Museum

Field Museum of Natural History

Chicago's Field Museum has been open to the public since 1893. Three public floors are served by lifts, the East entrance is the accessible way in, and sensory bags can be collected at the Visitor Center.

Typical visit
Ages
Booking
Booking
Tickets are sold at the museum as well as online, but only until the day's capacity is reached.
Arrival time
Your ticket shows an entry time, and the museum asks you to arrive at it.
Late opening
On selected Legendary Late Hours dates the museum is open 9am to 9pm, with last entry at 8pm.
Height limit
The VR Transporter experience is for visitors 42 inches (107 cm) and taller, and further safety restrictions apply.
Family restroom
The restroom at the East entrance includes a family restroom with an adult-sized changing table.
Getting there
The nearest CTA train stop is Roosevelt, on the Red, Orange and Green lines, where the #146 bus runs directly to the Museum Campus.
Drop-off
Cars can drop passengers on the east side of the museum, from the road by the East parking lot entrance booth.
OUR FAMILY ASSESSMENT

Family Intelligence

The natural history collection here fills a Greek Revival building that has been open to the public since 1893. Two lifts, on the east and west sides of the main hall, serve all three public floors, so you can move a family between levels without hunting for a route. If you are pushing a stroller or using a wheelchair, come to the East entrance: it is the museum’s accessible way in, and the arrival it recommends for strollers.

That stroller travels almost everywhere in the building. The exception is the ticketed special exhibitions, where it has to be left at stroller parking by the entrance, unless it is there for an accessibility need. With a sleeping toddler, the one exhibition you booked ahead becomes the hardest part of the day.

Tickets carry an arrival time you are asked to keep, and the museum recommends booking online to hold a date and time. Tickets are sold on site as well, until the day’s capacity is reached, and booking ahead lets you past the queue.

Family FAQ

Are there height or age limits at Field Museum of Natural History?

The VR Transporter experience is for visitors 42 inches (107 cm) and taller, and further safety restrictions apply.

Is there baby changing at Field Museum of Natural History?

The restroom at the East entrance includes a family restroom with an adult-sized changing table.

Why kids will love it

Set the pace by the youngest in the group: below school age, a museum visit tends to run out of patience before it runs out of galleries, which is a pattern in families rather than a measurement of this museum. The building takes that kind of short, slow visit well. Accessible toilets are on every floor, and there is a family restroom by the East entrance. Children who find noise or light hard can collect a sensory bag at the Visitor Center on the ground floor, holding fidgets, sunglasses, ear defenders and feeling cards. There is also free seating for eating, without reservation, on the ground level by the Sea Mammals area and outdoors on the terrace and lawn, though space there is limited and first come, first served.

Plan your visit

EXPLORE

More things to do nearby

SLEEP

Family hotels nearby

PLAN

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