What will my students see?

During field trips, teachers and chaperones lead their groups on self-guided experiences through the Museum’s exhibitions. We encourage groups to explore our galleries at their own pace and stop at student-friendly activities along the way.

The Exelon Wing

Chicago: Crossroads of America

Explore Chicago’s changing economy, challenging crises, diverse neighborhoods, groundbreaking innovations, and lively cultural scene in these six galleries:

McCormick Tribune Gallery

City on the Make

Learn the history of Chicago’s economy from fur trading to financial futures. Climb aboard the Pioneer Locomotive and 'L' Car No. 1.

Elizabeth Morse Genius Gallery

City in Crisis

Investigate Chicago’s response to six urban crises, from the Great Fire (1871) to the Democratic National Convention (1968).

LaSalle Bank Gallery

Sweet Home Chicago

Visit the city’s diverse neighborhoods with the media presentation, Sweet Home Chicago.

KPMG and Paul and Katherine Snyder Community Gallery

Lincoln Park Block by Block

Set on an oversized map, this exhibition invites you to discover the history and culture of Lincoln Park through unusual artifacts and their fascinating stories. Take a ride in a swan boat from the South Pond. Listen to Studs Terkel tour the neighborhood in a station wagon. See a chair that survived the Great Chicago Fire. The Neighborhood History à la Cart station is designed to enrich students’ experiences in this gallery.

> Learn more about the History à la Cart activity stations

> Learn more about  Lincoln Park Block by Block

Chicago Community Trust Gallery

Second to None

Discover Chicago’s innovations—the skyscraper, modern retail, and the world’s first sustained nuclear chain reaction—and learn about the city’s famous architects.

Kay Mayer Gallery

My Kind of Town

Chicago is fun! Explore the city’s world’s fairs, jazz and blues clubs, theater scene, and sports teams.

Skyline Gallery

My Chinatown

Sit down in this object theater to experience the unique character of Chinatown during a lively multimedia production. Through oral histories, artifacts, photographs, film, and music, students will discover this vibrant, historic neighborhood and its residents.

> Learn more about  My Chinatown

Konen Family Children's Gallery

Sensing Chicago

Did you know that history is beautiful, noisy, rough, stinky, and delicious? In this gallery, students can use their five senses to:

• Ride a high-wheel bicycle.
• Hear the Great Chicago Fire.
• Catch a fly ball at Old Comiskey Park.
• Smell the city's past.
• Be a Chicago-style hot dog.

Recommended for grades 3 and 4. Due to the popularity of this gallery, special reservations for a 30 minute time slot are required. Please indicate your interest on the field trip reservation form.

Tawani Foundation Diorama Hall

Imagining Chicago: The Dioramas

Visit our beloved dioramas to experience the first 100 years of Chicago’s history. Hands-on activities challenge students to look closely at the scenes, find specific details, and put history into a larger context.

The Naphtali ben Yakov Pritzker American History Wing

Facing Freedom

Inspired by the idea that the history of the Unites States has been shaped by conflicts over what it means to be free, the new permanent exhibition Facing Freedom, designed especially for middle and high school students, uses images, artifacts, and interactivity to explore familiar and not-so-familiar stories from the nation’s past. From a Civil War battle and the formation of labor unions to Japanese internment and a stand-off over American-Indian rights, the exhibition highlights some of the ways Americans have struggled to define the meaning of freedom. 

Recommended for middle and high school students.

Sanger P. Robinson Gallery

Lincoln’s Chicago

Catch a glimpse of the city Lincoln knew through portraits of his contemporaries and lithographic view of 1860s Chicago.

Abraham Lincoln

This exhibition highlights Lincoln’s election in 1860, his leadership during the Civil War, and his tragic assassination in a series of dramatic windows and audio narration. 

Bessie Green-Field Warshawsky Gallery and Mazza Foundation Gallery

Out in Chicago

Explore 150 years of urban history through the lens of gender, sexuality, and nonconformity to discover the city’s diverse LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) history. Out in Chicago is part of a continuing series about the city’s communities. 

Recommended for high school students.

Northern Trust is the lead corporate sponsor for the Out in Chicago exhibition. Generous support for the entire Out at CHM project is provided by The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust. Additional support is provided by The Chicago Community Trust, Pauls Foundation, Sara Lee Foundation, UBS, Polk Bros. Foundation, and The Goodworks Fund.

Treasures

This series of installations promotes exploration throughout the Museum!

• Imagine riding low and slow in our custom-made, tricked-out 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
• Learn about Abraham Lincoln and see his deathbed.
• Play Street Smarts, a game that challenges students to match events with the intersections where they took place.