So much fun to explore nature here. A place for kids of all ages and open rain or shine. This place is amazing from butterflies to amphibians. They have Free donation days on most Thursday’s, they participate in the museums for all program and museum day live ( coming up soon) as well, passes are also available at the library for free to check out so all can enjoy this awesome slice of paradise in the city. They offer a ton of kids groups and activities for free or low cost so be sure to check in their website for details.

We purchased their yearly membership last year, and it has been a great decision. Peggy is full of fun things, whether youre into nature, bugs, frogs, animals or water. It has something for everyone.Their butterfly haven is awesome to take your kid and hang out. Its not like butterflies are going to come and sit on you, but you can definitely get up close and personal with the ones that are nibbling on fruits. Everyday 2pm (at least in the summer), they release new butterflies into the haven, so its fun to watch.We purchased their yearly membership and go there almost twice a month, every other weekend, either when the weather is too hot or too cold, its a super convenient indoor place where you kid can have fun, explore, and learn.Every first weekend of the month, they have Critter Connection where they bring out snakes, turtles, salamanders and you can be hands-on with them i.e. touch and hold them.Staff is super friendly. We love hanging out here.

What other than a Museum Day could be better to visit a Museum?Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum turned out better than I thought it would be.Multiple hands-on exhibits for kids are a great way to educate them about how Nature works.Indoor Butterfly Room is one of a kind experience and meant for all ages.The interesting thing on the rooftop, even if you dont end up spotting birds you can hear them chirping through the speakers installed.More fun time at a small play area for kids.Please note that theres no dedicated food court inside. Just a food dispensing machine on the first floor having Salad and Sandwich options.PS- Stroller/Wheelchair available to rent.

This was our first time at the nature Museum. My children are 11 and nine. I thought they might be a little too old but they had a wonderful time. We love butterflies! They had a live release and some already there. The Komodo dragon was totally awesome the exhibits are fun. It is a very doable museum for an afternoon especially in the winter!

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is ideal for children 4 - 10 with many varied interactive exhibits as well as a small collection of live animals (frogs, turtles, snakes, etc and of course the famous butterfly room). It is reasonably priced compared to the other larger, Chicago museums and is just across the street from the Lincoln Park Zoo and a short walk to the lakefront so it can easily be part of a full day in the Lincoln Park area. There are tables to eat if you bring along food and some snacks and light food is available for purchase from a vending area.

This is our go to for our two children. Theres always a mixture of old and new. We have maintained a membership here for three years now.The butterfly house is stunning! You can get really close to a large variety of butterflies and the photo ops for even such a small space is perfect. Check out the daily butterfly release (usually at 2p).On the lower level theres a great kids area where our youngest can crawl unimpeded and, as she grows, therell are slides and other interactive spaces to explore, including a small jungle gym. The rotating exhibits are always engaging for kids of all ages.In the summer months dont forget to go outside. Theres a third level where you can look out at all of Lincoln Park. And the Lagoon is fun to walk around, too.Pro tip: if you are driving, try the lot across Cannon Drive. And if youre here in a Saturday, take advantage of the 2h reduce rate which is half the full price.Another thing to note: they have a farmers vending machine but its pretty limited. So we pack our own food and use the cafeteria on the first floor of theres little or no room in the atrium. Plenty of room to spread out.

Really great science/ natural history museum with exhibits that engaged my 9 and 11 year old boys and my husband and me as well. The butterfly garden included some stunning specimens and everyone enjoyed trying to figure out who was who using the id cards the offer. Great for a day when outdoors isnt a good option and a really big museum is too much.

My 2yr old daughter, and I enjoyed every second of the nature museum. We had the opportunity to learn so much from you all. Thank you!

Gorgeous place. It is extremely affordable for families with only nine dollars per adult and six dollars per child under 12. You can easily spent several hours here looking at the butterfly exhibit and pursuing the grounds outside. The water area it was very popular and this was the hands on exhibits. There was so much to learn about energy and water conservation, animals, plants and wildlife.

My kids had an amazing time! All about Nature!The butterfly room was the best part!Water tables, interactive exhibits and tree house jungle gyms for kids!

Fun place to learn and explore for all ages! Nestled in a beautiful green space, this museum offers a variety of enriching experiences, from art galleries, to interactive life-sized exhibits. I very much enjoyed the butterfly exhibit, wetlands walk through, the climate change art exhibit, living green household, and the outdoor gardens with walk ways. Thank you for a great visit!

This museum is a pretty good museum. It is clean and reasonably priced, and the exhibits are interesting. Some standouts for me are the butterfly atrium and the live animals on the first floor. This museums only flaw is that it seems like it is lacking something. Nonetheless, it is still a fun and educational museum, but not a must-see when you visit Chicago.

A fun place to hangout. Great for kids. Admission is not expensive. It is possible to find free street parking nearby.

Great place for nature lovers and young kids. Their yearly snake & reptile show is a blast.

Beautiful place! New butterflies are released at 2pm. Didnt get to see as much of it as I wanted due to time, but Id definitely come back. Prices are pretty good too.

Great experience! My favorite exhibit had to be the butterfly enclosure. The butterflies were beautiful and flying all around us. You must be careful because they may be on the floor or if you touch them incorrectly they become injured easily.

This is a hidden gem in the middle of the park. It was great to come across and enter this museum. It’s small but there is so much to see.It’s a great place to learn about nature. They had a wide variety of activities. I loved the Butterfly Haven. It was very peaceful to sit in there and relax while observing the different types of butterflies.

Are you a museum buff or just looking for something to do with the kiddos? Come visit the museum! My kids love it here!

We love the nature museum. Lots of hands on experiences for the kids. The butterfly release is always exciting. The rotating exhibits mix things up a bit. Staff is kind and informative.

Good museum to spend few hours with the kids. Lots of interactive exhibits and information to learn. Kids really enjoyed their time here.

Free admission every Thursday and daily butterfly releases at 2pm. The butterfly haven is breathtaking. So many different varieties of beautiful butterflies.

A smashing place to get kids acquainted with all creatures great and small...well, mostly small. The river play area is a hot favourite as kids manage locks and dams. The butterfly garden both in and outside the museum is spectacular. I loved the Eating Right exhibit and the Green Home too. Has a sweet toddler play area as well.

Love the Nature Museum! Its so informative and engaging for kids and adults. Its just the right size to hold your attention w/ changing exhibits to keep you coming back.

The best part was the butterfly garden. I could spend hours in there. There was a fun play area for little kids. Your children will enjoy the museum more if they can read.

What a great museum for children. We came to Chicago for the museum campus, which is still a great place to visit, but this Nature Museum was a real treat. Relative to everything else in this city, the museum is very inexpensive and undervalued. My 2F and 4M enjoyed the butterflies and the bugs. A worthwhile stop when coming to Chicago at any time of year with your family.

Its nice, but somewhat small. Worth it to visit for an hour or so.

Such a calming, educational, and beautiful place to spend few hours at while kids and play and learn at the same time, parking is free ! Admission is responsible, location is wonderful by lake Michigan . Handicap accessible through the entire place . Staff are super friendly . Definitely will go again

Great museum about nature and wildlife of North America. There is a special part for kids with miniaturized rivers and lakes to explain how the water is managed. There are many freshwater animals from North America and interactive toys.At the second floor theres a big greenhouse with butterflies from the tropics flying around.At the third floor a point to observe birds.Theres a ticket to pay!

This Museum is great for kids and adults alike. Always love to visit The Butterfly Haven, one of the coolest things to do at a museum. Lots of butterflies, the kids (and adults) love when they land on you.They always have lots of hands on exhibits for children and if adults want to join in too, thats allowed.Yes, there is always a lot of children around, on weekdays a lot of field groups from schools invade the museum, but, there is plenty for everyone here to see and do.The museum, specifically Butterfly Haven also has an adults-only fun evening event the last Tuesday of every month. It’s a unique chance to stroll around the museum with no kids in sight and take advantage of a cash bar serving local beer and wine.Dont miss the trails outside the building for an extra outing with you family!#CityExperts @GoogleLocalCHI

Couldnt find anything wrong with this place other than the dead butterflies in the butterfly room. Other than that the trip is worth it. It is definitely somewhere you want to take your child/children to explore while educating them :)

Wonderful learning experience for all ages. We got to see the release of the new butterflies. It was amazing.

A nice quiet museum with a lot of interesting things to see. If youre interested in nature this is a great place to learn about what Chicago was like before all the humans showed up. Some of the exhibits talk about the animals of the area, some about the land and lake. And no visit would be complete without a trip through the butterfly garden. And theres a whole lot that we didnt get to see. Worth way more than the admission price. Great for all ages!

What a wonderful surprise. Found parking right outside did not go broke paying for parking. I could even afford to check my coat. LOVED the butterfly release!! Very relaxing and fun. My new little buddy sat with me for an hour. Had to have a staff member relocate him. Loved it.

This museum is always fun to visit. There are plenty of fun activities for kids and things to just look at. My favorite is always the butterfly room. There are so many beautiful butterflies, as well as a few birds. Occasionally the butterflies even land on you, which is pretty cool. Military gets in for free which is nice for those who serve this country and their families.

I love this place so much! It is within walking distance of some other museums, and even the lake which is great if you want a day of adventure with your friends, family, and everyone in between. Their butterfly room is always a must, and dont forget about the bird walk as its one of the most looked over gems of this place.

Beautiful location and extremely fair prices

The butterfly haven is so magical its indoors and they release new butterflies everyday! This is a cool inexpensive adventure that you can have with almost anyone. Its free to Chicago residents on Thursdays. They feed the turtles and they have a list of the days activities on their website.

This is a great museum that is geared toward kids, but that parents can appreciate too. They have manicured gardens to watch the warm weather insects go about their business, a pond with piers to observe marine life, a butterfly and moth room, and more. My daughter was very interested in the taxidermy the on-site scientists were doing, and how willing and ready they were to answer questions. Great lakefront location too!

I love to go and sit in the butterfly room. It is very relaxing for me.

Very child-friendly. Exhibits are both interactive as well as informative for all age at a great value. Children can learn about the local environment through activities and postings. Some exhibits could use maintenance though.

Great place for learning, quality family fun

Absolutely wonderful place to explore and learn and escape the cold during the winter! Absolutely beautiful during the foliage of the summer for a walk around the building after a tour inside!

What a delightful little museum. Great exhibits on flooding and locks, and well as frogs and fish. Particularly loved the butterfly conservatory and the interactive exhibit with the snakes and turtles. Its surrounded by beautiful natural scenery.

We enjoyed it here so much!! We travel often and sometimes I feel the places we visit are monotonous but NOT this one. I would love to visit again!! There are a lot of well thought out exhibits that are hands on for the kids. We fell in love with the butterfly garden and the chrysalis. It is definitely worth the visit!!

This is the perfect museum for young children. Everything from the hands on water exhibit to the butterfly habitat where they can watch colors fly around the room is made for toddlers. We went on a Thursday when it’s Friday free for Illinois residents. We found free street parking and walked over for extra sightseeing in Lincoln Park.

Just a lovely and well-thought out museum. Its perfect for children, but adults will also find it delightful, entertaining and educational as well. My sister and I bought a city bus tour pass that included the zoo and museum link, and thats how we were able to get to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, as its a little bit too far to get to on foot. My favorite part of the museum is definitely the indoor butterfly garden. If youre traveling with small children, this is a must!

Very cool nature museum. They have a bunch of neat animals.

An interesting museum where you deserve to bring young children. It takes no more than two hours to visit the museum. Im not sure if its worth a second visit, maybe in the summer when its enjoyable to see outside the museum.

Michael said that the butterfly house was so magical that he wished he could move right into it! Not only a great place for kids, but also for those with a childlike mind.

Very pleasant to enjoy on a cold day. Very wonderful to offer free Thursday admission for Illinois residents. Always educational and eye opening for the child and adult visitors! The butterfly haven is always a highlight!

Went here mostly for the butterfly exhibit. Theres a heated room where hundreds of butterflies are let free to fly around. Absolutely beautiful! Great place to bring the kids. Theres a number of other exhibits and interactive displays to mess around with. Definitely stop by! Tickets were pretty cheap too!

Took my nieces here for the first time. Loved it!

The water exhibit and hands-on play area are perfect indoor activities for toddlers. My 21 mo loves them

They have a good toddler area. Its a great place for toddlers that love animals. For adults in the summer the walk outside is beautiful.

Great nature museum for kids and adults. Successor of the former Chicago Academy of Sciences. Excellent display of birds seen in Illinois.

If youre interested in nature this is a great place to learn about what Chicago was like before all the humans showed up. Some of the exhibits talk about the animals of the area, some about the land and lake. And no visit would be complete without a trip through the butterfly garden. And theres a whole lot that we didnt get to see. Worth way more than the admission price. Great for all ages!

We went to see the Thomas D Mangelsen wildlife photography exhibit and it did not disappoint! The photographs are amazing and are beautifully displayed. There is also a static display of prairie wildlife which is very well done. The museum caters to children and looks like it does a great job of it - very hands on, staff running the meet the animal exhibits were very patient and friendly. We were three adults and some were of the larger kids groups were a little overwhelming at times but the photography exhibit was (mostly) a quiet haven and should not be missed.

I enjoyed the butterflies but for me it was the best part. Seems child oriented.

Good for the kids. Not vary big but you dont need it to be.

Fun museum-Lots of interactive exhibits, especially directed at kids

The butterfly haven was incredibly beautiful! The frog exhibit was packed with frogs Ive never seen before too. You can find ticket discounts online :) we used Groupon.

The Nature Museum is located in picturesque Lincoln Park. Make a day of it - do the Conservatory, Zoo, & Nature Museum with or without kids. The Nature Museum has rotating exhibits as well as permanent collections that get you closer to the native flora & fauna of the area - inside the museum & out. The best part, though, is the butterfly haven. Go sit among the butterflies, birds, & blooms. Thats worth the (low!) price of admission alone.

Fun area around the museum to explore!

The butterfly garden is heaven, it’s so beautiful and they released new butterflies every day afternoon 2 pm. Thursday is free for Illinois residents, kids loves this place

Love this place it has amazing collection of butterfliesThe Peggy Nature Museum is a nature museum located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1857 by the Chicago Academy of Sciences, the museum, which opened in its present facility in October 1999, is located at the intersection of Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park. Wikipedia

My son absolutely loved it here!! Great educational and fun place for children of all ages.

Great balance of ecological education, nature and entertainment. First class staff. The lizard exhibit blurred reality and fantasy a bit and in places, was confusing. Great for Harry Potter fans.

Love the butterfly house. Museum was geared more towards kids than I expected. Would like to see a few more adult exhibits, but enjoyed the time there. Will try again in the future. Believe its a good teaching till for kids as well.

One of the best museums weve ever visited. So many activity, information, and applicable knowledge for children and also for us parents. My daughter (2y.o) had tons of fun, and I believe 12y.o can also have fun here (theres super cute mini golf inside). Price is $9 for adult and $6 for kids 2y.o and up.Theres only mini cafe inside, so pack your own lunch.

Beautiful Creatures & great for kids to burn energy

Great museum, but nicer when it’s not the free day (Thursday I think). Fun and interactive for kids while being educational for all visitors.

Fun for all. Mostly for the kids, but you are never too old to learn. Leave your house a d turn off your phone.

Good museum. For children.The butterfly garden is quite a thing. The photos of dead birds are beautiful (and un-morbid).

Great experience, every time we go. Good place to eat, plenty of fish and turtles to observe, a play area, and great learning exhibits. And its not too expensive!

What a wonderful place to bring the kids. A lot of hands on exploring for kids and adults. Kids can dress up as frogs, beavers and bugs. Staff very friendly as they answered questions about turtles.

Mostly kid targeted museum but still interesting and fun enough for a post or pre-date outing in Lincoln Park

Wonderful butterfly collections. Kids play areas - water and land play areas that also serve as learning opportunities. Great staff! Good indoor activity.

A lovely spot to spend an afternoon without breaking the bank.

Had a great time looking at the taxidermy and butterfly sanctuary.

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is a perfect place to visit if you are a tourist in Chicago. It is very family friendly. The butterfly room is very cool and really sets the Nature Museum apart from other tourist sites.

Such a great experience for our grandchildren. Will definitely visit again.

Wow... butterfly experience was great. Many hands on things throughout the museum for you ger childern and also things for the adults to see and read. Expect to spend 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours here for adults and maybe slightly longer for those with kids.

This place is amazing!!!! Way way cooler than we expected, we will definitely be coming back many more times :)

It was awesome. As A Chicagoan, Im ashamed that Id never been there. I was there as a chaperone for a summer camp. The personally guide tour of the different habitats was interactive. The guide engaged the kids in discussion, they were able to sketch their findings like real scientists. The indoor part was colorful and inviting. Definitely a must see for all ages!

Okay to start off they need better securityWe came here two years ago visiting and touring around the area and because theres no security cameras around the premises over $1,000 worth of items ranging from stuffed animals two laptops and phones were stolen although the museum is fun and an awesome experience we probably wouldnt be coming back

This was very informative and fun for my little one. The staff were very nice and informative as well.

Great place for kids and families. The 7 and under play area and story time are fun, and the butterfly room cannot be missed! Beware of the water table room in case your kids get soaked!

A small museum that is really catered towards kids. They have an awesome butterfly habitat which you can visit and a whole showcase on frogs. You can probably go through the whole museum in an hour.

Wonderful nature Center that is very kid friendly and interesting for adults too.

It really is a beautiful place to visit with your whole family,theres activities for kids too

Children will love this place. An area for hanging out with butterflies and lots of reptiles and exhibits.

Not my favorite for 5th grade. The butterfly haven was the best! There are some boards translated to Spanish that use island PR swear words, not professional!

Free every Thursday great place to take little ones. I ove the the butterfly room.

Nice museum just a couple miles north of the magnificent mile. Its included in your membership if you belong to another science museum.

Wonderful place for kids. Butterfly release at 2 every day. Bring change for the coin table.

It is so educational place for kids.

Butterfly exhibit and Invisible City are favorite spots in this beautiful urban learning center.

Great place for children. Butterfly haven is awesome!

Super fun place, their live butterfly walk through exhibit is amazing.

We went on a free day, my kids quite enjoyed themselves. Everything is indoors except for a bird walk on the roof which we skipped.