Chicago History Museum

Previously a resident of Chicago but I never explored this museum until today. The museum has a variety of exhibits from the historical past to the more modern developments of Chicago. It also has a variety of interactive exhibits that many of the students I saw seemed to enjoy. Definitely worth the visit. The staff was very courteous and helpful as well.

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.

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.

I think the exhibits could have been organized better. Also the amount of information was not enough in my opinion, history of Chicago deserves a better & richer presentation. The target audience seems to be children and teenagers.

Writing this for tourists. This is a hidden gem in a very nice area. I learned so much about the history of Chicago. The “City on Fire” exhibit is incredible. There are many museums in Chicago that are great for fans of science or art, but I am visiting the city for the first time and wanted to learn about its history. Give yourself a few hours to go through the place and be sure to mosey over to the wooden alley to see the last wooden street in Chicago. There are also several monuments and fountains in the park behind the museum.

There is a wide variety of different subjects and topics, including First Nations, prehistoric dinosaurs, insects, gems, animals across the globe. There are parking lots but the street parking if you manage to find a spot is wayyyyy cheaper (I wish I knew that). It took me in my girlfriend, roughly 3 1/2 hours to see most of the exhibits, although we didn’t go to some of the extra that you had to pay for. Definitely a cool experience for a museum and would be a great day with kids and family

The museum was great. It has a ton of Chicago history from many facets and points of view. It goes bold and does not shy away from uncomfortable topics or shameful events. My only critique is that the museum does not allow backpacks, food or drink including water bottles. I am sure the rules are there for good reasons. There are items on display that could get easily damaged. If there are guests that get easily dehydrated, the no water bottle rule can become a barrier.

One of my favorite places in Chicago – very accessible but detailed exhibits on the Chicago Fire, construction of the Chicago water system, the city as a railroad hub in the 19th century, the race riots of 1919 and 1968, the Haymarket affair, etc etc etc. And teachers get in free!