Soooo two of my coworkers insisted we visit the Medieval Torture Museum. At first I was skeptical because... I mean cmon but I decided to be a good sport about it. We were greeted immediately and advised of how to navigate the museum as well as an interactive ghost hunting game that could be played during the visit. Listen it was graphic but so very interesting and informative. I love learning about history and well, unfortunately, torture practices are a part of history. I appreciated the in-depth depictions and explanations and the lay out of the museum. If you are into this ... visit. read more

See all

On the smaller side and I do with there was more insight into the origins and "justifications" for these gruesome punishments but it still delivers unsettling sculptures and a variety of terrible ways to torture. read more

Such a cool and gruesome museum !! I walked the whole thing in 35 mins but I recommend doing the QR code so you can hear of the stories relating to that particular torture! Ritchie was also very helpful and friendly ! read more

See all

Pretty disturbing what we used to openly do to each other in the not too distant past. Makes living now-a-days seem a little less awful. Price is a little high I think, but due to location I imagine rent is pretty steep also.. read more

Likely to be one of the most unique museums you'll ever see, it's worth a visit here for both a change of pace and because of the quality of the exhibits. The setup of the museum is well done, with plenty of explanations both in an audio tour and signs that give the visitor lots of history behind what they're looking at. The lighting is somewhat dim which helps to add to the ambiance and the arrangement is very logical as you progress through the different areas. Despite being in a busy area of the loop, the rooms don't feel crowded at all and you can leisurely spend time going through each one of the displays. For the quality of each display and the comprehensive amount of items available, I felt that the price was very fair. Do be warned though that the imagery is quite graphic here. read more

See all

Fascinating stuff. Humanity has come a long way... for the most part. They have devices from all over the world and throughout history - some that you can even interact with. Would recommend. Takes about an hour to go through and enjoy, but you can be there as long as you'd like read more

The Medieval Torture Museum is a hidden gem right in the middle of downtown Chicago. This museum is right next to the Chicago Theater and across the street from the ABC7 TV Studios. I stepped inside the museum and immediately felt like I was transported back to the medieval times. The displays here are top notch. There are fifty torture devices on display. None of the exhibits on display are original artifacts. This means that each item is hand-crafted. All items are realistic and are recreated with great detail. There are some interactive displays. All items have a description that explains how and when each item was used. The items are very realistic and not appropriate for all audiences (especially children). There is a free app that you can download which will give you an audio tour of the museum. I was able to save money on admission by purchasing tickets on Groupon. The Medieval Torture Museum has some of the nicest bathrooms in the area. This is a great museum and well worth the trouble getting there. I highly recommend the Medieval Torture Museum. read more

See all

Stopped by on an open afternoon and this was absolutely awesome! so interesting to see how times have changed over the years and what people used to go through not that long ago. Would definitely recommend to anyone to lives history, the morbid or the average curious customer! read more

Medieval Torture Museum - Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

How are there no reviews to this place?! Okay, so to be fair, you have to be a very specific person to be interested in this museum. But lucky for you, dear reader, I'm a total sicko, so strap in. I dont know if these are actual artifacts, as they are all on display for potential touching, but they are pretty cool and old looking. With our ticket purchase, there is an audio tour you can take - which we did. We brought earbuds, but other people did not. The order of the exhibits did not match the audio tour, which wasnt a problem but it was sort of annoying because you couldn't just autoplay the tour and the audio would just go to the next one. Between the audio and reading all the exhibit cards, it took us about an hour to get through everything. All in all, it was pretty cool and gave lots of ammunition for brunch conversation after. read more

Medieval Torture Museum - Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Upon the visit to the torturous past, With surly teens who seldom found delight, In that dark museum, their eyes were cast, And both proclaimed it best, a rare sight. The atmosphere was thick with ancient dread, Though truth of artifacts was left unknown, Yet waxen forms and tools of pain widespread, With diabolic craft, the scene was shown. Self-guided tour, a perfect pace it gave, Each whispered word, the tale of anguish told, In two short hours, through all the dark enclave, The gruesome history did then unfold. Though small in scale, its charm was clear and bright, A mini dungeon's tale in hours' light. read more

It was fun but a bit shorter than expected. There are also many items that fall well outside of the time period.

It was rather underwhelming. It's just a bunch of wax figures and hunks of metal. Also, the Souvenirs were insanely overpriced.

Cool museum that was very interesting. The exhibit took us about an hour to go through. Pricing was about $30ish a person. Take your time and read everything to get the most out of your experience. read more

So great! Interactive displays and a great audio tour. Definitely worth a stop by. Totally worth the price of admission.

The demonstrations are very graphic and the audio guide is very detailed and helpful. Staff is also very nice! read more

Medieval Torture Museum - Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Honestly I was so grossed out by this place but it was extremely interesting. So many torture devices I've never heard of i.e. the pear of anguish - yikes! I learned so much. What's cool is the museum is interactive so you can touch almost everything and you can try out some of the larger devices on dummies (not your friends!) They also have an app where you can go ghost hunting. The staff was very nice and helpful. They have free Wi-Fi for you to use their app. And even a gift shop at the end. This place is not for squeamish people! read more

See all

I think this museum was far too expensive for the experience. It was a quick walkthrough, nothing really to be learned just some wax figures demonstrating executions/torture which is eye-opening, but not super informative. I felt some of the descriptions could have explained some of the methods more as well, since I found the topic interesting. Tickets per person ended up being $30.00 which is probably one of the most expensive experiences in Chicago, I think $15.00 would be more worthwhile. Very touristy, and I think we thought it would be something else. read more

One of my favourite aspects is that you are encouraged to touch. You can operate the machinery, heft the tools and devices, and even weigh yourself to discover with what demonic forces you truck. For those who enjoy selfies and photo memories, there are plenty of objects you can pose with, in, or on. The audio guide adds an engaging accompaniment through narratives of real cases shared in storytelling format. An informative way to spend an hour or so.​ read more

See all

Best place in town if you need some new ideas! Very informative and the ghost hunting app was a lot of fun! read more

See all

I am visiting from out of state have been meaning to check out the museum in LA, was so excited to see it in Chicago as well. Such a cool experience and so many cool things to look at. The museum is interactive so it was a lot of fun to look through and pick up various things. Would recommend to all the spooky little goblins looking for something weird to do to kill an hour or so. I had so much fun and honestly would come back with a group even to get cool pictures with friends! read more

See all

The Museum is very interesting and showcases lots of mostly historical scenes of its namesake. Attendant was helpful with any questions we had. Easy to get to location in the heart of Chicago. Overall great thing to check out! read more

Horrifying, fascinating, and so educational. Some exhibits are even interactive! You can go through a second time and do a ghost tour after. It was really fun and amped up interaction even more, but I expected the ghost stories to be relevant to the torture displays in some way which was not the case. It's obviously very gory, it took a bit to get used to the displays. Be careful about who you take with you. I stuck to reading the plaques because there were several other people around and I didn't feel comfortable playing the audio out loud without headphones. I wish they would have given out (even for a cost) earbuds or headphones for those who don't know to bring their own. I only interacted with one staff member who was friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Overall, I would highly recommend this museum to anyone plagued by morbid curiosity or simply interested in medieval history. read more

See all

A great place to know all the torturing ideas during the medieval times. The place is creepy and realistic looking. The bathroom was very clean and well maintained. read more

I had seen this museum on social media for a while now and it was such an amazing experience to visit. The models are very detailed and has every possible torture method you can think of! Definitely a must see museum for all lovers of the occult. read more

Medieval Torture Museum - Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Super gross. Really big tour. The app makes it really interactive. Don't see after you eat. Great for spooky season.

It was short but enjoyable. Very interactive with the displays. You can pose for pics with most of the devices. It is a bit gory with a few of the displays but good experience overall. read more

My daughter and I've were super early to a The Damned/Blondie show at the Chicago Theatre next door, so we thought "well, it's on brand!" and thought we'd visit. Well.... yes there are interactive things (Pull a cord, turn me around, lift me, etc), but tbh, it was all a bit... lame and boring. They said it'd take about 45 min, but we were done in 15. For $32/pp, it's not worth it, go get a nice drink in the roof top bar at The Wit (next block up) instead. The best part was seeing what looked like a tribute to The Walking Man slumped in a corner ( rest up WM!) And the dummy that kind of looked like Kyle Maclachlan .. read more

See all

One of the employees at the front was sick. She had a box of tissues on her table, her nose was rubbed raw and sounded very stuffy. I barely wanted to take the sticker from her. Even without COVID precautions, I think it's gross to have someone obviously unwell in close contact with customers. The museum itself feels a little bit campy, but I'm not sure there's a way around that if you want to actually show and not tell. It was also very dark. I saw people use their phone flashlights to read some of the signs. I get what they're going for and why a little darkness is necessary, but it ends up feeling poorly planned. You could also scan a QR code to listen for more information, but I hate activities that require getting my phone out for a code so that was an immediate turn-off. The descriptions and displays made it really easy to imagine how the devices were used, and I liked that you could interact with some of them. That's what makes this place unique. It really showcased how inventive and twisted punishments were. Plan to spend 30-60 minutes here depending on how thorough you are. read more

A cool place to visit if in the area. Not too scary for the faint of heart. Recommended checking out if in Chicago.

So cool and unique! The lighting is a little dark so it's hard to see some things. I'd recommend bringing headphones as we didn't, and were disrupted by other parties. read more

Medieval Torture Museum - Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fun thing to do in Chicago!! Went with friends and had fun messing with the interactive exhibits. It's very informative about the origins of these methods as well. I just wish the torture dummies shook or had some sort of voice lines to the pain they were experiencing. read more

Very cool and entertaining. Spend an hour. And nice merchandise in the store to remember

Amazing time and such a fun place. Great way to spend a day of fun. If your in Chicago go and check it out

Had so much fun! Love how interactive it is. There is an audio guide as well as additional information next to the different displays. Stop by if you have a chance! read more

Hands down the coolest museum I've been to in a while. A unique perspective in a time in history I would never want to live in haha. There are a ton of cool displays and interactive torture devices to play with. Every exhibit goes into detail about the tortures that one would endure. Really awesome and a must see for anyone into this kinda stuff! read more

See all

Absolutely terrible. I wish I could say it is outrageously bad, in a B-movie kind of way, but it is so bad it made me sad. The devices and mannequins are falling apart, missing pieces, paint peeling off. The vignettes are not only badly written, sometimes with sentences missings words, but the descriptions are also full of inconsistencies. The dates, locations, and names are all over the place, and more than half the information is completely false. You have to download their app to get the audio guide. This results in every visitor holding their bright phone up, blasting the sound, everywhere in the rooms. It's impossible to focus. Just like the vignettes, the descriptions in the audio are full of inconsistencies, and although the macabre, classic-horror voice of the narrator fits the vibe, it's very exaggerated and gets tiring very fast. The exhibit mixes time periods and geography all round. Medieval and Renaissance Europe are mixed up with Ancient Egypt, medieval China etc. interchangeably. I could gloss over this issue since this place is more about entertainment than actual history, but it is very Eurocentric, and racist at times. "All around the world" is consistently used to actually mean Western Europe, and the random masks on the walls are obvious attempts at "ethnic" décor. However, incorporating Native-American-looking masks, Javanese masks, and Yoruba scultpures throughout is highly appropriative and offensive. I could forgive some of these shortcomings from a small, cheap place, but tickets are $29 per person. Their website and Google lists $35 tickets, so when you walk in, the $29 price is advertised as a" promotion" with "the free audio guide" as an added bonus. It is deceptive at best. Avoid at all costs. read more

very interesting, you'll need to download an app to do the voice tour and ghost hunt. so have a phone with battery life.

INTENSE MUSEUM! A must see if you're okay with gore. There is a fun app too you can download when you arrive to do some ghost hunting and listening to the audio of different torture devices people used back then read more

Medieval Torture Museum - Front - Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very factual and great props. Could use some more blood. Fun unique museum in the chicago area. Friendly staff! read more

Medieval Torture Museum - Colombian necktie - Museums Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very interesting and well constructed. Alrigh expected there to be more information on how they would do the specific tortures are there was little on that read more