Art Institute of Chicago:
The Art Institute is one of the world’s most famous art museums, particularly known for its collection of French impressionist and post-impressionist paintings. Other galleries take visitors through the art of ancient, medieval and Renaissance Europe; decorative arts like the popular Thorne Miniature Rooms; textiles of the world; prints and drawings; architecture and photography. The museum’s new Modern Wing features 20th and 21st century works. 111 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-443-3600, artic.edu
Chicago Children’s Museum:
This multicultural haven for children at Navy Pier is filled with blocks, mechanical waterfalls, foam-rubber flying machines, paints, clay and more. The exhibit “Big Backyard” combines technology and art to create towering flowers, large insects, giant toadstools, a wall mural of the city skyline and other whimsical outdoor sights and sounds that change with the seasons. The centerpiece of the museum is the “Climbing Schooner,” a three-story-tall replica of an 1850s sailing ship that’s a fun climb for children. Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave.; 312-527-1000
Chicago Cultural Center:
The Chicago Cultural Center is one of the most splendid structures downtown, a neoclassical masterpiece that features art-glass domes and glittering mosaic walls. Free daytime concerts are often staged in Preston Bradley Hall. Many galleries in the Cultural Center exhibit contemporary art. 78 E. Washington St.; 312-744-6630, chicago culturalcenter.org
Chicago History Museum:
The museum features 16,000 square feet of galleries, including a children’s gallery, costume gallery, redesigned lobby and more than 1,000 artifacts and documents. Permanent exhibits include the “Sensing Chicago” children’s exhibit, which allows kids to use their five senses to explore Chicago’s past. 1601 N. Clark St.; 312-642-4600
DuSable Museum of African American History:
One of the most notable African-American museums in the nation, the DuSable features permanent exhibits, including “Clothed in History,” which includes the shoes of gospel legend Mahalia Jackson; and “Harold Washington in Office,” showcasing the late mayor’s career. Special events and exhibits focus on holidays, cinema, music and more. 740 E. 56th Place; 773-947-0600
Field Museum:
One of the museum’s most popular attractions is Sue, the world’s largest and most complete T. rex dinosaur skeleton. Travel around the world with exhibits on Egypt, Asia, Africa and China, and learn about animals like the man-eating lion of Africa and the giant pandas of Asia. 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive; 312-922-9410
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum:
The museum is in the 19th century mansion occupied by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, founders of the first Hull House settlement, an early model for urban reform in cities around the United States. Furnished in a polite Victorian manner, rooms have exhibits with photos and other artifacts of the many activities that neighborhood youngsters undertook at Hull House: arts, crafts, theatrical productions and other forms of creativity that Addams saw as the antidote to urban degradation. 800 S. Halsted St.; 312-413-5353
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian:
The Mitchell Museum displays artifacts of native cultures from all over North America. This respected collection was established by an Evanstonian who traveled widely and had an eye for fine weaving, pottery and other arts and crafts. 3001 Central St., Evanston; 847-475-1030
Museum of Contemporary Art:
One of the nation’s largest modern art museums offers thought-provoking art created since 1945. The museum highlights surrealism of the 1940s and ’50s, minimalism of the 1960s, conceptual art and photography from the 1960s to the present, recent installation art, and art by Chicago-based artists. 220 E. Chicago Ave.; 312-280-2660
Museum of Science and Industry:
The museum is home to the WWII U-505 German submarine and a National Historic Landmark. And, with more than 1,400 feet of track and 34 operating trains, the Great Train Story depicts a rail journey between Chicago and Seattle. The Omnimax Theatre, with its domed, five-story screen, is also a popular attraction. 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive; 773-684-1414
National Museum of Mexican Art:
The museum exhibits traditional and contemporary Mexican art prints and drawings, papier-mache, ceramics, historically significant photographs and avant-garde installations from both local and international artists. 1852 W. 19th St.; 312-738-1503
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