The Field Museum fuels a journey of discovery across time to enable solutions for a brighter future rich in nature and culture. Located on Chicago’s iconic Lake Michigan shore, the Field Museum opened its current building to the public in 1921—but their story began years earlier.
The collection grew out of items on display in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in the “White City.” The exposition delighted visitors with 65,000 exhibits filled with natural wonders and cultural artifacts, many of which later found a permanent home in Chicago at the newly created Field Columbian Museum. The museum's name still honors Marshall Field, who donated $1 million to make the collective dream of a permanent museum a reality. Since opening the Museum in 1894, the collection has grown to nearly 40 million artifacts and specimens.
Visitor Information
The Field is open 9am to 5pm, Thursday through Monday. All tickets have an entry time. Please arrive at your designated time so you can enter promptly and have plenty of space to explore the museum. We recommend purchasing your tickets online in advance to secure your preferred date and time and to have a contactless experience when you arrive.
Health and safety measures at the Field:
- In accordance with City and State guidelines, face masks are required for all staff and visitors, except for children under 2
- 144 hand sanitizer stations are installed throughout the building
- Frequent, rigorous cleaning procedures follow CDC guidelines
- Floor markers help guide social distancing and direct one-way paths
- Exhibitions that are highly interactive or located in small spaces are temporarily closed
The number of visitors each day is limited to 25% of the building’s capacity. With nearly half a million square feet of public space, there's plenty of room to spread out and comfortably enjoy your time at the Field.
Sponsor Message:
The nearly 40 million specimens and artifacts in our collection are just the beginning of our quest to learn as much as we can about this incredible planet. We ask big questions, publish groundbreaking research for the scientific community, and craft exhibitions to capture the imagination of a public who shares our passion for science that is just plain fun.
Science is for everyone. And we can’t wait to share it with you.
