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Things to do in Chicago, Illinois (IL): The Best History Museums
The windy city is a cornucopia of modern art, fine dining, cutting edge comedy, and die-hard sports fans. Snap a photo of your reflection in the silver Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park before heading to Grant Park to get hit with the refreshing spray of Buckingham Fountain. There are dozens of museums and theater companies in Chicago, so a cultural experience is never hard to find. You’re sure to laugh your head off at the Second City Theater, the professional launch pad of many famous comedians.
Restaurants in Chicago
1. Charnley-Persky House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By ColmR47 - Chicago, United States
I really enjoyed this tour of one of the few examples of Louis Sullivan designed homes. The tour guide was super informative and great to see the interior of the house in such good condition. Nice job by the Society of Architectural Historians maintaining the building and permitting us to wander through their offices. Well worth the visit + very close to downtown.
2. The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 148 reviews
Celebrating the Chicago River and its world-famous movable bridges. Note: We are closed for the 2015 season. We will reopen in May 2016!
Reviewed By skenyon1995 - Hoffman Estates, United States
A friend of mine sent me a snail mail article from the Chicago Tribune about the Chicago Bridge Museum. Chicago has made an actual museum inside one of their 4 story Chicago River bridge towers. You can take a tour below ground and actually see the gears & inner workings of the DuSable(formerly Michigan) Ave double decker four lane bridge lift machinery. Lots of history in the upper levels. A tour guide came down to the lower level when the boats were passing above & the bridge was lifting to explain things & answer questions. The gigantic counterweight weighs an amazing 12,000 tons! The 100 yr old bridge is so superbly balanced that it only takes about a 150 HP motor & a LOT of BIG gears to lift & lower it in one minute. Amazing what they could design back then with slide rules instead of software. You can go through on your own self guided tour fairly quickly, access is from the Riverwalk area. I believe an adult ticket was $12 or so. Didnt know that boats have the right of way over cars, since the Chicago river is a federal waterway. Sorry, you have to wait for the Skipper & Gilligan!
3. Hamilton: The Exhibition
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 58 reviews
Alexander Hamilton’s remarkable story inspired millions of Americans. Now, you can see it through his eyes in this 360-degree immersive museum exhibition from the creators of the revolutionary musical. Featuring interactive games and displays, lifelike projections, full-scale statues, and Instagram-worthy art installations, Hamilton: The Exhibition takes visitors deeper into Alexander Hamilton’s life as it chronicles the American Revolution and the creation of the United States of America. Underscored by a brand-new, 27-piece orchestral recording of the music from Hamilton, the exhibition also features an audio tour narrated by the musical’s author, Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with Phillipa Soo and Christopher Jackson, who played Eliza Schuyler and George Washington in the original Broadway production. The perfect opportunity for the entire family to experience the full story of Alexander Hamilton and the inspiring founding of our nation. See it. Live it. Walk in his shoes.
4. Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 71 reviews
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is located at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street on floors two through four of the historic Monroe Building in Chicago's Loop. Situated across the street from Millennium Park (home to Cloud Gate and the Crown Fountain) and the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum & Library is a unique institution – part military history and information center, part museum – open to the public with an extensive collection of books, artifacts and rotating exhibits covering many eras and branches of the military. Visitors can also participate in live television show recordings in the Museum & Library's state of the art broadcast center. The Museum & Library is a center where citizens and active duty military and veterans come together to learn from each other, about military history and the role of the Armed Forces in today’s society.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
It has been said, by some reviewers, that the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago is more library than museum. And that might be true. But there is such a treasure trove of rare and interesting books, including a sizable collection relating to Winston Churchill, that it is worth a trip to spend time in the Rare Book Reading Room to catch up on history that dates to the 1600s and 1700s and 1800s that you can't find anywhere else. Located at 104 South Michigan Avenue, on the second floor, it was founded in 2003 for the study of "the citizen soldier as an essential element for the preservation of democracy." The collection features over 115,000 items, including more than 67,000 books, as well as periodicals, videos, artwork, posters and rare military ephemera, over 9,000 photographs and glass negatives from the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War to the present, letters and journals from American soldiers, newspaper cartoons by Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper artist Bill Mauldin, war-related sheet music and many materials relating to Churchill. Another fascinating exhibit are two World War II diaries donated to the museum by Chicagoan Sam Gevirtz, who served on the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill during the invasion of Okinawa in 1945. If you are a historian, especially related to the Civil War and World War I and II, if you are interested in such subjects as Civil War regimental histories or military aviation or World War II unit histories, even Soviet history, the Pritzker beckons.
5. Museum of Broadcast Communications
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 174 reviews
The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is one of only three broadcast museums in America and home to the nation’s only Radio Hall of Fame. Due to COVID-19 the MBC is currently closed.
Reviewed By stlmouse - Saint Louis, United States
While the actual museum was somewhat interesting, what drew us to this venue was the SNL experience. A great trip down memory lane with all of your favorite skits. The exhibit was interesting in that it was designed to give you the entire weeklong experience of developing each show culminating with a show like experience (and a gift shop). Fun memorabilia, hilarious videos, and More Cowbell!!
6. Clarke House Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 22 reviews
Clarke House is oldest surviving building in the original Chicago city limits. Built in 1836 for New York businessman Henry Brown Clarke, the timber frame structure is a rare example of domestic architecture from Chicago's earliest days. Guided tours of Clarke House and related educational programming explore life in early Chicago through the social and cultural experiences of the Clarke family, the symbolism of Greek Revival architecture, and the fascinating preservation of this local landmark. Clarke House Museum is the centerpiece of Chicago Women's Park & Gardens in the Prairie Avenue Historic District. Operated as a museum by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events since 1982, it is furnished with period artifacts through the generosity of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of Illinois, and interpreted through a partnership with Glessner House Museum.
7. Chicago Sports Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 140 reviews
The 23,000 square foot Chicago Sports Museum offers a highly interactive experience for visitors to explore the legends and lore of Chicago sports. It combines hi-tech interactive experiences-including skill challenges and simulated experiences-with unique sports memorabilia and an impressive collection of game-used treasures and other artifacts. Admission to the Chicago Sports Museum is complimentary with a purchase at Harry Caray's 7th Inning Stretch! Admission: $10 for adults 12 and up $6 for children 3 to 11 $6 for seniors Free for children under 3
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
My wife and I love the Chicago History Museum and, as members and neighbors, we make frequent visits to see new exhibits. But its contribution to Chicago sports pales in comparison to the Chicago Sports Museum. Located at 835 North Michigan Avenue, on the seventh level of Water Tower Place, next to Harry Caray's 7th Inning Stretch Restaurant and Sports Bar, it offers 23,000 square feet of space to hi-tech interactive skill challenges, sports memorabilia and game-used artifacts. Explore the legends and lore of Chicago sports. Opened in 2014 by Harry Caray's Restaurant Group, it features a collection of 2016 World Series memorabilia, including David Ross' Game 7 catcher's gear, Kris Bryant's cleats and Addison Russell's Game 6 grand slam ball. Engage in a home run-hitting contest with Frank Thomas, learn to throw a curve ball with Steve Stone, examine the CT scan of Sammy Sosa's corked bat and study the constitution of a baseball to see how it has evolved over the last 100 years. Elsewhere, score goals like Patrick Kane, shoot free throws and compare your wingspan with Scottie Pippen, test your vertical leap against Michael Jordan, sit in the driver's seat of an Indy race race at Chicago Speedway, try on a replica of William "Refrigerator" Perry's Super Bowl ring, the largest ever crafted, and test your grip strength to Kyle Long. The museum is open from noon to 7 Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6 on Sunday.
8. McCormick Freedom Project
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
