Chicago History Museum to Reopen on March 4th for City’s Birthday

The Chicago History Museum is eager to welcome visitors back through our doors. To ensure our guests and staff return to a safe and enjoyable space, we will reopen to the public on the city’s birthday, March 4, 2021.

“The safety and comfort of our visitors and staff continue to be our top priority, and we are thrilled to welcome everyone back to the museum on March 4, 2021,” said Gary T. Johnson, president of the Chicago History Museum. “We thank the state of Illinois and city of Chicago for their continued guidance during these challenging times and look forward to continuing our support of their efforts.” 

Join us on March 4 to mark Chicago’s birthday with free admission for all visitors. We will also commemorate this exciting day with CHM’s second annual Giving Day to help support the museum in these challenging times.

We can’t wait to see you! Until then, we are finalizing our exciting new exhibition that features renowned photographer, Vivian Maier, opening May 2021 and continuing to bring you history at home with our virtual programs and events. Visit the Chicago History Museum website for more information.

Visitor Guidelines:

We are reopening to the public on March 4. We can’t wait to see you!

We’re excited to share Chicago stories and want to assure you that the safety of our visitors and staff is our top priority.

We encourage visitors to purchase tickets in advance online. Tickets are available on-site as well, but each online purchase reduces person-to-person transactions and keeps us all safer. In accordance with city guidelines, Museum capacity will be limited to 275 people at a time (25% capacity). Tickets will be timed-entry, so please be sure to plan your visit within those entry timeframes.

Hours of Operation:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday – Saturday: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Entry Timeframes: Morning: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM, Afternoon: 12:30 – 3:30 PM

Sunday: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Entry Timeframes: Early afternoon: 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM,
and Late Afternoon: 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

Ticket sales will end one hour before close each day

If you have traveled from another state to visit the Museum, the Chicago Department of Public Health has issued an Emergency Travel Order directing travelers entering or returning to Chicago from states experiencing a surge in new COVID-19 cases to quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state. Please check the city’s list to see if your state is covered by the order.

For additional information regarding COVID-19 related visitor guidelines, the Research Center, and more, please consult the Visitor Guidelines webpage.