Chicago Museums This Gallery-Hopping Local Can't Stop Recommending

Nora Kaczmarek

@norawindycity

10Items

Chicagoooo, my forever museum city! As a museum educator who lives for weekend gallery-hopping and heated deep-dish debates over a craft beer flight or two, I've rounded up my favorite spots to nerd out in, from Loop icons to Pilsen gems, no cap. Whether you're counting down to Cubs opening day like me or just need an indoor plan for a classic Lake Michigan wind-chill afternoon, this list has you covered.

See all 10 items Follow Nora KaczmarekOpen in app

The list

Showing 1–10 of 10

Chicago Museums This Gallery-Hopping Local Can't Stop Recommending — 10 items
Name	Comment	Address	City	Neighborhood
1Art Institute of Chicago	Home to American Gothic AND those two iconic bronze lions out front, no cap. I still gasp walking into the Impressionist wing every single time!	111 S Michigan Ave	Chicago	Loop
2Field Museum	Sue the T. rex lives here and she's basically Chicago royalty at this point. Bring your inner nine-year-old, honestly it works at any age.	1400 S DuSable Lake Shore Dr	Chicago	Museum Campus
3Museum of Science and Industry	That real German U-505 submarine in the basement gives me chills every visit, no cap. Science nerds, this is basically our Cubs opening day.	5700 S DuSable Lake Shore Dr	Chicago	Hyde Park
4Adler Planetarium	Oldest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, y'all! Sky shows here hit different after a golden-hour stroll along the lakefront.	1300 S DuSable Lake Shore Dr	Chicago	Museum Campus
5Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago	Rotating exhibits keep this one endlessly fresh, I swear I never see the same museum twice. Great pick for a Tuesday gallery crawl with the crew.	220 E Chicago Ave	Chicago	Streeterville
6National Museum of Mexican Art	Free admission, jaw-dropping Dia de los Muertos ofrendas, and the best community energy in Pilsen, full stop, no cap.	1852 W 19th St	Chicago	Pilsen
7DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center	Founded back in 1961, one of the oldest Black history museums in the whole country. The archives here could keep a museum nerd like me busy all weekend.	740 E 56th Pl	Chicago	Washington Park
8International Museum of Surgical Science	Weirdly fascinating and a little spooky, antique medical tools inside a genuine Gold Coast mansion?? Say less, I'm there.	1524 N Lake Shore Dr	Chicago	Gold Coast
9Chicago History Museum	The Great Chicago Fire exhibit gets me every single time. Local history nerds, this place is basically our Hogwarts.	1601 N Clark St	Chicago	Lincoln Park
10American Writers Museum	Interactive walls where you can literally type out your own story. Chicago's lit-nerd happy place, no cap, this one slaps.	180 N Michigan Ave	Chicago	Loop