Chicago’s world class Field Museum of Natural History is a must-see on any visit to the city!
Fans of dinosaurs will be delighted to hear that this museum hosts SUE the dinosaur! Famously the largest and most extensive T-Rex specimen in the world, SUE has a place of pride in the Evolving Planet exhibit. It was incredible to see this skeleton in person- it felt a bit like meeting a celebrity.
If you stick around long enough, you’ll even get to see a narrated light show that goes through SUE’s history every 20 minutes or so.
The Field Museum also hosts an Archaeopteryx fossil- one of only a dozen examples of the earliest known dinosaur that qualifies as a bird.
Between SUE, their Archaeopteryx fossil, and the dozens of fan favorite dinosaurs on display, fossils are clearly the pride of the museum.
The Evolving Planet exhibit does a spectacular job of laying out these fossils in a really interesting and interactive way. Visitors walk through time as each room displays different periods of evolution. Walking through a huge prehistoric forest in the middle of the museum was one of my favorite parts of my visit!
As is typical for a natural history museum, there is an extensive collection of lifelike taxidermy animals – including not one but two displays of man-eating lions. Although I’m not a huge fan of taxidermy, this is how people would see and learn about different animals before the internet and airplanes made them so much more accessible!
I was surprised to see an extensive Ancient Egypt and Africa exhibit, complete with recreated landscapes and structures to give visitors the impression of being in the location while perusing the artifacts. No one ever mentions these when they talk about the museum, but I found them to be super cool!
I also really liked the Biomechanics exhibit, which compared natural bioprocesses to man-made mechanics and included plenty of interactive activities.
Scattered throughout the museum, you’ll find six different Mold-a-rama machines. These machines will create a plastic sculpture in just a few moments before your very eyes! For only $5 a pop, see if you can collect them all!
One of the things that I absolutely loved about the museum is that it’s such an important resource for scientists and it makes sure you know it. For example, SUE’s skull is studied so often that it’s actually displayed separately from the rest of the skeleton for easy access. The skull on the skeleton is actually a very good replica!
If you’re lucky, you may even see paleontologists working in their glass walled offices outside of the exhibit.
Admittedly, that made me laugh a little bit, especially with the “Please Don’t Tap The Glass” signs on the windows. They’re almost exhibits themselves!
The three-floor museum is packed with artifacts, and yet only displays about 1% of its collection at any given time. I spent three hours here, and even without seeing the additional ticketed exhibits like Unseen Oceans, I still wasn’t able to make it to all of the collections.
The museum is open daily from 9am – 5pm and costs $30 per adult, and $23 per child for basic admission. Chicago residents can show their ID and receive free entry on Wednesdays!
Although I’m not typically a huge fan of natural history museums (taxidermy scares me a little), Chicago’s Field Museum is world class, and definitely worth a visit- just make sure to give yourself enough time to see the highlights!
The Field Museum is part of Chicago’s Museum Campus, which includes the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium. Consider purchasing a Chicago CityPass if you’re interested in visiting more than one museum!
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Looks like a spectacular museum!
It is! I really enjoyed my visit!
Looks like an amazing museum!
I could spend all day there!
Very cool! I learned about Sue the dinosaur when I was a kid, and it surprises me to know that she’s housed in Chicago! I’m not usually one for museums, but the Field Museum of Natural History looks really neat! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Chicago has such fantastic museums! I think its at least a little because it gets so cold in the winter that people need indoor places to go. I’m slowly working my way through all of the museum recommendations I’ve gotten for the city every time I visit.
Wow, this museum looks amazing! I love visiting museums – especially natural history museums as they are champions of research and exploration. I have to put this one on my travel wish list. Thanks for sharing, and have a wonderful day 🙂 Aiva xx
Glad you enjoyed!
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