M is for Museums

Chicago is home to many different museums.

Learn more about museums in Illinois by clicking on the links below or by
completing our online activities.

• Museum of Science and Industry: The Museum of Science and Industry was built in Chicago in 1933. It is the oldest science museum in the United States. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Chicago. Two million people visit the musem every year. The Museum of Science and Industry was the first hands-on museum in the United States. Among the 800 exhibits to explore are a Boeing 727 aircraft, a WWII German submarine, a working coal mine, a model railroad, and a baby-chick hatchery .
• The Field Museum: In 1893, The Field Museum opened in Chicago to hold the biological and anthropoligical collections assembled for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. The different areas of science at the museum include anthropology, botany, geology, paleontology and zoology.
• Chicago Academy of Sciences - The Nature Museum The Academy of Science was founded in 1857 by Robert Kennicott. His studies on Illinois' birds, reptiles and mammals were important. The Academy is Chicago's first and only museum to focus on the ecology and natural history of the Midwest. The "Academy creates opportunties for adults and children to enter, explore, and enjoy the world of science." Exhibits include a butterfly haven, city science, a water lab, a wilderness walk, a children's wetland and prairie gallery, and an outdoor plant exhibit.
• Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum: The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum opened in 1930. The museum showcases space exploration and astronomy discoveries. The "Milky Way Galaxy" is a 3D computer animated exhibit that allows visitors to fly-through the Milky Way Galaxy. Other exhibits include Solar Observatory, Our Solar System, Scale Stars and Luminaria.
• Art Insitute of Chicago The Art Insitute of Chicago houses more than 300,000 works of art including 33 paintings by Claude Monet. It is one of the world's biggest art collections and is strong on impressionist.
• John G. Shedd Aquarium The John G. Shedd Aquarium is the world's largest indoor aquarium. It opened in 1930 on Chicago's lake front. John G. Shedd donated the money to build the aquarium. The museum holds 8,000 aquatic animals including fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertibrates, birds and mammals. More than two million people visit the aquarium each year.
• Chicago Historical Society: The Chicago Historical Society collects, intreprests and presents Chicago's rich history.