Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Tickets

About The Peggy Notebaert Museum

• The is the museums internationally renowned signature 2,700 square foot greenhouse. Home to more than 1,000 butterflies , the Haven is the perfect tropical retreat.

• Broken Journey: Photography by Art Fox celebrates the beauty and mysteries hidden within nature. By documenting migratory birds whose journeys have been cut short, his work provokes the viewer to be drawn in through beauty and be led toward deeper meanings.

• Beecher Collections Laboratory see scientists engaged in real taxidermy of bison, skunks, coyotes and more.
• Hands-on Habitat: Knee-high naturalists can explore the secret world of animal homes. Adventures include exploring an underground cave, a giant roped spider web and a busy beaver lodge.
• : Watch as Museum scientists and volunteers care for and study the animals that comprise the Museums Living Collection.

• RiverWorks: Splash your way through this exhibit as you discover that only real lazy rivers are the ones you find at water parks. Rivers are natures own flood controls and are filled with species of fish, herons, beavers and painted turtles. Interact with RiverWorks by reversing the flow of the river, turn the river into a lake, build your own dam and even control a water turbine.

• Wilderness Walk: So many different environments are found in Chicago. Walk through a recreation of a prairie, savanna and dune, complete with authentic sounds and preserved animals.

Parking At Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is located in the City of Chicago and this can make parking a little more of a challenge. The first and free option is finding street parking on Cannon or Stockton Drive. You can search the surrounding streets and even across Fullerton Parkway by the Lincoln Park Zoo. We often park by this free zoo and walk through it on our way in and out of the Nature Museum. Its a great way to make it a full day of fun. Learn more about Lincoln Park Zoo with kids here.

Option two is to pay for parking. There is a small Chicago Park District lot located across the street from the Museum at 2431 North Cannon Drive. However, this lot fills up quickly, especially during the summer months. You can also find a few more paid lots if you are willing to walk a bit. Here is a link to a few parking lots in the area.

You could also park in the Lincoln Park Zoo lot which is located at Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive, 2400 North Cannon Drive, ChicagoHere is a link to that parking lot. This is an easy walk to the Museum.

Free Nature Online Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

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Free nature online Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Sign up for daily emails and get a new science class. Were happy to provide you with this new email series, dedicated to a days worth of nature and science facts, activities, guiding questions to ask your kids, and more. Check out the links below for each days theme and activities, and then to receive more.

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At The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum We Believe That Nature And Science Should Be Available To Everyone We Strive To Provide An Accessible Museum Experience For All Guests

Read on for information about available accommodations, general resources, and more information on making a request.

Plan Your Visit

Parking and TransportationA limited number of wheelchair accessible parking spots are located near the front entrance on Cannon Drive. If you are driving and would like to drop off a passenger, you may use the bus turnaround near our front entrance. The Nature Museum is also located near several CTA stops. More information can be found on the Directions page.

EntryAll guests should enter through the front entrance located on Cannon Drive. The entrance is wheelchair accessible and is equipped with activation push buttons.

Personal Care PartnersVisitors with severe disabilities may be accompanied by paid personal care partners at no additional cost during their visit to the Nature Museum. This applies to all ticketed events, admission, and special events that the visitor is attending. This also applies to membership, complimentary admission, and group sales.

Amenities

Elevators/StairsAll exhibits and levels are accessible to wheelchair-users and visitors who need to avoid stairs. Our passenger elevator is wheelchair, walker, and stroller accessible.

General Resources

American Sign Language InterpretersAmerican Sign Language interpreters can be arranged at no additional charge for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing. We request two weeks notice to make arrangements. To request this service, please contact us by emailing .

Maps

Membership To Peggy Notebaert

If you plan to visit a couple times a year, you might consider buying a Membership. Some great perks are free admission everyday, free coat check, and free stroller check. I love the stroller check. Its a great option when you have a long walk to the car but dont want to be burdened with a stroller while visiting the museum. The other added bonus is reciprocal admission to 300 other museums around the world.

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Free Thursdays Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

The museums mission is to teach the importance of nature and science.At 73,000 square feet its much more manageable than other Chicago museums. It has an interesting array of all things nature. On free day you have access to the entire museum. If the weather is nice consider walking through the surrounding gardens.

How To Reach The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

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Fancy a good night’s sleep after a tiring day? Check out where to stay in Chicago and book an accommodation of your choice.

• The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Address: 2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614, United States, 60614
• The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Contact Number: +1-7737555100
• The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Timing: 09:00 am – 05:00 pm
• The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Price: 9 USD
• Best time to visit The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
• Time required to visit The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum: 01:30 Hrs
• Try the best online travel planner to plan your travel itinerary!

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How Does Spothero Work

SpotHero is a parking reservation service. We partner with different facilities nationwide to provide you with tons of parking options and premium rates.

While SpotHero does not own or operate any of these locations, we do work very closely with the operators we partner with to ensure you have a seamless parking experience every time you park!

Butterfly Exhibit And More

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has 10 different exhibits plus the outside nature trails. Let me highlight a few of my kids favorites that I think your kids will love too.

Walkthrough the fantastic world of butterflies in this 2,700 square foot tropical greenhouse filled with more than 1,000 butterflies. Children will be immersed in colorful butterflies and exotic birds. Even more exciting is that children can watch museum staff release new butterflies into the exhibit every day. This was really fun to see!

Riverworks

This cool water table exhibit is not your typical water play. Kids will get to build dams, learn about the Chicago locks, control water turbines, and change the flow of the river. I found this area great for all ages as younger kids can splash around while older ones enjoy building and learning Chicagos water systems.

Tip: There are no water smocks so I would go to this exhibit at the end of your visit and bring a change of clothes.

Mysteries of the Marsh

In this exhibit, kids will get to visit their living collection of reptiles, amphibians, and various invertebrates. There are seven different types of wetlands represented here. What I liked about this exhibit is the reptiles are easy for all age kids to view up close.

Tip: The kids can watch an animal feeding in this area every day. Check the daily schedule for times. The last time we were there, we got to watch the turtles being fed up close.

Hands-On Habitat

Wilderness Walk

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Final Nature Museum Tips

Coat Check Coat Check costs 50 cents and is located at the entrance of the museum. If you plan to go in the winter, I think its worth the 50 cents to not have to lug around all your kids, coats.

Bathrooms The bathrooms are pretty spread out so just keep this in mind if you have a newly potty trained child.

Crowds It tends to be less crowded in the afternoon after groups leave and little kids nap.

Explore Lincoln Park Take advantage of finding parking in Lincoln Park and take time to explore the outdoor Nature Trails and visit Lincoln Park Zoo. The museum only takes 2-3 hours so use the rest of the day to have a city adventure.

Age Range Wondering whats a good age to take kids here? I think a range of children can find things to do here due to the different levels of learning. However, I do think it is more for younger kids. I would suggest age 12 and younger.

I hope you are now prepared for a great day out at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. You will not regret exploring this amazing nature museum and Chicago attraction with your kids. Its sure to be a fun-filled family day out.

Do you have any questions or great tips? Please leave them in the comments I love to hear from my readers. Want to get more great family travel ideas, easy meals, household hacks and more? Join the Happy Mom Hacks Community and receive our weekly newsletter to keep you up to date. Bonus youll get a free printable Family Travel Checklist.

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Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Reopening

• Cost $33m. $10M Funded by the Chicago Park District $20m from fundraising
• The building was designed by Ralph Johnson who designed the International Terminal at Ohare and the Oceanarium at the Shedd Aquarium.
• The only museum specializing in the natural history and ecology of the Midwest.

• 6.35-acre site provided by the Chicago Park District
• Five areas of outdoors a pond and woodland edge, a prairie, a deep-shaded woods and a ravine community with limestone outcroppings.

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Free Days

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Free Days

Where: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 North Cannon Drive, 773-755-5191.When: Free day is Thursday for Illinois residents. Suggested donation days for Illinois residents are: November 11, 18, 2021. Hours: 10AM-4PM

The museum is currently open: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 10am-4pm during July and August with a return to regular hours projected for early in September. Rules and regulations

The museums mission is to teach the importance of nature and science. At 73,000 square feet its much smaller and more manageable than other Chicago museums.

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The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

4.6Currently Open

A nature museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum was founded in the year 1857. Exhibits and collections include specimens of reptiles such as snakes and lizards, amphibians such as frogs, toads and salamanders, insects such as moths, butterflies and beetles. Displays related to Earth Science include fossils and precious gems and rocks. The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is a must visit for people who love nature and want to know more about it.

Update On Private Events

The Nature Museum and Calihan Catering are no longer accepting any new bookings for private events at the Nature Museum building. For many years, the Nature Museum has been one of Chicagos premiere rental venues welcoming weddings, parties, groups, and birthdays in an unmatched natural setting.

We are foremost a museum and educational institution, and following an extended closure of our museum building during the pandemic, we are focusing our resources on prioritizing and strengthening our core mission fostering connections to nature and science by welcoming visitors to our Museum building, supporting science education in Chicagoland classrooms, and connecting with audiences across the country with engaging digital resources.

We are continuing to honor all existing private event bookings, but will not be accepting any new bookings, contracts, or inquiries. If you have any questions, please contact us via the form below.

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Parking Near Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

With the help of SpotHero, enjoy the convenience of booking a parking spot ahead of time, ensuring you have a space waiting for you when you get to Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

To get started, select the timeframe you wish to book parking for, find your ideal spot on the map, and head to checkout to complete your reservation!

Free Lectures Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

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Free lectures Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Where: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 North Cannon Drive, 773-755-5191. Free admission to lecture includes museum access. All presentations include museum exploration starting at 6pm, with the evenings presentation beginning at 6:30pm. A cash bar will be available. Read on to learn more and reserve your spot.

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What If I Have Another Question

You can check out our FAQ page to see if something has already been asked.

Our Customer Heroes are here to help, as well. If you would like to report an issue please reach out to our Hero team either by phone , or email for a prompt resolution.

Please note If you have already made a reservation, please have either the Rental ID number or the email address you used to book handy to help us quickly locate your information.

Free Days & Admission To Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Free Days

I love that Chicago Museums offer free days and I try to take advantage of as many of them as possible. Every Thursday, the Peggy Notebaert offers Illinois residents a suggested donation day. So, it is not totally free but you can throw in a couple bucks for your whole family vs. the higher daily rate. The nice part about it being offered every week is that its not as crowded as other Chicago Museums on free days.

Admissions

As of January 2019 here are the admission prices at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

$9 for adults $7 for students and seniors $6 for children ages 3 12 Free for children under 3

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Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is a natural history museum located in Chicago, Illinois and operated by the Chicago Academy of Sciences. The museum traces its history to the founding of the Academy in 1857. After a century at a nearby location, the Academy opened its present museum named for benefactor Peggy Notebaert in 1999 at the intersection of Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park. The institution focuses on the natural history of the Chicago region, and offers educational programs for children and adults. It is also known for its live butterfly house, which is attached to a laboratory and program to study and enhance Chicago area butterfly populations.

Do I Have To Enter And Exit At Exactly The Time Listed On My Reservation

Similar to how a hotel reservation works, you can enter at any time after the start time listed on your SpotHero reservation, and you can depart at any time prior to the end time listed on your reservation.

For example, if your reservation goes from 8 am to 8 pm, you can enter any time after 8 am, and must leave anytime before 8 pm. Please be aware that any time spent parked outside of your reservation is subject to a ticket, tow, or an additional charge from the parking facility.

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Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Free Fishing Classes

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Free fishing classes

When: July 22, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 2021 11:00AM-1:00PM This program is weather permitting.

Where: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 North Cannon Drive, 773-755-5191. North Pond Casting Pier. The pier is located directly behind the museum on the south end of North Pond.

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum skilled and friendly volunteers will be outside on the North Pond Casting Pier to teach both spin and fly casting to participants of all ages. Participation is on a first come, first serve basis and volunteers always do their best to accommodate everyone depending on demand. In keeping with current Nature Museum policies, masks are required to participate in this program. Sanitizer will also be available for participants.

This is not a drop off program all children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.