Chicago History Museum Tours and Activities

Take a trip back in time to explore Chicago's diverse past, from Lincoln to 'L' cars, from building skyscrapers to playing the blues, this museum has it all.

Chicago is a big city (the third largest in the US, after New York and LA) with a big heart and an even bigger place in the story of America. The problem is that not many people know about it. Come to the Chicago History Museum, which lies in the most historic part of Lincoln Park, (opposite Lincoln's Monument) and you'll quickly become one of those in the know. Over 22 million artefacts have been collected the best are presented here, showcasing the city's central role in America's politics, transport, music, architecture and of course, gangsters (back in the days of Prohibition in the 1930s).

The Museum has been around since 1856, but this building dates back only eight decades. Like the city in which it is housed, the original buildings of the Chicago History Museum have been cursed by fire. The first building, together which many of its important collections, went up in smoke in Chicago’s great fire of 1871. A second building succumbed to the flames shortly after. But Chicago's historically-minded citizens didn't give up – and today's museum is a living testament to the city's grit.

The large centre-pieces of the lobby are all about transport. That's fitting, because Chicago grew and prospered thanks to becoming a major trans-continental transport hub. So you'll find a wonderfully restored locomotive, the Pioneer, the first in the city a Chevrolet Monte Carlo low-rider from 1978 and the first of Chicago's famous 'L' cars, which have been running on its elevated rails since 1892.

A major part of the museum dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, perhaps America's most famous President, who lived and campaigned in Illinois. It covers his early life in the state (whose capital is Chicago), his election as President, and how he led the Union to victory in the American Civil War. But it's not just the dry politics of history here. Other exhibits cover the city's rich musical heritage, and Chicago's ground-breaking sky-scrapers. The Sensing Exhibit is geared towards children, and encourages them to explore Chicago with their senses. A city smell map, hot-dog tasting and bridge-building are just some of the ways history and kids are encouraged to mix, at the Chicago History Museum.