Chicago, Illinois: Inspiring Curiosity at The Field Museum

There’s no better home for SUE – the largest known tyrannosaurus rex fossil – than The Field Museum. SUE is 12 meters long and 4 meters high, with 58 razor-sharp teeth in a reconstructed skull (her real skull, weighing over 270 kilograms, can be seen in the alcove above). It’s hard to top this impressively intact skeleton, but the museum’s dioramas and exhibits offer even more. Head to the Hall of Asian Mammals to see hyenas, or step “Inside Ancient Egypt” to discover mummies. Walk through flora and fauna in the Nature Walk. Find out what life was like inside a Maori meeting house, or visit the “Ancient Americas.”

Head to the Evolving Planet exhibit, which tells the four billion-year-old story of life on Earth. Sloth skeletons, bear behemoths and apes appear before you as you follow the arc of history all the way to Dinosaur Hall. Here, nearly every major group of dinosaurs is on display. You’ll find animated videos, interactive exhibits, recreated seascapes and a huge selection of fossils. Exploring this part of the museum is not only an up-close-and-personal experience but a hands-on one.

The Field Museum is more than just a natural history museum, dense with collections and exhibits; it’s a full-on research institution, where scientists of all backgrounds come together to make new discoveries. In the Grainger Science Hub, visitors get access to some of the most compelling artifacts from the museum’s 30 million objects. Meet scientists who answer your questions and let you examine their research. The museum’s Discovery Squad rolls out carts with specimens you can hold, and they propose research questions to inspire your scientific mind. Make a DNA discovery, learn about local wildlife, do a bit of crime solving or analyze some of the oldest minerals on earth – there’s no limit to what you can experience at The Field Museum.

Located right by the lakefront, The Field Museum is an easy stop to make while exploring Chicago, Illinois. Fly from international destinations into Chicago O’Hare International Airport or Chicago Midway International Airport, and drive for less than an hour to reach downtown Chicago and The Field Museum.