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Hi, we're Georgina and Nathan, college friends turned travel partners. We're coffee and animal-loving adventure enthusiasts here to share our favorite travel tips with you! Our goal is to inspire others to get out and explore this wild planet by camping, hiking, or wandering around a fun new city!

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  • Georgina D'Angelo

10 Best Museums in Chicago

Must Visit Museums in the Windy City

10 Best Museums in Chicago

Chicago has no shortage of museums. From history to art to various cultures, you can find a museum for all kinds of things in the Windy City. But if you’re in a time crunch while visiting Chicago, you won’t be able to go to every museum. That would take quite a while!


So if you only have a few days to explore Chicago, we’ve narrowed down the list of the best Chicago museums. Below are must visits while in the Windy City, our absolute favorite museums to explore, and we wanted to share them with you!


The BEST Chicago Museums


Field Museum History

Full of historical artifacts, dinosaur bones, unique exhibits and more, the Field Museum is the perfect place to start your Chicago museum exploring. If you're a history buff, or if you enjoy learning about ancient artifacts and other cultures, the Field Museum is filled to the brim with information for you to digest.


Best Chicago Museums - Field Museum Chicago

Shedd Aquarium Aquarium

If you're a lover of the ocean and marine life, the Shedd Aquarium is a fantastic place to go. It is one of the best aquariums in the US, even though it's located in the middle of the midwest! You can run through and admire the main attractions in a couple of hours, or spend the day here thoroughly exploring every exhibit.


Best Chicago Museums - Shedd Aquarium

Art Institute of Chicago Art & History

A huge museum filled with art from all around the world from all different time periods. If you enjoy all things art, this is the perfect place for you. It would take you all day to see every exhibit in the AIC, in fact, it might take longer, but it is a great place to spend several hours seeing what you like!


Best Chicago Museums - AIC

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Art Gallery

If you want to explore a smaller art museum and have time to visit others, then the MCA is the place for you. There are still multiple levels with several exhibits created by different artists. The exhibits here change every few months, which is fun because it makes every visit unique.


Best Museums in Chicago - MCA

National Museum of Mexican Art History & Art

This is a fantastic museum to visit and learn about Mexican history and Mexican art. With beautiful creations by Mexican artists, you will find showcases of culture and emotion in these art pieces. And it's free!


Best Museums in Chicago - Alpacka My Bags

Museum of Science and Industry Technology & Science

With interactive exhibits to walk through, here you will learn about weather, automobile evolution, space technology, biology, and more. Visiting the Museum of Science and Industry is like walking through time and seeing first hand how science and technology have evolved and changed our planet. A great place for people of all ages!


Best Chicago Museums - MSI

Adler Planetarium Astronomy

This one is for all of you who love everything to do with space, planets, and stars. The Adler Planetarium has many different exhibits to admire. You can purchase general admission tickets and walk through every exhibit. Or you can choose to add a show to your ticket. There are several different shows about space and planets, etc. that rotate through the planetarium.


Best Museums in Chicago - Adler Planetarium

WNDR Museum Interactive Art

An interactive art museum with displays from well known artists, such as Yayoi Kusama. The WNDR museum is great for all ages, and it's always a fun time! You can scan a QR code and learn more about the artist and the installation, or you can just walk through and interact as you please. There's also a really cool store at the end!


Best Museums in Chicago - WNDR

Chicago History Museum History

Go for a walk through time and experience Chicago changing through the ages. With photos and all kinds of artifacts, you can experience history as though you were there. From Chicago food to women's rights, learn all about what makes Chicago the city it is today.


Best Chicago Museums - Chicago History Museum

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Nature & Science

While Chicago is a big city filled with skyscrapers, trains, cars, and people, you can find a surprising amount nature in the Windy City. And there is no better place to learn about it than in the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. It's very hands on which is great for kids, but its' still a fun place to visit as an adult. They even have a butterfly room!


Best Chicago Museums - Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

There are many incredible museums to explore in Chicago, but these are our favorites! They’re the best Chicago museums, and if you have time, you should visit them all. This midwestern city is an incredible place to travel to and we hope you fall in love with Chicago as much as we did!


If you’re thinking of planning a trip to Chicago and need more convincing, take a look at our restaurant and coffee recommendations as well! You can’t go wrong with a trip to Chicago. This city is well worth being explored by tourists and residents alike.


What kind of museums do you enjoy visiting? Let us know in the comments below!


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aboutus

We're Georgina and Nathan, two adventure enthusiasts and creators of Alpacka My Bags. We're here for all of your travel and adventure planning needs! 

 

We've been exploring this insane planet that we call home together for over 3 years now. After college, we knew the "traditional career path" was not for us, and honestly the "traditional life path", in general, just wasn't for us.

 

We needed to travel and explore what this world has to offer, it sounds cliché but you do only live once. So we made going on adventures a priority, and soon realized that we wanted to share them with others so they can enjoy them too! 

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Our passion is spreading the travel bug and showing others that travel is attainable and so worth it. From itineraries to camping tips to packing lists, Alpacka My Bags has you covered!

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Join us, and often our dog, JoJo, as we find exciting adventures and travel recommendations for you! If you've been bit by the travel bug just as we have, we hope you find our tips useful for any and all of your future travels.

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