Wonderful museum, helpful and courteous staff, beautiful exhibits, well maintained. It is extremely friendly for kids. I think some exhibits are better for older kids who can read like the "river works" or the "weather to climate" but in general there is something to see and do for all ages. The museum has 3 floors. First floor: River Works exhibit which explains about floods, rivers and dems with wonderful interactive models. This is more suited for older kids so I didn't linger with my young one much there. Mysteries of the Marsh has many live turtles, and some snakes and toads. There are also some events (like feeding) going on from time to time. It's a great opportunity to show the kids those animals up close. Nature Lunch Box is an indoor area where you can eat with large round tables. There are many high chairs to use, and some interactive information about nutrition on the walls. The rest of the exhibits on that floor where renovated when we were there. Second floor: Judy Istock Butterfly Haven exhibit, probably the most popular one, which is an enclosed area you can walk/seat in with various butterfly species flying around. Very cool experience. There is also a window to see the different cacoons and other information about butterflies and moths. The Wilderness Walk is next to the butterfly haven and has 3 sceneries of the historical nature areas of Chicago. Each scenery background is beautifully drawn and with the addition of the sounds and animal taxidermy creates a unique experience. There are many other animal taxidermy with information around that exhibition. Parallel to the wilderness walk there is the Weather to Climate exhibit which is more suited for older kids so I didn't linger much there either. At the northern part of that floor there is a nice little playground. It has a small structure with a slide and tunnels, two tents, animals fur station and a half a boat with some handles and wheels to pull and play with. Third floor: Accessible only through the elevators (next to the building entrance), the third floor features a hallway leading to an open roof with a path viewing the museum area. There are plaques with information about the roof and local birds and some tower-viewer stations.

Being a photographer I am always looking for places to go and take pictures, I have been meaning to check this nature museum for a long time and finally decided that it was time. Today I am going to let my photos do the talking. I hope you find them interesting and decide to take your kids to this place. Highly recommended.

Peggy Notebeart Nature museum, Chicago is interactive exhibits and focus on local ecosystems. Live bufferflies are really attaction for kids. They provide session for kids where kids can observe and learn about insects and small animals that interactive session is really good. Kids also enjoy playing in water here as they have miniature of river where kids can experiment learn how bridges control the water flow in rivers.

This is a great museum mainly because of the wonderful butterfly haven on the 2nd floor and walking trails outside surrounding the museum! They have a release at noon and 2pm indoors on most Thursdays which are also sometimes free admission days as well! Parking in the area is metered, hard time finding free parking and if you do you might have to walk a few blocks. I didn't give 5 stars only because I think overall this small museum (2 floors only) is more geared toward kids. But I highly recommend checking out the butterflies! So many sizes and colors! Beautiful! Lincoln Park zoo and Alfred Lily Pond are also great scenic places to visit and across the street 5 min away.

Love this place! Some changes due to covid, but the kids always enjoy our yearly visit. Buy your tickets online and arrive early to find really good parking. The butterflies are of course the main attraction and are always an awesome experience.

The butterfly habitat was wonderful to sit in and enjoy on a very cold winter day. There's a beautiful waterfall and several benches so you can sit and relax. The other exhibits included some cool fossils, art, and many reptiles/amphibians. We were there around feeding time so the animals were more active than you'd usually see. There's free street parking. In the winter we had no trouble finding a spot but I bet that's a different story in the warmer months.

The admission was 16.5$ per person which i think is too much for the things you get to see here. If you have kids, definitely take them here. I may have been the only one that did-not go there with a kid 😆. But I enjoy aquatic life and plants, so I was at bliss. Plenty of free street parking on the street. The museum is 3 floors - The first floor mainly contains the glass tanks with fishes, frogs, snakes, etc. The second floor mainly has the Butterfly garden. The third floor has a rooftop for bird watching. The highlight was definitely the butterfly garden. There were so many butterflies in there with a few ground birds. It was just magical. If the butterfly garden wasn’t there, i wouldn’t have enjoyed this place. The museum also has some play areas for kids.

We loved our time at the museum with my 3 year old and 3 week old! It's easy to maneuver around with a stroller and my daughter loved all the butterflies and play areas. I can't wait to go back! We also got to make a day of it and go to the zoo afterwards!

For butterfly lover, it’s a perfect place to spend your day. Here, you can see butterfly of different sizes and colours. Not only butterfly, children can play various mind games and learn ways of clean, renewable electricity generated through visual presentations and recycling through physical learning. There is also a small play area for young ones to have little fun. Not much crowded, but a must visit place for nature lovers.

Unique Butterfly Haven with birds on the 2nd floor..check their release time before going..also there were bugs, turtles, snakes, animals, a water play area, lunchroom, playground… Free street parking, but it can be challenging.

Brought my 3 1/2 year old. Wanting to come for a time now but been going instead to the Lincoln zoo or other Nature centers. We loved the water play and the Playground for toddlers/babies the most. The butterfly area was also great but by the thought of reading the website I mistakenly assumed it to be a huge conservatory filled with butterflies. It is somewhat small especially when there are crowds . 4 stars bec 1. Parking like most of Chicago museums is challenging, most street parking are almost non existent especially when your close to 10-11ish time. We had opportunity to park at the Lincoln zoo barn area but it will be a walk especially when weather is not good,. I am aware there are 2-3 pay parking lots close to the museum. 2. There were 2 events that occupied the possible eating areas inside the museum ( we were there from 10:30- 12:30 ) and the only areas available to sit and eat was at the lobby where there were like 8-10 tables or less . And with a crowd of families with kids who wants to eat/snack where will all they sit? so despite the rules posted that food and drinks are not allowed in certain areas, we had to sit on one of them and feed our son a snack, we just made sure we didn't make a mess. I wish when the museum have functions that occupy the lunch rooms/eating areas they will provide more chairs/tables at the lobby at a weekend wherein crowds of families are visiting. Overall it was a good visit. Paid $38 for 2 adults and 1 child

Loved it! It's not huge, but it's definitely a great place to take your toddlers! They have water tables and reptiles and two different play areas!! My favorite was the butterflies 🦋!!! We had a great time !

Great place to take kids for an afternoon of fun if you can snag the free tickets from the Chicago public library. Kids enjoyed the water tables and the butterfly area the most. A few small critters can also be found on the first floor.

The Judy Istock butterfly haven was beautiful! Other exhibits were interesting, but not as interactive and entertaining. It looks as if they're adding a few new exhibits but there it seems more of a fun place for kids to play and learn (very kid-friendly, with several play areas). Also the air must have been struggling today, because it was kind of sweaty in there. Mike McDonald photography feature was also beautiful.

Lots of places for little kids to play like water activities & jungle gyms so it's a great activity for families! Small indoor butterfly haven was enjoyable to view butterflies in a close setting. I loved that they had a lot of taxidermy birds and butterflies/moths for viewing different species.

I had a wonderful, spontaneous stop at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum on a Sunday afternoon & am glad I decided to go. Most parts of the Museum seem to be designed for kids. But this, especially for a foreigner, has the side-effect of the displayed contents to be illustrated in a way that can easily be understood. I really enjoyed the place and would recommend anyone to plan a stop there. It is insightful & exciting at the same time. :) Thank you!

Always my child's favorite! Looking forward to the new exhibit opening! Parking is public and free, but not readily available. Street parking not being easily available at certain times is typical for this area. I wish the nature museum had a full service restaurant/cafeteria on site! Before COVID, they had a selection of fresh cold foods and snacks which I think is appropriate and good for the space given!

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is a great place for babies, toddlers, and older children. They have interactive areas, a reptile section with turtles, snakes,and even Madagascar hissing cockroaches on the first floor! An interactive water works area, a play area for both babies and toddlers , areas for snacks, and lunch. They have an elevator and entrance that's wheelchair accessible and stroller friendly. The museum has a nature art painting exhibit on the second floor, a second play area, the butterfly exhibit which is fantastic, and a preserved animal section. The entrance fee is normally $16.00 per person excluding infants, although every Thursday the entrance is free for Illinois residents with zip code information. I will say that the busiest days tend to be weekends and Thursdays. I love that it's walking distance from the Lincoln Park zoo, the lakefront and it's accessible by public transportation from all directions with the #76 Diversey bus leaving you in front of the museum and the #151 Sheridan bus just a block away from the museum.

Beautiful museum, loved the butterfly habitat. So well organized, friendly and approachable staff. The museum has exhibits on three floors. There are snakes, frogs, lizards- mysteries of the Marsh on the first floor. There a an demonstrative area showing river works. Also there is a play area for small children and a lunch box room. On the second floor, there is a wilderness walk and the butterfly haven. You can sit and enjoy watching the butterflies. There is a small beautiful waterfall where you can click pictures. Third floor is a open walkway to watch birds. You can reach the third floor using elevators. The museum is well maintained. The museum can be covered in 1-2hours. There are restrooms, a seating area for friends and families. High chairs are also available for small children. Affordable ticket prices, you can buy them at the museum. There is also a free street parking near the museum. We combined our visit with Lincoln park zoo. Overall amazing experience, especially butterflies being the main attraction. Highly recommend visiting this museum atleast once.

Beautiful hidden museum with tons of hands on experiences for all ages. Does offer some free days each month for IL residents!

It is a lovely place to take kids or even go to get cool during the summer months and walk around learning some interesting facts about wildlife. Their butterfly center is gorgeous. If you're lucky, you may even get the chance to see the keepers release newly hatched butterflies into the conservatory. The nature museum also has a considerable number of reptiles and fish for viewing as well.

This place is cute. It's definitely geared more towards young kids, but there are things for everyone. The butterfly room is so beautiful. It was my favorite part of the museum. They also had numerous live reptiles and amphibians.

A perfect place to bring kids. A sensory hands on play area and to be up close and personal with the butterflies is the best. Thursdays are free for families. A nature walk around the pond in the back of the museum is a must.👍👍

We visited with out grandkids, 6 and 5. We combined it with a visit to Lincoln Park Zoo, which is 2 blocks south. They were fascinated with the exhibit about water, in part because of the boat. They also enjoyed the climate change section, primarily because of the opportunity to be the weatherperson on the video screen. Perhaps the best part was the release of the butterflies in the butterfly garden. Worth another visit soon. And, we are able to take the bus--and adventure for them and nice break for Pop.

It's a nice place to visit with family. Kids like it, star attraction is the butterfly room where you can actually be with them. If you are lucky then they May even sit at you and can have photo shoot too. Other then that there is not much to do.

I took my older kids here in the past but I don’t remember seeing the extensive taxidermy that represents IL birds and animals. I loved that and all the changes they’ve made at the museum and may buy an annual membership so I can take my kids to see the butterfly habitat a few more times. Lots to see here and it’s truly a museum, not an overpriced kids’ make-believe play zone like a lot of other “children’s museums” in the Chicagoland area.

Admitting, the exhibits are kind of few in number, although a new one was being added. Favorites are tanks with indigenous wildlife and specimens of preserved animals and scientific equipment. The butterfly garden is a highlight, and has chrysalises sent from around the world to sure they're are butterflies all year round. Also has a maze of paths just outside to observe the wildlife that dwells in this garden spot in the big city.

Great nature museum, lots of educational activities for kids, butterfly garden filled with flying creatures. Good for adults also.

A great hands-on experience for children and adults. Our favorite parts of this Nature Museum are the water exhibit and the butterfly sanctuary. Note: on the weekday this place can get pretty packed since many schools do field trips here. However, if you are a nanny and need something to do, do this! You won't regret it.

Just visited for the first time recently. I will definitely come back soon. In addition to an amazing taxidermy collection, they also have living specimens.

Very cool museum. Lots of animals and educational information about Chicago and Lake Michigan. The butterfly enclosure was our favorite part.

Wonderful Nature Museum . The butterfly garden is amazing.. Such a fun place to explore. Out family very much enjoyed the butterfly exhibit. 🦋

I love this place! Such a magical evening for a wedding I attended on Saturday. The vows were outside, the reception was outside on another floor with the backdrop of the city at night time. Every protocol was taken and the staff is just wonderful from the security to all of the servers. Such a beautiful setting for the Nature Museum. I've been there several times before to experience the butterfly exhibit and it was absolutely wonderful! A must for family and kids, but not necessary to have children with you to appreciate it.

My family enjoyed our visit to this museum and loved the experience releasing butterflies and interacted with different varieties of butterflies in their 🦋 haven.

The butterfly garden is amazing ! A lot of information on birds and insects from Chicagoland and the staff is very friendly.If you are going to visit Lincoln Park Zoo,this Nature Museum is also a must visit !!