Field Museum

Field Museum

Field Museum
4.5
Natural History MuseumsScience Museums
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Field Museum fuels a journey of discovery across time to enable solutions for a brighter future rich in nature and culture. With almost 40 million specimens and artifacts in our collections—including SUE, the world's most complete Tyrannosaurus rex—there's something for everyone. Start planning your visit at fieldmuseum.org.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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₱1,733.00
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: South Loop
This downtown neighborhood offers a variety of activities ranging from cultural to sporting. If you happen to visit during football season, you may bump into a boisterous few fans on their way to a Bears game on the southernmost tip of South Loop. On the flip side, Museum Campus offers cultural and educational experiences in its planetarium, museum and aquarium, all situated along the lakefront. Grant Park is one of Chicago’s premier locations for green space and recreation with views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Take a stroll down memory lane in the historic Prairie District where you can enjoy views of old historic homes. Restaurants, theaters, and clubs are spread throughout the neighborhood along with a collection of burger joints along Michigan Avenue just across from the park.
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See what travelers are saying
  • Brenda M
    Lowell, Massachusetts10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Have you seen Sue?
    I visited with my adult son and some family friends with little ones ages 5-10. We enjoyed the exhibits we saw and we only saw some of the museum, so would definitely return for more exploring. "Sue" is definitely a highlight.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written March 20, 2024
  • Caitlin H
    Kansas40 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Science Comes Alive in a Wheelchair Accessible Setting
    Beautiful and historic Chicago building that has been skillfully retrofitted for wheelchair accessibility. Multiple bathroom configurations available depending on your personal needs. Educational and fun exhibits, including their ticked experiences.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 9, 2024
  • vacayladyc
    27 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    So much to see
    Had a good time exploring here. There are many great exhibits with some additional special paid exhibits/shows. We did not do any paid extras and there was still plenty to keep us busy and interested, always something just around the corner to see. There is a food court and 2 gift shops. HEADS-UP this is not a budget outing as a visitor to the city: if you need ADA or family parking, there is a lot on museum property that’s $30 and is first come and credit card payment only. Admission can get pricey too depending on numbers & ages of your party. Don’t forget food and souvenir shopping. HOWEVER, even with all of that, I still enjoyed the time we spent there and would totally recommend it to others. I will be going back to to see any new exhibits on my next visit to the city.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written June 24, 2024
  • Cryptic_Tourist
    Saint Louis, Missouri1,104 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    10/10 - Excellent
    I cannot recommend the Field Museum enough. My friends and I came here and spent hours and hours going through the exhibit and still didn’t get to see it all. I would love to come back and see even more! Seeing Sue in person was so cool but the Lions of Tsavo were the highlight for me. If you want to see it all, make sure you devote an entire day or more and take lots of breaks. Bring snacks and drinks and maybe grab a bite to eat on site. We walked a LOT so make sure you have comfy shoes. This would be a great rainy day activity or cold winter day activity. We bought our tickets online and in advance and I would highly recommend doing that as well. Overall this was our favorite activity for our trip to Chicago!
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written July 28, 2024
  • Anna
    1,695 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Strong Recommendation, even for non-museumgoers!!
    A gigantic museum and you definitely have to plan for it all day! We had booked basic tickets, i.e. not everywhere access, but to everything important! Nevertheless, we only made it in almost five hours by rushing everywhere (because we had another appointment). Here they put together a lot of great, different exhibitions. You can't be lame as a foot, as I said, the museum is big, so very spacious. I strongly recommend to be there at 9 am for opening and to go first purposefully, it is wonderful there without being able to be many people!! There are great bistros, a large museum shop and many toilets. The building itself is worth seeing, both outside and inside. The only shortcoming is the age of the carpets, sometimes it smells a bit musty. Visually they are clean. everywhere it is clean!
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 26, 2024
  • newjerseyfamily
    Burlington, New Jersey835 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Big!
    The museum is in a building that truly is a gem. They just don't make them like this anymore and it's lovely to see. However, you can easily get separated and lost from your group as the exhibits wind around. Thank heavens for cell phones! Honestly I found it a bit dated. I just think history can be better described with a mix of exhibits. There are a lot of taxidermy animals. We did find the Native American exhibit to be very interesting, though apparently there is some issue with what can be displayed so a fair portion is covered up. Overall, a nice day. Wear comfortable shoes.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 29, 2024
  • OldWulf
    Wolverhampton, United Kingdom417 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Gets better and better
    Started on the lower level and was actually considering leaving, nothing of interest and being asked for more money to see exhibits, not a good start. Middle floor was better so joined a tour group as it was free . Good move because it just got better and better. The top floor alone is worth the entry fees, the history of the planet is shown in incredible detail and you get to see exhibits from all over the world, including a dinosaur named Sue. Four hours seems a long time to spend in a museum but you could easily spend all day and not see everything.
    Visited October 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 19, 2024
  • Paul S
    543 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Natural History Museum
    The collection is housed in a massive building. The exhibits are very well done. The dinosaur area is outstanding, particularly Sue the T-Rex and Maximo the Titanosaur. The mammal and birds displays are excellent. We also enjoyed the Hall of China and Ancient Americas.
    Visited December 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 24, 2024
  • Elias
    47 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Museum for those Rainy Chicago Days
    We had a great time strolling through the Field Museum. It’s conveniently located in Chicago’s Museum Campus and provides a perfect shelter during those rainy days. We thoroughly enjoyed the various animals (especially the bird section is incredible), as well as the dinosaur exhibit. Sue the T. rex is – of course – a major highlight, but the collection has many other beautiful fossils on display. We also visited a couple of temporary exhibits, which were both educational and interactive, adding more value to our visit. The museum provides an on-site restaurant which offers a nice spot to pause with a drink or snack. All in all, definitely recommended activity when you’re visiting Chicago!
    Visited December 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 6, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles9,015 reviews
Excellent
5,704
Very good
2,333
Average
744
Poor
172
Terrible
62

OnAnotherJourney
Canada327 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Solo
Depending on your interest level you could easily spend more than a day here. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for small children though as there are limited interactive exhibits and plenty of reading. The current special exhibit related to death was worth the extra fee, although I recognize not everyone is as interested as I am! Throughout this exhibit there are kiosks where you can answer a few questions about your thoughts on death and then shares the results of previous visitors. I appreciated some of the questions challenged me to reflect on my own personal views.
I also looked forward to the Egyptian exhibit, although there is very low light in some areas which made it challenging to read some of the information.
It was disappointing to see the perpetuation of the myth that the first Europeans arrived in 1492 (see photo) - when will that end?!

In terms of food, I had a pretzel, small tub of berries and water for $19. As someone with post-concussion syndrome, I was grateful for the seating area just past cashier, as it was a bit quieter.

I think some of the negative reviews are written by white folks who don’t want to accept the reality of colonialism. Instead of taking the opportunity to hear voices that have been silenced for a long time, some take it as a personal attack. Museums such as this have a long history of taking/buying cultural items they had no right to, so it’s refreshing to see the Field Museum be more transparent and responsible for past behaviour. Parts of this experience might make you feel uncomfortable but if you embrace it you may learn something about yourself and your fellow humans.
Written February 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Great_Beer_Now
Houston, TX5,254 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
I always try to add a museum visit to my itinerary whenever I travel. Visiting a large city like Chicago offers many museums- more than most people could possibly cover in a short span of time. If your days in the city are few and you want to narrow down to only the very best, then one museum that needs to be on your list is the Field Museum of Natural History.

I fist visited this museum back in 1978 as part of a junior high school field trip, so my recent visit was as much about nostalgia as it was about education. The museum is quite large, and it immediately impresses from the outside. Walking up the steps, you just know there is something great in store for you once you make your way inside.

The Field Museum impresses on each of its two levels and the most difficult part is deciding which exhibit to visit. If your time is limited, then I recommend selecting a few that interest you most and going directly to them. If you have plenty of time on your hands, then you can start at the entrance with the first exhibit, then proceed one by one.

This museum is all about natural history; the evolution of the earth and its many inhabitants. The exhibits focus mainly on animals, but there are other exhibits that feature plants, gems, and human history as well. There are special exhibits, too, some of which require an additional fee to view. Depending on your individual interests, some of these special exhibits are worth the price so don’t pass them up.

Possibly the most popular exhibit at the Field Museum is Sue the famous T. Rex, and her large, imposing skeleton. Dinosaurs are, as expected, a major part of this museum but they are far from the only part. The earth has been home to thousands of fascinating species and the Field Museum gives many of them mention.

Transportation to and from the Field Museum can be a challenge if you intend to get her by car. A better option is to use the public transportation. Trying to drive here, find a place to park, etc can be more stressful than necessary so use the public transportation instead. It is much better to leave the worries to someone else so that you can focus on the museum and its many educational wonders. You can easily spend a full day or longer at the Field Museum, so allow plenty of time. And be sure to visit the Bistro before you go for a quick meal and a beer brewed by one of the museum’s partner breweries. These partnerships were created with learning in mind, so not only do you get to drink some fantastic beer, you are also supporting education with each sip, which makes this a win- win all around.

Museums educate and inspire. They serve not only to inform us about the past but also about how to best plan for the future. The Field Museum in downtown Chicago accomplishes this and so much more. It’s an excellent way to learn more about the Earth’s past and what we need to do to protect the planet for the future. It belongs on every traveler’s list of places to visit in this midwestern metropolis.
Written November 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jpete02
Lansing, MI993 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
The scope and size of this museum is truly incredible. If you want to see everything, you would need two days. We started at 9 and went until just after 4 and covered about 50% of the exhibits. We were exhausted by the time we decided to stop but kind of sad we didn’t see more.

The Field museum is one of the largest in the world and has over 40 million items in its collection. What is on display is just a fraction of these items.

My advice is to go online the night before you go and make a plan on what you want to see. T-Rex Sue, dinosaurs, the hall of gems, and the jade exhibits are on the upper floor. Go to these exhibits first as the top floor is less crowded early in the morning.

We had the city pass, which gets you into all special ticketed exhibits, plus a 3d movie. The special ticketed exhibits we visited (Tang Hall of China, Jurassic Oceans, and Wild Color) were all good but none of them were can’t miss. If you get the basic admission, I don’t think you will feel like you missed out.

There are two entrances into the museum. If the main entrance (up the stairs) is too crowded, there is a lesser known East Entrance (on path towards Shedd Aquarium) that will usually have shorter lines. Either way, you still have to go through the ticket line if you have the city pass to get your tickets and choose the 3d movie.

The 3d movie we chose was about Sue the T Rex and was very good. Line was long for our ticketed show but the theater is huge, so don’t worry about getting a seat. Theater is in the basement along with a cafe.

Museum cafe wasn’t very good and was quite expensive. Only kids meals options were hot dogs and pizza and they cost around $10. When we were there, the soda machine was broken too.

They do allow you to bring in your own food and drink, and there are plenty of cafeteria style tables in the basement, so bringing your own food might be a better option. There are also many vending machines by the tables that have snacks and drinks and are reasonably priced.
Written July 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

egwanderlust
Hampton, NH2,010 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Couples
First, the positives. The museum campus is beautiful during the summer. The staff we encountered were friendly and willing to help. You could easily spend an entire day exploring the various exhibits. In particular, we enjoyed the Ancient Americas and dinosaur exhibits - especially SUE.

Unfortunately, the negatives greatly outweigh the positives. The Field Museum is massive. Despite the size, it still feels overcrowded, even on a weekday. Many other museums across the country are more organized and less crowded. If the price was lower or if they limited access, it would be more enjoyable. It was tough to enjoy an exhibit when you were being rushed through by the hoards of people behind you.
Written August 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

356ricke
Pooler, GA152 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Friends
Yes, there are some interesting parts. The dinosaur bones are cool. But there are a number of special events costing additional dollars. The core of the museum seems to dated and dusty for the sake of the special shows $$$. It's not bad but I think for time & $ there are better events. If you haven't been to a big natural history museum it's good but if you have there are better things to do in Chicago.
Written July 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting the Museum, we appreciate you taking the time to leave us feedback. We do have a magnificent building, we have been in our lakefront home for 100 years and we are excited that we constantly are evolving our space with new experiences. Some of our latest additions are a new suite for SUE the T. rex added in 2019 and a remodeled Stanley Field Hall with Máximo the Titanosaur and our new “swimming” Sponosaurus who debuted in June. Some other recent updates include Science Hub, Crown Family PlayLab, Hall of Conservation, Regenstein Halls of the Pacific and Evolving Planet. A general admission ticket offers entry to over 35 permanent halls at the museum. One of the popular spaces, Native North America underwent a full renovation that will also be a part of the general admission experience. We will always maintain some of the classic favorites like the hall of mammals. The traveling exhibitions we feature several times a year and our new Cyrus Tang Hall of China can be added to your ticket for an additional cost as can the 3D theater. We hope on your next visit you are able to check out some of these other spaces.
Written July 21, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

TWade
Minneapolis, MN31 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
I’ve been to the Field Museum before and this time we had three teen boys. There were ALOT of school children visiting and I have to say it felt overwhelming and stifling. We spent a couple of hours before everyone was ready to leave. We chose the Underwater exhibit and thought it would be a nice movie we could sit and watch which really wasn’t the case, people coming and going, hard to hear, etc. it seemed like they could take note from the museum of Science and industry where there was an orderly flow of people and managed more effectively.
Written March 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Barbara N
Marietta, GA9 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
We had traveled from Atlanta Georgia to visit The Field Museum. We did not know that Monday February 20 was a free day at the Museum and therefore we were almost trampled any number of times by families, strollers, children.....adults too! There should have been a better way of controlling the number of people who entered the Musuem that day. It really took away from the experience. We really felt like we were being pushed through the exhibits by the crowds. We did not get in for "free"! We paid for our admission....
Written February 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Evilninja253
San Luis Obispo, CA23 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
This place is huge. Great exhibits for kids, and maybe even adults, to learn about all sorts of science-adjacent subjects and areas.

There are like four exhibits that you can pay extra to see on top of general admission, as well as a 3-D film about dinosaurs. These are skippable. The museum is large enough that you will have no shortage of things to see/learn.
Written July 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nikki W
122 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Solo
This is an awesome place to spend the day! It's like part natural history museum, part science museum. I spent close to 5 hours here and didn't even see all of the regular exhibits or any of the special exhibits. Definitely worth the visit.
Written December 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lineybirdie
Chicago, IL1,892 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020

My husband and I went to the Field Museum yesterday afternoon. Although we live within a 10 minute walk, it was the first time we’ve been to the lakefront/Museum Campus in over a year due to a lot of reasons. It was a great afternoon!

The Field Museum requires you to sign up for a specific time slot online. (Also if you aren’t members consider getting one because they are running a discount now). You have to enter on the ground level on the east side. You get a QR code on your phone or you can print out. Everyone has to wear a mask and everyone complied. Social distancing was self enforced and everyone who was there at our time was very respectful. I estimate that less than a hundred people were there.

The main hall is different now. They took away the ticket stations so it is almost eerily empty. All the big exhibits are still open but some of the smaller ones on the second floor are closed. They are re-working the Native American section. Since we are members we got free tickets to the new exhibit ‘Asklooke Women and Warriors’. Highly recommend it. The cafeteria is open but with limited food offerings. The bar is closed.

After the Museum, we walked around the lakefront. Lots of bikers and walkers but still not as crowded as I imagined. Of course it was a Friday afternoon so that could be a reason. The prairie flowers are in full bloom and it was gorgeous!

It was a much needed normal summer activity. I can’t stress enough about how well the Field is doing about Covid restrictions. I felt safe. Please do go and help support our struggling museums.
Written August 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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FIELD MUSEUM (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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