Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:1601 N Clark St.
Chicago, Illinois
Visit one of the oldest and coolest museums in Chicago, home to over 22 million historic artifacts. With everything from architecture, books, manuscripts, costumes and decorative arts, to film, painting and more, the Chicago History Museum is a melting pot of local and national history and pride.
Although much of the museum's early collection was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, the museum underwent a speedy recovery and today attracts visitors of all kinds to spend the day and explore. Popular items include the bed where Abraham Lincoln died, George Washington's second inaugural suit, Al Capone's mug shot, and the initial letter P from the old Playboy Building. There are also fun exhibits on the Chicago World's Fair and Chicago's first locomotive.
Kids and parents will enjoy the interactive gallery stations of History a la Cart, where youngsters can create, construct and test their own Chicago-style bridges, as well as use an oversized map, icons, and first-hand accounts to trace the path of the Great Chicago Fire.
Tip: Great Kids Museum Passports, which allow families to visit area museums for free, are available at Chicago public libraries, so be sure to drop by before your visit. For the grown ups, the 45-minute tours with audio guides are a great way to take it all in, and the History Café has a bunch of healthy food selections for a quick lunch break.
To get to the Museum, take CTA buses 11, 22, 36, 72, 73, 151, and 156. By train the Brown Line Sedgwick station and Red Line Clark/Division station are also located approximately one half-mile from the Museum.