Events

Hot Dog History Trolley Tour

10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Lace up your shoes and discover them on foot!

Tour, Trolley Tour

2:00 p.m.

Back by popular demand! Join writer Bill Savage on this multistop exploration of hot dogs as an expression of the history of a city of immigrants and their street food cultures.

Cemetery Tour, Tour

1:00 p.m.

Featuring beautifully landscaped grounds and grand monuments, these walking tours led by historian Al Walavich reveal the history of the city’s growth and its diverse inhabitants.

Boat Tour, Tour

3:00 p.m.

Learn about the growth and transformation of the city’s skyline on this leisurely river cruise.

Boat Tour, Tour

3:00 p.m.

Learn about the growth and transformation of the city’s skyline on this leisurely river cruise.

Boat Tour, Tour

3:00 p.m.

Learn about the growth and transformation of the city’s skyline on this leisurely river cruise.

September 2019

Boat Tour, Tour

Movies In The Park: To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

3:00 p.m.

Learn about the growth and transformation of the city’s skyline on this leisurely river cruise.

Movies in the Park

We’re hosting another season of Movies in the Park! Get settled on the Museum’s plaza in Lincoln Park with your chairs and blankets and enjoy these free films.

L Tour, Tour

Brown Line | Above The City

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

Enjoy an urban hike to discover the stories of Chicago neighborhoods connected by the L.

Members | Members

Members’ Pub Crawl

6:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Join CHM assistant curator Julius L. Jones as he leads this walking tour of the neighborhood’s oldest taverns and bars.

Tour, Walking Tour

Historic Old Town Walking Tour

10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Lace up your shoes and discover them on foot!

Tour, Walking Tour

10:00 am.-12:00 p.m.

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Lace up your shoes and discover them on foot!

Special Event

Chicago Men’s Fashion Awards

6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Join the Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum for the third annual Chicago Men’s Fashion Awards!

Event

Your Story, Our Story

6:00–8:00 p.m.

Join CHM educator Megan Clark and assistant curator Julius L. Jones to discover stories of immigration, migration, and cultural identity through Your Story, Our Story, an online platform created by the Tenement Museum in NYC.

Lecture

Urban History Seminar

5:45 p.m.

D. Bradford Hunt of the Newberry Library and Christopher Robert Reed of Roosevelt University will present "Confronting Chicago’s 1919 Race Riot: Remembering in Black and Red."

Bus Tour, Tour

Devil in the White City Bus Tour

1:00 p.m.

Inspired by Erik Larson’s best-selling book, go back to 1893 to follow the trails of Daniel Burnham and the devilish doings of H. H. Holmes.

Tour, Walking Tour

Pilsen Murals Walking Tour

10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Lace up your shoes and discover them on foot!

Tour, Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.

Chicago is an ever-evolving city of neighborhoods. Lace up your shoes and explore them on foot!

L Tour, Tour

The Loop L Tour

1:00–4:00 p.m.

Enjoy an urban hike to discover the stories of Chicago neighborhoods connected by the L.

Members | Members

Member Orientation

6:00 p.m.

Mingle with fellow members and hear from Museum staff about the best ways to maximize your membership!

Members | Members

Member Orientation

11:00 a.m.

Mingle with fellow members and hear from Museum staff about the best ways to maximize your membership!

Tour, Walking Tour

Historic Old Town Walking Tour

10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Lace up your shoes and discover them on foot!

Tour, Walking Tour

10:00 am.-12:00 p.m.

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Lace up your shoes and discover them on foot!

Tour, Walking Tour

Pilsen Murals Walking Tour

1:00 p.m.

These walking tours highlight the best of the city—the iconic venues and features that make Chicago history both fun and unique.

October 2019

Tour, Walking Tour

Garden of the Dead

8:00 PM

Do you dare venture into the darker corners of Chicago history? Join us on these spine-tingling excursions to discover the stories of infamous crimes and criminals, visit notorious sites and haunted locales, and walk the city’s cemeteries.

Bus Tour, Tour

Chicago’s on Fire

1:00 p.m.

Follow the Great Chicago Fire's path of destruction on a bus tour.

Tour, Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.

Chicago is an ever-evolving city of neighborhoods. Lace up your shoes and explore them on foot!

Cemetery Tour, Tour

Rosehill Cemetery West

1:00 p.m.

Explore the west side of Rosehill Cemetery, home to the first communal mausoleum in the region.

Tour, Walking Tour

Leopold and Loeb Walking Tour

10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Lace up your shoes and discover them on foot!

Tour, Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.

Event

Policing Racial Violence: 1919 and Beyond

7:00–8:30 p.m.

Join Robin Robinson, special adviser for community affairs at the Chicago Police Department, and Simon Balto, assistant professor of history at the University of Iowa, for a talk about law enforcement and the nature of racial violence from 1919 to the present.

Lecture

Urban History Seminar

5:45 p.m.

James Barrett of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign presents “Wade-in-Rainbow Beach: Contested Integration along Chicago’s Lakefront, 1960–61.”

Members | Members

Members’ Opening Weekend of American Medina: Stories of Muslim Chicago

9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Members get priority access to our new exhibition featuring oral histories collected from Chicago’s Muslim community. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity!

Members | Members

Members’ Opening Weekend of American Medina: Stories of Muslim Chicago

12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Members get priority access to our new exhibition featuring oral histories collected from Chicago’s Muslim community. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity!

L Tour, Tour

Brown Line | Above The City

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

Enjoy an urban hike to discover the stories of Chicago neighborhoods connected by the L.

Tour, Walking Tour

Garden of the Dead

8:00 PM

Cemetery Tour, Tour

1:00 p.m.

Featuring beautifully landscaped grounds and grand monuments, these walking tours led by historian Al Walavich reveal the history of the city’s growth and its diverse inhabitants.

Cemetery Tour, Tour

10:00 a.m.

Featuring beautifully landscaped grounds and grand monuments, these walking tours led by historian Al Walavich reveal the history of the city’s growth and its diverse inhabitants.

Tour, Walking Tour

1:00 p.m.

These walking tours highlight the best of the city—the iconic venues and features that make Chicago history both fun and unique.

Event

History Happy Hour

6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Explore the Museum and learn about the city you love! Enjoy two drinks on us, live music, gallery talks, and activities highlighting our collection and exhibitions.

Cemetery Tour, Tour

1:00 p.m.

Featuring beautifully landscaped grounds and grand monuments, these walking tours led by historian Al Walavich reveal the history of the city’s growth and its diverse inhabitants.

November 2019

Event

Family Day

10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Inspired by American Medina, join us for activities that invite families to explore together. Live music, crafts, and a photo booth make this a day to remember!

Tour, Walking Tour

Members’ Celebration of American Medina: Stories of Muslim Chicago

1:00 p.m.

These walking tours highlight the best of the city—the iconic venues and features that make Chicago history both fun and unique.

Members | Members

Members’ Annual Meeting

5:30–7:00 p.m.

The Members’ Annual Meeting has been a Museum tradition for more than 100 years! Take advantage of this unique opportunity to hear from president Gary T. Johnson as he presents on the Museum’s recent exhibitions, programs, and upcoming projects.

Members | Members

6:00–8:00 p.m.

Learn about the development of American Medina, which began as an oral history project, from its curator, Peter T. Alter. The celebration will include live music, food, drinks, and staff available in the exhibition to answer your questions.

Lecture

Urban History Seminar

5:45 p.m.

Joshua Specht of Monash University presents "You Destroy the Rule of Supply & Demand: Power and Profits in Chicago’s Cattle Market."

Members | Members

Members’ Bus Tour

10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Join Peter T. Alter, CHM chief historian and director of the Studs Terkel Center of Oral History, for a members-only tour of American Medina, then travel by bus to the Sabeel Center in Des Plaines, Illinois, for a tour of America-to-Zanzibar: Exhibit of Muslim Cultures with its director, K. Rizwan Kadir.

Educator Program

Educator Workshop: American Medina

9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Led by CHM educators Heidi Moisan and Megan Clark, this workshop for history and social studies teachers features teaching strategies and resource materials on countering anti-Muslim racism.

Tour, Walking Tour