5 best museums in Chicago

Museums in Chicago

Museum · The Loop

1.Art Institute of Chicago

Guarded by two bronze lions on Michigan Avenue, the Art Institute is one of the great encyclopaedic museums of the US.

Time needed

3–4 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Iconic
• Art
• Rainy day
• History

Museum · Museum Campus

2.Field Museum

One of the world's major natural-history museums, the Field holds Sue, one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found, a cast of the giant titanosaur Máximo in the main hall, a walk-through Egyptian tomb and the Evolving Planet fossil galleries.

Time needed

3–4 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Kids
• Rainy day
• History
• Iconic

Museum · Museum Campus

3.Adler Planetarium

America's first planetarium opened in 1930 at the end of the Museum Campus peninsula.

Time needed

2 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Kids
• Views
• Rainy day
• Photo spot

Museum · Hyde Park

4.Museum of Science and Industry

Housed in the Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, this is one of the largest science museums in the Americas.

Time needed

Half a day

Cost

Mid-priced

• Kids
• Rainy day
• History

Museum · Pilsen

5.National Museum of Mexican Art

Founded in 1982 in Pilsen, this free museum has one of the largest collections of Mexican art in the US, from ancient Mesoamerican pieces to contemporary prints.

Time needed

1–2 hours

Cost

Free

• Free
• Art
• Rainy day
• Off the beaten path

Grouped by area

Booking and timing

Of these 5, 1 free, 4 mid-priced. Book ahead for Museum of Science and Industry. The longest visit is Art Institute of Chicago; group the rest by area to save travel time.

• Museum of Science and Industry: The U-505 on-board tour and the coal mine need separate timed tickets that sell out on busy days; add them when you book entry.

How to fit them into 5 half-days

Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.

• Half-day 1 (The Loop): Art Institute of Chicago, at least 3 hours.
• Half-day 2 (Museum Campus): Field Museum, at least 3 hours.
• Half-day 3 (Museum Campus): Adler Planetarium, at least 2 hours.
• Half-day 4 (Hyde Park): Museum of Science and Industry, at least 3 hours.
• Half-day 5 (Pilsen): National Museum of Mexican Art, at least 1 hour.

The quietest months for queues

• February: highs of 2°C (36°F), about 9 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Still deep winter, with snow likely; a good month for museums, theatre and the Garfield Park Conservatory.
• January: highs of 0°C (32°F), about 11 rainy days, very quiet crowds. The coldest month, with wind off the lake pushing wind chills far below freezing; museums are quiet and hotel rates are among the lowest of the year.
• November: highs of 9°C (48°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Grey and cooling fast, but holiday lights and markets arrive late in the month; good hotel value outside Thanksgiving.

The neighbourhoods they are in

• The Loop — Elevated L tracks, skyscraper canyons, Millennium Park and the State Street theatres
• Hyde Park — University of Chicago quads, Robie House and the Museum of Science and Industry

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