it feel like you were in the 1920s. The Chicago Fire exhibit was also interesting. The museum has a lot of interactive elements, which is why I'm giving it four stars. It would've gotten five if some of the exhibits or interactions weren't roped off or out of order.

    Demetria C.

    The museum was interesting especially about the history of people , places and things. Alot of things I didn't know about Chicago but was informed about at the museum. There are different exhibits from politicians , music , politics ,trains and clothing . So many things to see and read about . It's 2 levels to the museum, you won't get bored , plus there is a kid interaction area. It was a few feild trips there , and the kids seemed entertained. Overall great visit to learn about Chicago

    Stephanie G.

    The Chicago History Museum is a great encapsulation of the city's history from its early days to its fire, the World's Fair, and Abraham Lincoln's visit. Their displays are very engaging, and a full-sized train car and city dioramas were cool to see. It was disappointing to see signs for item removals. It's a fairly expensive museum for there to be empty cases for an exhibit that is not even that old, removed not for preservation but for rewriting history. There is also a sign in each exhibit about how the museum was on stolen lands, but no word if the museum is donating its profits or giving the land back. The sheer number of signs and requirements for the tour guide to read the sign was a bit overdone and no longer in the spirit of solely presenting facts. The exhibit on the fire was very thorough, and we luckily came when a tour was being offered. Our guide was very knowledgeable, and the exhibit itself was detailed and well-done. The other exhibits took less time, but everything was worth the walkthrough. The entire museum takes a few hours, and some of the exhibits are great. The gift shop is pretty bad with almost nothing with the museum's name on it. There's a small cafe on site, but if you hang onto your ticket, you can leave and reenter as needed. It's worth doing as a tourist, but I do hope the emphasis stays on presenting facts related to Chicago's history.

    Travis T.

    A museum outside of the usual museum campus area by the Loop. Overall, I enjoyed the museum and the $17 ($19 for non-students and non-seniors) admission was worth it. Too bad one of the special exhibitions on the first floor was closed. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the museum especially the exhibit related to the Chicago Fire of 1871 and how life was in Chicago back then.

    Nick P.

    I've been here once but it was a memorable experience. Cost of admission is cheap. For adults it's $19 and they do have select free days for Illinois residents. From the name of the museum, people might find it less intriguing and would rather attend the bigger, more popular ones downtown. I can assure you that this one is far more interesting than the Adler Planetarium. I spent roughly 4-5 hours here, looking and reading everything that I wanted to look at. I don't want to give anything away but recommend you check out their website. They have tons of photo opportunities in the exhibits. It's located close to the Lincoln Park Zoo. For parking, you can either look for free parking close to the zoo or use an app like Spot Hero to find a guaranteed spot. Since this museum is not nearly as busy as the other ones, you can go anytime. It wasn't super crowded. When you finish, the Lincoln Park area has an excellent selection of restaurants.

    Pritzker Family Tree
    Steve A.

    Chicago has lots of very interesting history, so it's hard to get it all in one museum but this one tries anyway. It can be good for a few hours of fun and learning. The Chicago History Museum also has free admission at certain times for local residents, allowing them to avoid the kind of high prices. Look at some interesting artifacts from around the city. You can find many that are serious and not so serious so it's a good place for both adults and kids to look through. A pretty big museum because there's a lot of history to cover. It has some of the oldest stuff on the first floor. There's exhibits on the settlers and the digging of the canal and that kind of stuff. Also there's an exhibit of local sights and smells good for children. There's a big figure of a Chicago style hot dog and it documents the ingredients. More stuff is on the second floor. This covers the history of things like the Haymarket Riot and the Union Stock Yards. Of course there's a large exhibit about the fire. There's also exhibits on local sports. Good stuff if interested in the history of the city. It's kind of expensive but local residents can get free admission on certain days that happen every now and then. These are listed on the website.

    Checks the look and flavor boxes. Great job by those involved! May the hot dog gods bless you and your families.

    Really great museum! Wish I had visited it sooner. You can see the bed Lincoln died in which I was unaware of before my visit. Also their cafè is really nice! Thought it was gonna be like most museum cafes that serve characterless food but I must say this chicago style dog hit right.

    Hunter S.

    Located in old village, a few miles out of the loop/tourist district, this is not the typical museum stop in Chicago. I wouldn't call it a must see, but if you want to know more about Chicago, it's history, neighborhoods, population, and how it became the city it is today, this would be a great start to your Chicago trip. The main reason I came here is to see the Lincoln death bed. There is also a section on Lincoln's Chicago. There is a prominent, poignant section on the Chicago fire. It tells the history, the rebuilding, and the long term effects on the city, but most impressively the exhibit displays artifacts from the fire: knickknacks, decor, melted buckets of nails, a burned hymnal, even cookies that burned so hot and fast that they turned to charcoal cookies. There was also a section on polish Chicago, which was so large and detailed that you'd really have to have an interest in the subject. There were sections on advancement of transport (trains, rail) as well as business (Sears, Montgomery Ward, Oscar Mayer etc). They covered several historical disasters in Chicago. They had a small superficial exhibit on race and civil rights, though it was whitewashed and weak. The Chicago blues section was pitiful and put together as an afterthought. Some displays were oversimplified and almost geared toward kids. There is an actual interactive kids section. If you want to know more about Chicago, this is the place to start. Admission is 19 bucks.

    Great museum! Loved the dioramas and the movie theater. They had both general American history as well as Chicago history

    Admissions prices (June 2022)
    Brian F.

    Chicago has such a rich history and this museum did a great job of capturing it all. It's located a little more north of Chicago near Lincoln Park but it's only a short bus ride away. There were two floors and most of the stuff to see was on the second floor. The admission pricing is as followed (as of June 2022): - Adults 22-64 ($19) - Seniors 65+ ($17) - In state children 0-18 (free) - In state students 19-22 ($17) - Out of state children 0-12 (free) - Out of state students 13-22 ($17) One of the biggest events in Chicago history was of course the Chicago Fire. The exhibit detailed where it started in the O'Leary's barn, how fast it spread day by day, and the life of residents in 1871 when this all happened. There was a ton to read and I really liked how all the descriptions were both in English and Spanish. If you don't want to read you can also reserve tours and the guides will give more interesting tidbits, such as things about the real items that survived the fire. We also saw the lamp that started the Iroquois theater fire that killed 600 because the doors opened inward and not outward. Along with the Chicago Fire exhibit, we saw the actual bed that Lincoln died on, a timeline of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and his speeches in Chicago, a history of Chicago architecture, and Chicago entertainment such as sports, theater, and music. I also found out that the following were invented in Chicago (along with many others): the bowling ball, the tennis ball, Morton salt, and the Weber grill. We spent about two hours here because there was just so much to read and explore. If you can make the time for the trip up north, I'd highly recommend checking this museum out.

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    Ask the Community - Chicago History Museum

    Review Highlights - Chicago History Museum

    I really like the diorama room where you can look at models that make it seem like your back in time.

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    Field Museum

    Field Museum

    4.2
    (1.5k reviews)
    3.2 mi

    Amazing exhibits!!! Go for the science and awe. I could have spent days there taking it all in. The…read moredetails and richness in many of the exhibits are GREAT! I took my seven year old but think that the normal exhibits are probably better for children who are a bit older, maybe ten and up. The Pokemon special exhibit was great for kids. It does get crowded so trying to be near the front of the line or at the back with a chill, leisurely pace is a good idea. The entries are timed and groups sort of walk through like a snake. Merch is available with a special voucher only and the worthwhile items are the Excavator Pikachu plush and t-shirts unique to the special exhibit. Most of the offerings are available online at similar prices. But be ready for crowds, expensive food, unruly school/camp groups, and restrooms that have no paper towels. We went on a Thursday in July and walking was a struggle in the main hall. My mom got stepped on.

    We visited the Field Museum primarily for the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibit. Admission for our…read morefamily of five was $206, which felt pretty expensive. The exhibit itself was smaller than I expected, but it was unique, well done, and my kids absolutely loved it. We also appreciated receiving a special Pokémon promo card with admission, and the Pokémon gift shop had a great selection of merchandise that was hard to resist. We spent about 2 1/2 hours at the museum and didn't even see everything. The Field Museum is unlike any museum I've been to before, which made it a fun and interesting experience. Everything was clean and well maintained. While I'm not convinced the Pokémon exhibit alone was worth the admission price, I'm still glad we went because it was such a unique experience. If you have Pokémon fans in your family, I'd definitely recommend it. Just go in knowing the exhibit isn't huge, and be sure to leave time to explore some of the rest of the museum as well.

    Photos
    Ancient Americas Totem Pole
    Ancient Americas Totem Pole
    Main lobby
    Main lobby
    Field Museum

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    Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago

    Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago

    3.9
    (628 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Finally visited this River North museum during my return to Chicago. Since I wasn't a CHI/IL…read moreresident, the adult ticket price was $22, however you can also opt for the Pay As You Wish option, which is essentially Suggested Donation. While the museum is 4 floors, the exhibits weren't as plentiful. The 1st floor is basically their cafe. The 2nd and 4th floors are prob the floors with more artwork. The 3rd fl felt like an "in-between" floor. Thankfully, the Yoko Ono exhibit was on display, which featured several interactive activations, like a Wish Tree or writing on a wall, which were fun. Their Museum Shop also spans from floors 1-2. I wouldn't say that this museum has the popular artists. The overall artworks are a mix of abstract, photography, and mixed media. I wouldn't recommend it as a "Must See" for tourists, personally. However, I'm an art enthusiast and still thought it was a decent museum to walk through. Perhaps opt for the Suggested Donation for this one.

    I loved my experience! I really appreciate the free Tuesday nights for Illinois residents. That's…read moresuch a treat! Beautiful museum with multiple floors, excellent customer service, plenty of comfortable seating, cool gift shop, and a cafe and restaurant too. It has everything I need! The vibes are good here. I enjoyed all the floors and saw an impressive variety of art. I also wanted to see the Yoko Ono exhibit and I really enjoyed it. I appreciated how interactive it was. There were a few writing stations with activities, such as writing about your mom and taping it to the wall, and writing a wish on a tag and tying it to the wish tree. One room was blue and there were blue markers available and people were encouraged to add to it. Fabulous venue!

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    Takashi Murakami
    Takashi Murakami
    Outside
    Outside
    Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago

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    Color Factory

    Color Factory

    4.5
    (118 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    This was the most wonderful experience! I highly recommend it if you're in Chicago. It's located in…read morethe Willis Tower, so if you're going to the Skydeck it's a quick little jaunt over before or after. I wasn't sure what to expect, and it ended up being so much better than I imagined! All the people working were friendly, knew what they were doing, and helped us have the best experience we could have. I loved every part of it, and it was awesome tying in all the senses to color! The tasting one was so fun, I ended up guessing mine right! I think my husband and I had the most fun with the partner drawing activity, that's a keepsake for sure, haha! Other faves were the poem and balloon exhibit and of course, the ball pit. We came with our 6 year old nephew but I think the adults had more fun than he even did! It was fun to let loose and be a kid again. I was thankful for all the fun photo ops, it made it easier to get great pics without having our phones out the whole time. The only bummer was the ice cream. We paid $1 per person for it and it was just one tiny little ball with a wooden spoon, and I could taste the spoon more than the ice cream.

    When we first visited Color Factory two years ago, my daughters did not want to leave. On our most…read morerecent trip back to the city, they wanted to see it again. We still had a good time, but the venue was pretty much the same, so there was nothing new for them to get as excited about. We still enjoyed walking through the rooms, etc. Hopefully, the CF team can develop some new experiences in the space to get us to go back on our next visit to the city.

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    Color Factory camera using the provided QR code
    Color Factory camera using the provided QR code
    Color Factory
    Balloon room fun

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    Balloon room fun
    Money Museum

    Money Museum

    4.7
    (97 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    Free and interactive museum! Can take pics and learn about our financials. Got take take home…read morepictures and some shredded money Fun fact: Cash is made of 75%cotton and 25% linen Best of all free admission, need to scan your bag before going in through security

    As a Houstonian who was tired of paying extra non-residential fees to museums, I appreciated that…read morethis museum was FREE! This museum is super neat and more interesting than I thought. Not only can you see what one million dollars look like physically in different denomination of bills, they had different interactive stations. There was a game where you try to spot of a bill was fake or not, a station to place money under a special light to see the unique features on the bill, a short video to learn about how the cash gets received and processed, and much more! In addition, there is a section about the history of money and other interesting facts. I love seeing the old money and how it has progressed over time. The place have several cool photo opportunities. Before you leave, you can also grab a bag of shredded money as a souvenir. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed this place! It's not big, but it's enough to enjoy after lunch or if you're bored and wanted something to do. This museum feels like a hidden gem. Don't overlook this place! I highly recommend giving this place a visit. *Adults need to bring a valid ID to enter.*

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    Photo op
    Photo op
    Money museum - free admission
    Money museum - free admission
    Money Museum

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    Chicago History Museum - museums - Updated July 2026

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