Explore History in the Chicago Area


 Chicago History Museum

Looking for some educational fun in Chicago? These sites can point you in the right direction:

Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau -- Links and information about events and attractions in Chicago

Chicago Historical Society (CHS)
1601 N. Clark St.
312.642.4600
Monday-Wedneday: 9:30 am-4:30 pm
Thursday: 9:30 am-8 pm
Friday and Saturday: 9:30 am-4:30 pm
Sunday: 12 pm-5 pm

Chicago History Fair

The Chicago Metro History Education Center (CMHEC) has worked for more than thirty years to inspire students’ interest in history and improve history education in K-12 classrooms in the Chicago area.

Chicago from the Lake 
Architectural and Historical Cruises
435 E. Illinois Street, Chicago (close to Navy Pier)
Advance tickets (recommended): 312.527.1977
Tours run late May through October

Historic Pullman District 
Railcar Company Town from late 19th century
Visitor Center: 11141 S. Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago
773.785.8901
Tuesday-Sunday: 11 am-3 pm

Chicago Landmarks 
Comprehensive site from the City of Chicago
Architectural and historical significance of the City's landmarks

The Field Museum of Natural History 
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
(Near Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, and Soldier Field)
312.922.9410
Daily: 9 am-4 pm (closes at 5 p.m.)

Museum of Science and Industry 
57th Street and Lake Shore Drive (Near U of Chicago)
773.684.1414
Monday – Saturday: 9:30 am-4 pm
Sunday: 11 am-4 pm

The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue (at Adams; in Grant Park)
312.443.3600
Monday-Wednesday, Friday: 10:30 am-5 pm
Thursday: 10:30 am-8 pm (Free from 5 pm-8 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10 am-5 pm

DuPage County Historical Museum 
102 E. Wesley Street, Wheaton (across from Adam's Park)
630.682.7343
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday: 10 am-4 pm
Sunday: 1 pm-4 pm

First Division Museum at Cantigny 
1 S 151 Winfield Road, Wheaton
630.668.5185
War museum about the contributions of the Army's 1st Division
Closed in January
February: Friday-Sunday:10 am- 4 pm
March-Memorial Day: Tuesday-Sunday: 10 am-4 pm
Memorial Day- Labor Day: Tuesday-Sunday: 10 am-5 pm
Labor Day-December 31: Tuesday-Sunday: 10 am-7 pm

Newberry Research Library 
60 W. Walton St., Chicago
312.943.9090
Monday, Friday, and Saturday: 8:15 am-5:30 pm
Tuesday-Thursday: 8:15 am-7:30 pm
Reading Room hours: Tuesday- Thursday: 10 am-6 pm
Friday & Saturday: 9 am-5 pm
FREE to public, but requires registration (see web site)

Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago 
(Museum of artifacts from ancient Near East)
1155 East 58th Street, Chicago
773.702.9520
Tuesday: 10 am-6 pm Wednesday: 10 am-8:30 pm
Thursday-Saturday: 10 am-6 pm
Sunday: 12 pm-6 pm

Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum 
1852 W. 19th Street, Chicago
312.738.1503
Tuesday-Sunday: 10 am-5 pm

DuSable Museum of African American History 
740 E. 56th Place (in Hyde Park)
773.947.0600
Monday-Saturday: 10 am-5 pm
Sunday: 12 pm-5 pm

Blackberry Historical Farm-Village 
100 S. Barnes Road, Aurora
630.892.1550
Monday-Friday: 9:30 am-3:30 pm
Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays: 11 am-5 pm
(May 1 through Labor Day)
(After Labor Day, Friday-Sunday until September 30)

Jane Addam's Hull-House Museum (at University of Illinois-Chicago)
(A museum of social reform in the early 1900's)
800 S. Halsted, Chicago
312.413.5353
Tuesday-Friday: 10 am-4 pm
Sunday: 12 pm-4 pm

Naper Settlement History Village 
523 South Webster Street, Naperville
630.420.6010
Summer season: April-October: Tuesday-Saturday: 10 am-4 pm Sunday: 1 pm-4 pm
Winter Season: November-March: Tuesday-Friday: 10 am -4 pm No entrance to lodgings and no costumed interpreters

Kline Creek Farm 
(Living history of local farm life in 1890's)
County Farm Rd. just south of St. Charles Rd., Carol Stream
630.876.5900
Thursday-Monday: 9 am-5 pm

Museum of Broadcast Communications 
400 N. State St. Suite 240
312.245.8200
Monday-Saturday: 10 am-4:30 pm
Sunday: 12 pm-5 pm