Provides a great history of Chicago with all the highs and lows from the Great Fire to current day. You will learn about all the factors that led to the city's growth and expansion. Each display offers a description in English and Spanish. They have the bed that Abraham Lincoln died in, which I thought was really cool to see. And as a sports fan, I enjoyed the displays showing artifacts from each Chicago professional team. Overall I spent about 3 hours here. However, skip the video that plays in the McCormick Theater. It's very cheesy.

We entered not knowing very much about the city and left feeling incredibly informed! Checked out a fascinating exhibit on the fire of 1871 as well as a bunch of smaller exhibits on the second floor. Loved the stately area with all the stained-glass windows — an unexpected surprise! Front desk and museum staff were very friendly.

We spent a morning here on our first trip to Chicago and enjoyed it very much! The permanent exhibits are informative and the temporary exhibitions are well-done. I learned a lot during the visit and found that most of the interpretation was relevant and up-to-date, though they acknowledge that there are some things that they need to revise and invite feedback. My only complaint, if you could call it that, is that I would have liked a suggested walking route so as not to miss anything.

Called in here to get out of the rain. Ended up staying 3.5 hours & enjoyed every minute. So much information & beautiful presented. Staff very friendly & helpful. A really great afternoon. Go have a look.

Chicago History Museum is situated in the Near North Side region of the city close to Lincoln Park. From the Loop, we took the 22 bus from Dearborn & Randolph to Clark & North. There is a vast array of exhibits in the museum detailing Chicago’s importance as the crossroads of the USA. The city’s past industries are well documented. The railways, stockyards, the early days of cellphones (Motorola) and the advent of mail order shopping to name but a few. One of my favourite books, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, about a Lithuanian family’s struggle working in the city’s stockyards is nicely portrayed. Key historical events in the city receive much coverage. The fire of 1871, the sinking of SS Eastland in the Chicago River in 1915 with the loss of over 800 lives, the race riots of 1919 and the protests during the Democratic convention in 1968 are well covered. I also enjoyed the exhibits relating to Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln. We spent a couple of hours here and could easily have stayed longer. Admission fee is $19 and the museum is closed on Mondays.

Located in old village, a few miles out of the loop/tourist district, this is not the typical museum stop in Chicago. I wouldn’t call it a must see, but if you want to know more about Chicago, it’s history, neighborhoods, population, and how it became the city it is today, this would be a great start to your Chicago trip. The main reason I came here is to see the Lincoln death bed. There is also a section on Lincoln’s Chicago. There is a prominent, poignant section on the Chicago fire. It tells the history, the rebuilding, and the long term effects on the city, but most impressively the exhibit displays artifacts from the fire: knickknacks, decor, melted buckets of nails, a burned hymnal, even cookies that burned so hot and fast that they turned to charcoal cookies. There was also a section on polish Chicago, which was so large and detailed that you’d really have to have an interest in the subject. There were sections on advancement of transport (trains, rail) as well as business (Sears, Montgomery Ward, Oscar Mayer etc). They covered several historical disasters in Chicago. They had a small superficial exhibit on race and civil rights, though it was whitewashed and weak. The Chicago blues section was pitiful and put together as an afterthought. Some displays were oversimplified and almost geared toward kids. There is an actual interactive kids section. If you want to know more about Chicago, this is the place to start. Admission is 19 bucks.

We spent far longer than we anticipated at the museum. There are so many interesting exhibits, and lots to look at. We took a tour with one of the docents which was very interesting. This museum is well worth a visit.

Living in Illinois and finally traveling to Washington DC and visiting Ford Theater and the Petersen House, I found out the actual bed where Lincoln died was in Chicago, Illinois. That trip was 8 years ago and we finally went to the Chicago History Museum today to see the bed. They have a great exhibit on the Chicago fire. Learned so much from everything there. We also liked the information about Fort Dearborn. We love history and we so happy we finally made it to the museum. It's definitely a great museum