Plan Your Field Trip
It’s Easy. And Free.*
Planning Tips
Please Note: Due to COVID-19, we have transformed your field trip welcome, orientation, and lunch experience! Your learning experience starts and ends in the newly renovated Crown Family Welcome Center. Improvements include more efficient pathways, an immersive orientation film, and a beautiful lunchroom. The Crown Family Welcome Center is your home base throughout your visit and designed to provide a comfortable space that sparks curiosity and promotes conversation. Please note that for safety, lunch seating will be limited and advance reservations are required.
- The Chicago History Museum is committed to the safety of all our guests and staff. Please familiarize yourself with our COVID-19 safety guidelines in advance of your visit. While masks are recommended and appreciated, they are no longer required.
- Plan to spend one to three hours at the Museum. Visits begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Advance reservations are required. We recommend the following visit durations:
- Pre-K to 2nd Grade: 1 to 1 ½ hours
- 3rd to 5th Grade: 2 to 2 ½ hours
- Middle and High School: 2 to 3 hours maximum
- Request 25-minute lunchroom seating. You must request in advance as lunch seating is limited. Storage is provided for students who bring their own lunches and beverages. You may also order box lunches for your students. Older students may wish to order ahead from the North & Clark Café. Just scan this QR code:
- Indicate the size of your group. Maximum group size is 100 for a self-guided visit.
- Secure chaperones. We require one adult for every ten students in grades 2–12. For groups in grades pre-K–1, we require one adult for every five children. Each adult exceeding these ratios will be charged $9. Divide your students into groups of ten prior to arriving at the Museum. A map of the Museum will be prepared for each group leader.
- Backpacks of any size are not allowed in exhibition spaces. Place medical supplies and and other items in another type of bag (no larger than 13 x 12 x 4 inches) to be worn on your front or at your side. Nothing can be worn on your back in the Museum’s exhibition galleries and public spaces.
- All Illinois school groups are admitted free of charge. *Out-of-state groups are charged discounted admission.
| Admission for | Illinois schools | Out-of-state schools |
| Students | FREE | $9 each |
| Teachers/chaperones (pre-K to grade 2, 1 adults:5 students; grades 3-12, 1 adult:10 students) | FREE | $10 each |
| Additional adults (exceeding the requirements) | $9 each | $10 each |
On-Site Student Worksheets
Help your students explore the Chicago History Museum by using these graphic organizers. Each is designed to foster close looking skills, create conversation, and spark inquiry. Use these during a visit and then discuss back in the classroom! All worksheets have English and Spanish text.
- Take a Closer Look: This chaperone guide will help lead students on a visit. It encourages looking for details, having conversations, and making connections. Ideal for use in any gallery and recommended for grades 3–12. (Take a Closer Look PDF)
- Artifact Analysis: Students choose and write about an artifact, then make inferences about it. Ideal for use in any gallery and recommended for grades 3–12. (Artifact Analysis PDF)
- 3-2-1 Analysis: Focus on artifacts through close looking, asking questions, description, and then interpretation. Ideal for use in any gallery and recommended for grades 3–12. (3-2-1 Analysis PDF)
- Map It: Where am I?: This chaperone guide helps spark conversations and investigation using the oversized floor map. Designed for use in the 1st floor Guild Gallery and recommended for grades 1–5. (Map It: Where am I? PDF)
- My CHM Field Trip: This graphic organizer invites students to write and draw about the artifacts they see and information they learn over the course of their visit. Ideal for use in any gallery and recommended for grades 3–5. (My CHM Field Trip PDF)
- Considering Perspectives: Students choose an artifact and consider its meaning to people with various perspectives. Ideal for use in any gallery and recommended grades 6–12. (Considering Perspectives PDF)
- Analyzing Design: Analyze an artifact with a focus on design. Intended for use in the “Second to None” section of Chicago: Crossroads of America and recommended for grades 6–12. (Analyzing Design PDF)
- Thinking Like a Designer: Analyze artifacts with a focus on design and innovation. Intended for use in the “Second to None” section of Chicago: Crossroads of America and recommended for grades 6–12. (Thinking Like a Designer PDF)