Information
Landmark: Field Museum of Natural HistoryCity: Chicago
Country: USA Illinois
Continent: North America
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, USA Illinois, North America
Overview
The Field Museum of Natural History sits on Chicago’s Museum Campus, just steps from the shimmering edge of Lake Michigan, and ranks among the world’s top natural history museums.It began in 1893 during the World’s Columbian Exposition, and over time has become a leading institution devoted to exploring and showcasing natural science and cultural history, from rare fossils to intricate handmade artifacts.The museum holds more than 40 million specimens and artifacts, from ancient fossils and stone tools to pressed leaves and rare animal skins, spanning paleontology, anthropology, geology, botany, and zoology.Go after the T in court.One of the museum’s biggest draws is Sue, a towering Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton so complete you can see every bone from her massive jaw to the tip of her tail.Sue stands in a striking display, letting visitors step close enough to see the curve of her massive teeth and take in the full presence of this legendary prehistoric predator.At The Field Museum, you can wander past towering totem poles, peer at gold-laced Egyptian relics, and explore vast collections that bring ancient civilizations from every corner of the globe-Africa, Asia, and the Americas-into vivid focus.Several exhibits bring natural habitats to life, featuring bright tropical birds, towering rainforest trees, and diverse ecosystems from across the globe.The immersive displays bring biodiversity to life and shine a spotlight on protecting the planet-picture the flash of a kingfisher’s wings over a clear, green stream.In the museum’s geology halls, you’ll find glittering gems, rugged minerals, and ancient fossils, each telling the story of how Earth took shape and changed over millions of years.At The Field Museum, visitors explore world-class exhibits, but behind the scenes it’s also a hub for groundbreaking scientific research, where paleontologists brush dust from ancient fossils.The team’s made up of specialists from many disciplines, traveling to far-off places to run their research-sometimes in bustling city markets, sometimes deep in quiet forests.At the museum, you can join lively workshops, hands-on activities, and family-friendly programs, all designed to spark curiosity and deepen your grasp of natural history and science-picture holding a smooth fossil in your palm as you learn its ancient story.Visitor Experience Exhibits: The museum designs its displays to draw people in and make them easy to explore, blending precise science with hands-on elements like buttons that light up a galaxy map.Special Exhibitions feature rotating displays, from rare artifacts to themed collections, that shift with the seasons and keep the gallery feeling fresh.The museum offers cafés where you can smell fresh coffee, charming gift shops, and easy-access facilities, so everyone can enjoy their visit in comfort.It’s right by the Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium, tucked into Chicago’s famous Museum Campus-perfect for spending a whole day wandering between exhibits and catching the lake breeze.The Field Museum packs in a wealth of learning, drawing in families, students, researchers, and curious tourists who might pause to study a towering dinosaur skeleton.With striking collections and state‑of‑the‑art exhibits, it’s one of Chicago’s cultural landmarks you can’t skip, offering vivid glimpses of the natural world and humanity’s past-like the shimmer of a fossilized shell under museum lights.
