Chicago Guide » Attractions & Activities » Museums
Chicago Attractions & ActivitiesMuseums
If you're a history buff, art aficionado, archaeology fiend, or dabbler in the sciences, our museum picks are perfect for a rainy day or afternoon excursion! Our selections center around notable collections of historical and cultural items. Many have excellent rotating displays in addition to exceptional permanent collections.
Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
Address: 1300 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605
This eye-catching, twelve-sided building includes two sky theaters, one of which was the first planetarium in the western hemisphere. The theaters depict the night sky and allow visitors an up-close look at distant planets, moons, and galaxies. The complex also features exhibition rooms, a café, and a StarRider...
Address: 111 S Michigan Ave, Grant Park, Chicago, IL 60603
A highlight of any trip to Chicago, this museum is home to one of the best and most diverse art collections in the world. People are drawn first to the vast Impressionist collection, including the world's largest group of Monet paintings. But treasures abound, including the haunting "American Gothic" and Seurat's...
Address: 1601 N Clark St, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL 60614
The Chicago History Museum is dedicated to collecting information about, and preserving the heritage of, the city's past. It also focuses on select areas of American history and features permanent and rotating exhibits of art, historical objects, and artifacts. Visit and discover answers to questions like, "Why is...
DuSable Museum of African-American History
Address: 740 E 56th Pl, Chicago, IL 60637
The African-American experience is depicted in unique fashion at this museum. The project started as a small display in a teacher's home, and with lots of community effort, the labor of love got its own building in 1973. Thousands of artifacts, photos, paintings, drawings, sculptures, and textiles are displayed, along...
Field Museum of Natural History
Address: 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605
The exterior of this hulking marble facility only hints at the historic treasures inside. The architect's goal was boldness, and he achieved it with massive columns and striking galleries filled with natural light. Visitors are immediately greeted by two massive elephants and Sue, the museum's famous Tyrannosaurus Rex...
Hemingway Museum and Birthplace
Address: 200 N Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302
Oak Park is the neighborhood in which Nobel Prize-winner Ernest Hemingway spent his first 20 years, and this local museum chronicles that formative period in his life. Divided into sections, each with its own theme, the museum informs visitors about Hemingway in the movies and Hemingway during World War II. You can...
International Museum of Surgical Science
Address: 1524 N Lakeshore Dr, Chicago, IL 60610
One of Chicago's most interesting and least famous museums, the International Museum of Surgical Science is a true gem. Chock-full of photos and artifacts from surgery's often gruesome development through the centuries, the museum is definitely not for those with a weak stomach. Check out a trepanned skull from Peru,...
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Address: 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
When this museum opened in its new aluminum-lined facility in 1996, it became the country's largest museum of contemporary art. Featured works go far beyond two dimensions and include such diverse media as sculpture, photography, dance, performance, and music. Three large exhibition floors showcase more than 7000...
Museum of Science and Industry
Address: 5700 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60637-2093
Interactive museums are multiplying like rabbits, but this complex is considered one of the first and best. You'll find more than 2000 hands-on exhibits, including the Zephyr (a famous train that once set a land-speed record) and the Idea Factory (whose interactive exhibits have kids of all ages learning without...
Address: 5550 S Greenwood Ave, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
Located on the campus of the University of Chicago, this museum houses a permanent collection of more than 7500 paintings and sculptures from both Western and Eastern civilizations, ranging from ancient days to present. Come explore the vast collection of ancient Greek vases, paintings by the masters, Tiffany glass,...
