Stroll through prehistoric Illinois, admire a hall of gems and explore an Egyptian tomb at the Field Museum. We love visiting the Field Museum in Chicago with our kids. We want to share our experience and tips for visiting this world class museum of natural history on the shores of Lake Michigan. Come along with us for our five favorite tips for visiting Chicago’s Field Museum.
Preview Your Favorites at the Chicago Field Museum
The Field Museum has a wildly varied slate of exhibits, and it can be difficult to see it all in one day. We suggest visiting the museum website in advance of your visit to prioritize the exhibits you would like to see. Chances are that you will find something special for everyone in your group, so spend some time preparing.
In our experience, we think the exhibits with the greatest “WOW” factor for kids are the Africa, Māori Meeting House, Inside Ancient Egypt, Evolving Planet and Sue the T-Rex exhibits. These are exhibits where you really get to enter into and be immersed in the display. For example, in Evolving Planet, you actually walk through the natural history of the very piece of Earth where the museum is situated. You can look up to admire the prehistoric treetops while hearing the buzz of long extinct insects. Your journey culminates with the opportunity to enter the world of the Field Museum’s most famous inhabitant: Sue the T-Rex.
We never miss Evolving Planet and Sue, because we have a dinosaur lover in our house. If you have a budding geologists, you will surely want to visit the Hall of Gems, or you may discover a special visiting exhibit that draws your interest. This is why we suggest designating your group’s “must-dos” ahead of time, but you can also review a map together when you first enter the Field Museum.
Explore the Crown Family PlayLab
If you are visiting with young kids, be sure to add one particular “must do” to your list: the Crown Family PlayLab. This is a a special space dedicated to young visitors and their families. Our kids like the chance to gets hands-on here as paleontologists and entomologists. We have played in the recreated pueblo here and circled-up for storytime.
We love “special for kids” spaces at Chicago’s great attractions. They are enjoyable spaces for young children to visit, but we think they also help make the rest of the museum more accessible to kids by giving them a helpful perspective on what they are seeing. We have highlighted these spaces in several of our other articles including: (1) Wildly Fun Tips for the Play Zoo at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, (2) Fun for Kids at the Art Institute of Chicago, (3) Why The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is Great for Kids and (4) Top 5 Tips for Visiting Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.
The PlayLab is usually open from 10am to 3:30pm, and you can find a schedule of free special activities for this space here. As a nice added amenity, the PlayLab also has a nursing room.
Check for Discounts Days and Special Events at the Field Museum
You can visit the Field Museum of Chicago almost any day. It is open 9am to 5pm, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day when it is closed. Of course, if you want to save some money or catch special events (museum slumber party anyone), we suggest checking the calendar.
If you are an Illinois resident, you can visit the Field Museum for free on Wednesdays! Find out what proof of residency is needed and reserve your free tickets here. Member of specific groups (like EBT cardholders, Illinois educators, veterans and active duty military) also qualify for free admission on other days. You can get the details here.
If you are interested in catching some special events, including guest speakers or themed storytimes, see the museum calendar here.
Find Your Way to the Field Museum in Chicago
The Field Museum is located in Chicago’s Museum Campus at 1400 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois 60605.
Public Transportation to the Field Museum
Chicago has an extensive network of public transportation. We could list your options here, but of course it depends on your initial location. The easiest thing to do is to put your starting point and the Field Museum’s address (1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Chicago) into something like Google Maps. You can select for public transportation and your desired times and review the options that come up.
A walk through the Museum Campus is usually very pleasant, so even something that gets you close can be a good option.
Parking at the Chicago Museum Campus
If you plan on driving, the cheapest option for a shorter visit is usually the street parking on East Solidarity Drive. You can pay for hourly parking along Solidarity Drive at self-pay parking kiosks along the sidewalk (what we have now instead of parking meters). These spots fill up FAST.
Another (relatively) economical option is parking in the Adler parking lot, near the Adler Planetarium. If you arrive before 9:30am, you can get a nice early bird rate. This would leave you with a bit of a walk, but it comes with a fantastic view!
Other options are lots and garages on the Museum Campus like the Soldier Field North Garage and the East Museum Lot. Parking availability is greatly affected by events at nearby Soldier Field and Northerly Island. The Field Museum recommends checking Spot Hero for the best rates. You can also check-out the parking options on the parking management company’s website here.
Ride a Bike
You can also reach the Field Museum by bike. Take the Lakefront Trail or access the museum from the west on the paths through the Museum Campus. There are bike racks all around the exterior of the Field Museum. You can find specific information on the Field Museum website.
Pack a Lunch and Water Bottles
Longtime readers of this blog will be familiar with this last piece of advice. We suggest packing a lunch for your visit to the Field Museum in Chicago.
Whenever a facility’s rules allow it, we bring lunch, snacks and reusable water bottles for our family. The Field Museum does allow outside food and closed water bottles. There are even dining area in the ground level Siragusa Center and near the Sea Mammals plus water filling stations around the museum.
You can purchase food at the museum, but we think bringing your own is a great way to save money and avert meltdowns.
Thank you for reading this post on visiting Chicago’s Field Museum with kids.
We hope you have found this post helpful. For other ideas on what to do in Chicago with kids, please see our dedicated section here and our article 5 Fun Things for Kids To Do Near the Chicago Loop. Finally, please consider subscribing to the free newsletter below.
