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.

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.

Due to the popularity of this gallery, special reservations are required; please indicate your interest on the field trip reservation form.

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.

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 United States has been shaped by conflicts over what it means to be free, the new permanent exhibition Facing Freedom 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.

I Do! Chicago Ties the Knot

Open through January 3, 2011

This exhibition explores wedding traditions through 150 years of costume and examines how some of these traditions were standardized by famous Chicago retailers to create the wedding industry we know today.

> Learn more about I Do!