The Best Museums in Chicago

Chicago is a world-class museum city, and most of the big ones cluster near the lakefront, which makes a museum day easy and beautiful. Here is where I would go, starting with a favorite.

The must-sees

• Shedd Aquarium, a personal favorite, right on Lake Michigan, with everything from belugas to a stunning Caribbean reef.
• Art Institute of Chicago, one of the greatest art museums in the country, home to the Impressionists and American Gothic.
• Field Museum, natural history at its best, meet SUE, the famous T. rex.
• Museum of Science and Industry, huge and hands-on, wonderful for families.
• Adler Planetarium, on the Museum Campus, with knockout skyline views.

How to do it

The Shedd, the Field, and the Adler sit together on the lakefront Museum Campus, so you can pair two in a day with a walk along the water. For the rest of the city, see my Chicago travel guide.

What people underestimate. The combo passes and timed tickets only save you if they are bought in the right order, and the special exhibitions need reserving weeks out or they are gone, while the lakefront Museum Campus is a real haul from downtown that eats an hour if you misjudge the timing. None of it is hard with a plan, and all of it goes sideways without one, which is where I come in.

Why plan with me

Timed tickets and combo passes can save money and time if you plan ahead. I map the right museums into your days, in English or Español.