Field Museum of Natural History

Field Museum

One of the world's largest natural history museums, home to the most complete T. rex, Sue, an Egyptian tomb with mummies, and a titanosaur skeleton. It shares the lakeside Museum Campus with the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium.

The Field Museum was founded in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition and named after department store magnate Marshall Field. It moved into its current lakefront neoclassical building in 1921. With 40 million specimens, it is one of the world's most important natural history museums. Hanging above the central hall is the skeleton of Máximo, a 37-meter titanosaur, one of the largest dinosaurs ever known. On the second floor, in the Evolving Planet gallery, is Sue, the most complete and largest T. rex ever found. Discovered in 1990, she measures 12.3 meters long, and about 90 percent of her skeleton is real fossil. She has her own gallery and interactive displays. The underground Ancient Egypt hall recreates a three-story mastaba tomb containing 23 mummies. The museum also has a Chinese jade and Tibetan artifacts hall, Pacific Islander cultures, one of the largest meteorites in the world, a permanent gem hall, and lifelike wildlife dioramas, including the 1898 Tsavo man-eating lions that killed railway workers in Kenya. General admission in 2025 was about $30. The All-Access ticket, which includes special exhibitions, is about $44. CityPASS includes entry, and children get discounts. Book a timed slot online. The museum is huge, so plan about 3 hours for the dinosaurs, Egypt and gems. The museum sits on the lakefront Museum Campus, next to the Shedd Aquarium (beluga whales and dolphins) and the Adler Planetarium. The lakeside lawns outside the campus are a famous spot for photographing the Chicago skyline, especially in front of the Planetarium. In summer you can rent bikes and ride along the lake. Getting there: CTA bus 146 runs directly from Michigan Avenue, or it's a 15-minute walk from Roosevelt metro station. Paid parking is available.

Field Museum of Natural History

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