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Field Museum — Field Museum's full front facade with downtown Chicago and the lake behind itPhoto: Sea Cow · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
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Field Museum

Museums ·Chicago
4.741.2K
#2Museums in ChicagoTravelers' Choice 2025
  • Ideal for kids, teens
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About

Field Museum is a natural history museum on Chicago’s lakefront Museum Campus, beside Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium.

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Field Museum — Brachiosaurus skeleton displayed beneath the museum's grand central hall Gary Todd · CC0 · edited
Field Museum — Brachiosaurus skeleton displayed beneath the museum's grand central hallField Museum — Dinosaur models displayed in a gallery beneath the museum's arched ceilingField Museum — Colorful reconstruction of Ediacaran marine life in a museum exhibitField Museum — Fossilized sturgeon specimen displayed in a dark glass caseField Museum — Vintage postcard view of the Field Museum's long neoclassical facadeField Museum — Historic view of the Field Museum across its landscaped groundsField Museum — Aerial view of the Field Museum and surrounding parklandField Museum — Field Museum facade with banners and visitors on the front lawnField Museum — Museum's east entrance framed by trees

What's on here

Black Hawk Performance Company Black Hawk Performance Company Wednesday, 12:00 Diwali Celebration at the Field Museum with SAI Diwali Celebration at the Field Museum with SAI Saturday, 12:30Free

Why go

  • Sue, the most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossil discovered.
  • Evolving Planet traces life on Earth across more than four billion years.
  • Ancient Americas presents 13,000 years of human achievement across the Western Hemisphere.
  • Chinese jade artifacts in the Hall of Jades span 8,000 years.
  • The neoclassical building was designed by Daniel Burnham and Graham, Anderson, Probst & White.

Don't miss

  • McDonald's Fossil Prep LabWatch paleontologists prepare fossils for study.McDonald's Fossil Prep Lab
  • Lions of TsavoThe man-eating lions appear among habitat and diorama displays.Animal halls
  • Grainger Hall of GemsLook for the Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass window among the diamonds and gems.Grainger Hall of Gems
  • Ruatepupuke IIAn authentic 19th-century Māori meeting house from Tokomaru Bay, New Zealand.
  • Tomb of Unas-AnkhA three-storey replica tomb includes two authentic rooms with 5,000-year-old hieroglyphs.Inside Ancient Egypt

Know before you go

  • The museum is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00.
  • General admission includes access to the museum’s exhibitions.
  • Illinois residents can get free day tickets every Wednesday.
  • On selected Legendary Late Hours dates, the museum stays open until 21:00.

What's inside

  • The Pacific Northwest collection includes totem poles and displays about subsistence and art.
  • The special exhibition is called Pokémon Fossil Museum.
  • Geology displays cover meteorites, minerals, jade and fossil preparation.
  • Julius Mössel painted the Story of Food Plants murals.
  • Animal halls include habitats and dioramas.
  • The Africa hall has 14 displays focused mainly on African cultures.
  • Inside Ancient Egypt displays 23 human mummies alongside mummified animals.

With kids

  • Children under three get free admission.
  • Explore the child-friendly Egyptian exhibit, interactive dinosaur displays, and Underground Adventure’s view of soil and insects at a bug’s-eye scale.
  • The education department offers classes, lectures, field trips and family events.

Tips for your visit

  • Buy tickets online or at the museum. Advance purchases can help you skip the line.

Interesting facts10

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  1. 24 million

    The museum holds more than 24 million specimens and objects for scientific research.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia

  2. Its bird-skin collection ranks fourth among collections worldwide.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (part 2)
  3. 13 composite

    Its copy of Audubon’s The Birds of America is one of only two known copies arranged in taxonomic order and contains all 13 composite plates.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (part 2)
  4. 250,000 images

    The photo archives contain more than 250,000 images documenting the museum, exhibitions, staff and scientific expeditions.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (part 2)

  5. Collections span biodiversity, gemstones, meteorites, fossils, anthropology and cultural artifacts.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia
  6. 440 expeditions

    More than 440 expeditions gathered specimens worldwide during the museum’s first 50 years.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (part 2)
  7. 3,500 East

    The Boone collection includes more than 3,500 East Asian artifacts, including books and prints.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (part 2)
  8. 275,000 volumes

    The main research library collection contains 275,000 volumes covering biology, anthropology, botany, geology and archaeology.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (part 2)

  9. The mollusk collection is among North America’s five largest, and the fish collection is among the world’s largest.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (part 2)

  10. The scientific staff researches biology and anthropology while managing collections and supporting education programs.

    Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (part 3)

Shorts

History

Edward Ayer persuaded Marshall Field to fund a museum for the World's Columbian Exposition collections. At its founding, the museum held a substantial anthropological collection. Beginning in 1907, the museum accepted substantial botanical collections from universities.

  1. 1893The museum opened as the Columbian Museum of Chicago with collections assembled for the World's Columbian Exposition.
  2. 1905The museum focused its work on natural sciences and ethnology.
  3. 1921It moved from Jackson Park to its present lakefront site.
  4. 1943–1966It was known as the Chicago Natural History Museum.
  5. March 1, 1966It took the name Field Museum of Natural History.
Show all
  1. September 5, 1975The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
  2. May 17, 2000Sue was unveiled at the museum.
  3. December 2018Sue's skeleton moved to a new suite in The Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet.
  4. 2021Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories opened.

Sources: Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia · Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (pa… · Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia (pa… · Chicago/Near South - Wikivoyage (see) · Explore the World at the Field - Field Museum · Tickets & Pricing - Field Museum · Membership - Field Museum · Field Museum of Natural History - Wikipedia · Musée Field - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026

Where
1400 S Lake Shore Dr, IL, Chicago

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Where is the Field Museum?

It is at 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, beside Lake Michigan, in the southeast corner of Grant Park.

How can I contact the Field Museum?

Call +1 312 922 9410.

Can members visit behind the scenes at the Field Museum?

Members can visit labs and storerooms during the annual Members’ Nights.

Who was Sue at the Field Museum named after?

Sue was named after her discoverer, Sue Hendrickson. The dinosaur’s sex is unknown.

Has the Field Museum appeared in a film?

The museum portrayed the Thorn Museum in Damien – Omen II.

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