Chicago, Illinois: Explore the City’s Famed Museums

Go way back in time at The Field Museum, Chicago’s acclaimed natural history museum, located at Museum Campus. The Field Museum is a great place to let your curiosity roam and discover the wonders of the natural world. Multisensory displays and interactive exhibits act as visual storytellers, leading you on a journey through ancient earth to the modern day. Explore a treasure trove of fossils, mummies, precious gemstones and extinct animals, including “Sue,” the largest tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found. There are many big and small wonders to discover here, making it a great attraction for adults and children alike.

If visual art is more your speed, Chicago does not disappoint. Just steps from Millennium Park and the Chicago lakefront presides the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the top-ranked museums in the world by TripAdvisor. Notable collections include American, Modern and Contemporary (and some of the best Impressionist art outside of Paris). See iconic works by visionaries such as Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Edward Hopper and Georgia O’Keeffe, among many others. The exhibitions and collections are comprehensive enough to keep you engaged all day. Enter the museum between the famous lions on Michigan Avenue or through the Modern Wing on Monroe Street. Even better, use the bridgeway from Millennium Park and you’ll catch one of the best views of Chicago. When you’re hungry, stop in at one of the museum’s popular cafés.

Explore a playground of scientific discovery at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI). Housed in the only remaining building from the 1893 World’s Fair, MSI showcases the industrial achievements of the past with the exciting science of the future. It’s not your typical, static museum; MSI’s high-energy exhibits are fully immersive, interactive experiences. You can plunge into a working coal mine, climb aboard a real World War II German submarine, control an indoor tornado or design a sustainable city for the future. It’s also recognized as the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere, so make sure to grab a map on your way in.

You can reach the city of Chicago, Illinois by flying into Chicago O’Hare International Airport or Chicago Midway International Airport. Both are less than an hour from downtown.