One of the best and biggest art museums I've ever been to…read more I brought my 11-year-old son with me on a Monday morning in August. The only downsides were just how insanely packed it was, and the price of admission - $32 for adults (but free for my son at least). But it's worth it to fork over the cash and brave the crowds. The collections are stunning and expansive and truly breathtaking. The paintings are well spaced out with ample descriptions and information. Like most museums of this size and prestige, the building and the people watching are just as interesting as the art. Definitely hope to return someday as I've barely scratched the surface!

What a fabulous place for various artists and artwork! It was great to see all the different pieces…read moreand styles in this collection. The art institute is huge and covers a wide variety of different styles. It's a big place so expect to spend some time here. Map shows different levels and different stairs and elevators leading to different places. They even have a cafe in the 3rd floor. Really cool place to check out in Chicago while you're here. They do have free lockers for large backpacks and items near the front.

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!

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.

A neat small place to learn about Chicago architecture and it's development, with short…read more timelines on the walls and miniature model of the city and another ofWrigley Field. I bought a perfect, sturdy canvas bag labeled Chicago Architecture Center.

The museum has great models of Wrigley field and downtown. There is a video that discusses the…read moreevolution of the city. There are interactive displays that describe prominent buildings, architects , and architectural styles in Chicago. A good place to learn about Chicago architecture!

I think all the folks complaining about the experience should try experiencing it with a little…read morekid. I came with my SIL and my 19 month old nephew on a quiet Sunday. He had been cooped up in the house for a few days due to weather and needed to get out and about. My brother had taken him about 6 months ago and he enjoyed it even as a baby so I was hype to see it with him now that he's a little older. Rundown: -SIL paid for the tix so I dunno how much it cost -easy parking -no lines around 11am on a summer Sunday -in and out in about 45 minutes Notable exhibits: -the first one is an eye scan. I have soft tissue injury icks but I survived -the jellyfish mirror room - kids (and adults like me) go wild for this -any of the tactile ones where you touch and music happens -the ball and mirror room. Nephew went crazy for this as balls are his fave thing. -My ABSOLUTE fave was the DJ beats making room. I mixed some sounds while nephew danced. Some of us writing reviews for this place are old, jaded, have "seen it all" and seem to be approaching this from a transactional angle - I spent this so I want such and such experience. But if you watch a child's eyes light up at all the colors and sounds, watch how excited they get when they realize that their movement and their touch changes the floor pattern or the music, then you really get to experience what the place is about - Wonder!

Wasn't sure what to expect but this place was great to explore. This would be a great time for the…read morewhole family. Interactive rooms, areas where other guests were taking photos, bright and colorful. Staff was very nice and very helpful. Getting through the museum and for guidance. The location was easy to find and there is parking close by.

An institution here in Chicago. I went over the weekend with my husband and toddler and we had a…read moregreat time! The parking situation (which with a toddler can sometimes make or break an outing) was honestly super easy which made the entire experience that much more smooth. There is a dinosaur exhibit happening here now which was really our main pull. This exhibit was AWESOME! It goes on to show what happened after an asteroid ended the dinosaurs' reign and what happened between then and the world we know now. It was done really thoughtfully and was my favorite of the day. My son was gobsmacked -- especially at the dinosaur fossils! His favorites were the Spinosaurus and Apatosaurus. He also really enjoyed the mummies, which surprised me because it was a little scary. We were in and out in about 2 hours which ended up being the perfect about of time for us with a kid. We will continue to come back over the years!

Awesome museum if you like natural history- culture, artifacts, fossils, and most recently Pokémon!…read moreI've been a fan of Pokémon for many years, so I really wanted to see the fossil Pokémon exhibit at the Field! Came here a few days ago with one of my friends - who is also a fan of Pokémon. Tickets are 48$ for adults. Since the Pokémon exhibit requires times entry, it means you'll have to usually buy your tix ahead of time online. This means you'll also have to pay online fees for tix, and you'll have to forgo any discounts such as student discounts if you qualify. Student discounts require that you purchase tix in person, as you can't buy a Pokémon tix separately online without the entry tix to the Field. Now onto the good stuff... the exhibits! I shall discuss the Pokémon museum first. I knew for a long time that many of the fossil type Pokémon were based on true animals from the past. The exhibit did a good job bringing the magic of Pokémon and tying it in with real life. So while the exhibit was very cute, it was also informative. Great for young kids and Pokémon adults (like myself)! Pokémon featured included Kabuto, Omanyte, Pikachu (of course!), Aerodactyl, Tyrunt, etc. At the end of the exhibit you get a voucher for purchasing items at the popup store. They had most things in stock- so I was able to buy a hat, a t shirt and an excavator Pikachu plush. There is a 5 item max including 1 max Pikachu plush. They had a really cute hoodie, but sadly they didn't have any in S or M size. They had plenty of clothes for larger sizes L and up. I spent about an hour in the Pokémon exhibit and another 20 minutes or so in the popup store. Afterwards, I spent the next couple of hours perusing the other exhibits - including stones/gems, prehistory (dinos and big mammals), Tibet, China, plants and modern day animals (taxidermy). There was a lot to see, but after a while things started to look the same. For those thinking about doing the Pokémon exhibit- if you're not that into Pokémon, it might not be worth it. But if you're a Pokémon fan, I think it's worth it, especially if you want the event exclusive merch!

This is the Nickerson Mansion huilt in 1883 which was bought and restored over several years by…read moreRichard Driehaus. It has several items original to the home, plus some of Driehaus' collection. There was an art exibit of satirical prints from London and Dublin on display when we went through. Beautiful Tiffany lamps and chandeliers, marble, tile, woodworking throughout the whole home. Learned more about the history of Chicago and what it was like at the time the mansion was first built.

Driehaus Museum is beautiful! It is a smaller museum that features stunning art and architecture. I…read morewas able to get a student discount for my ticket, so I only paid $13. If I had paid more, I think I would have been a little disappointed. They offer tours throughout the day and I wish I had joined one. There is a little bit of signage throughout, but I think I would have gotten more out of it with a guide. The bathrooms are located in the basement and they are spotlessly clean. There is a small gift shop on the third floor which has a variety of nice Chicago and gilded age themed gifts. Driehaus Museum was truly a feast for the eyes. I'm not sure I'll come back, as I feel like I've seen what I needed to see, but I'm glad I stopped in. It is beautiful!

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.

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.

Intuit Art Museum has recently completed a massive renovation that expanded the facility threefold…read moreor so. Intuit features self-taught art by artists many of whom have a Chicagoland connection. My lovely wife and I have been to the "old" museum before, and it was an eye-opener to visit yesterday (Memorial Day) during a special free admission Grand Re-Opening weekend (the regular admission fee has also tripled to $15 from its former $5 ticket price). The star attraction is the recreation of Henry Darger's apartment and studio, along with a celebration of his works and methodologies. There are also spaces for the interesting and diverse Permanent Collection, as well as Special Exhibitions. Also interesting is the fact that the museum featuring self-taught art has bathrooms with fairly posh fixtures. Intuit Art Museum is not far from the Chicago Blue Line station. Check out the compact but cute gift shop before you leave.

A museum that celebrates the self-taught, accepts the "outsider" and values intuitive art. Current…read moreexhibit focuses on the im/migrants of Chicago. At the time of my visit, the entrance fee was $15. I live that I was able to see every piece in the museum display within 2 hours. Worth it

Figured the kid would like this, and she did. And so did we…read more Kind of expensive, I think $40 for adults and $30 for kids, but worth it. Very nice space packed with illusions, many classics but some unusual ones. And staff were great, from the front desk to the manager to the lady who helped us fully experience the exhibits with hints on how to see them best, and ideas (plus some had photos nearby with suggestions.) Kind of small, we spent about an hour, but had a lot of fun. We went right when they opened on a Sunday and it wasn't crowded then, but things picked up by the time we left. So come early to have a bit more freedom to roam.

Miana, was amazing. She took pictures. She gave us some good feedback and a lot of education. She…read moremade the experience one notch above other experiences!! Thank you Miana!!!! Carla Work

The International Museum of Surgical Science ended up being way more interesting than I expected…read more It's inside this gorgeous old mansion on Lake Shore Drive, the kind of place you walk into and immediately think, "Wait... surgery happened here?" The whole building used to be a private home modeled after a French chateau, which makes the contrast between crystal chandeliers and antique bone saws kind of fantastic. I'd say 1.5 to 2 hours is the sweet spot, depending on how deep you want to go into the placards. You can easily stretch it longer, because every room has some wild piece of medical history to learn. There's everything from early anesthesia equipment to an iron lung, to old surgical kits that look like something a pirate would carry. It really hits you how fast medicine has evolved , I mean we really went from "bite this leather strap and hope" to modern surgery in basically a cosmic blink. Makes me wish I could time-travel forward to see what medicine looks like in 200 years...though I'll be very, very gone by then:( One thing to know: there is absolutely no place to eat or drink inside. No cafe, no water bottles for sale, nothing. Just a tiny gift shop with some quirky souvenirs. So show up hydrated or plan to escape for snacks afterward. Overall, it's a great stop if you like history, science, or simply marveling at how humans figured out how to keep other humans alive. A little eerie, very educational, and surprisingly beautiful.

I went there for an event last night, but we got full reign of the museum. We did a scavenger hunt…read moreso we got to see every inch of this place. Chicago has a bunch of these smaller niche museum, but I thought this one was one of the better ones. It's an an historic house that would have overlooked the Lake before LSD existed. The exhibits were all pretty good, but my favorite was eye care. They had some great optometry artifacts and a collection of sunglasses over the years. They also have quite a bit of original art, mostly in sculpture form which is both odd, but still important. Another thing I liked was that it wasn't overly graphic. There's a plastic surgery section that has a few slightly unsettling portraits of people maimed during WWI. I mean, I kind of felt more bad for those poor people which I think was the point. If I were to give it all a rating, it's a light PG13. If there are any downsides, the place is a little on the expensive side for its size, but they're constantly running events that include admittance. They also seem to lean on some kind of artist or researcher that does a lot of dream stuff. I didn't like his stuff as much. Also, the sections are a little disorganized, but that might be spacing in issues. Either way, this was a pretty interesting place. I'm betting they do an awesome Halloween event because it's a little spooky, but all educational. The gift shop is neat too!