1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
(Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive)
(312) 922-9410
Admission: $7 adults; $4 children and seniors.
Free on Wednesdays.
www.fmnh.org

What's New at the Field Museum 

Dino Sue! The Underground Adventure! Shrunken heads! Yay!

The Field Museum is full of things to yell about. There are hundreds of attractions in this museum of natural history, and it would be a year’s hard work to familiarize yourself with its encyclopedic holdings. Don’t try to do it all in one day, but once you’re inside the door, do sit down with a free map and get your bearings. You may enjoy your trip much more if you can authoritatively make your way to a stroller-accessible elevator.

Designed by D. H. Burnham & Co. between 1909 and 1912, the Field was enlarged and improved by Graham, Burnham & Co. in 1912-17, with further work by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White as the museum entered the ‘twenties. Its classical proportions and architectural conservatism reflect the taste of that time, but have metamorphosed surprisingly well into a public space for the twenty-first century. The massive fountains inside the Great Hall draw the eye and soothe the ear, under great skylights that bring floods of cool, flattering light into the space.

Everything you ever wanted to know about flora, fauna, and myriad cultures in human history has been assembled here, much of it in refreshingly non-interactive display cases. There’s still an old-fashioned charm to the Field Museum, although it is is aggressively offset by zoomy new exhibits. Whether your taste runs to traditional butterfly collections or to the "man-eating lions of Tsavo," you will find engaging, well-researched and presented exhibits here, in a gorgeous turn-of-the-century structure. There is also a full schedule of exciting temporary exhibitions. Some of these require an additional fee.

Another reason to visit the Field Museum is to see Sue, the largest, most complete, and best preserved T. rex ever found. Sue’s fossilized skeleton and skull are joined by a variety of interactive exhibits exploring her discovery and preparation, as well as the questions about how T. rex lived and died that this extraordinary specimen is helping scientists answer.