One of the best spots at Mag Mile to view the Skyline. It is surprising how too few people know that there an Whole Museum inside the southwest Bridgehouse ( the one near LondonHouse) . The BridgeHouse Museum gives you a great insight on the history of the city and the Chicago river and also the historic significance of the museum. Also , from the top floor , you get to see one the rarest point of view of the traffic and all those people below.

Interesting place to explore and learn a bit of history of Chicago.

Vertical history at its finest. Take a trip from the stygian depths of the gear room, where the massive counterweight sits poised to descend below the waters of the Chicago river, to 5 stories above. A history of the development of Chicago from water level is delivered via pithy quotes from contemporary visitors to the boggy swamps that were soon supplanted by the developing and drier city reaching for the skies. It's a vertical museum and the space is limited. There are a lot of stairs. The surprising views from the tiny windows throughout are a delight.

Sweet, little museum with a lot of heart! A good way to spend a half hour learning about the river and its conservation.

What a very cool museum! I've walked by here so many time. I recommend talking the time to visit this museum and to take a peek at the gears that move the bridge

Very interesting insight into the history of the chicago River. Fascinating looking at the machinery. Reasonable entry fee for seniors. 5 flights of stairs no elevator so be prepared! Worth the effort!

Chanced upon this museum on the Riverwalk and paid $5 --$4 for students-- to get out of the sun. Was surprised by how fascinating, and yet simple, the technical explanations of the bridge mechanics were, and the old electronics that were on display. But what really made this museum unexpectedly wonderful was how it explained the entire history of Chicago through a very unique lens. Definitely a bit of a hidden gem.

Stairs Stairs Stairs! Thankfully there are seats on every level. Great mini museum if you need to fill time while waiting. No elevators so not wheelchair friendly or people who have mobility issues. The views are worth the huff and puff. The entrance is on the River walk on the southwest side of the bridge.

I mean why wouldn't you want to see the inside of a Chicago river bridge house? The museum is the bonus. If you are on the Riverwalk and the museum is open you should do this. Just remember that there is no elevator and it's mostly a stairwell kind of thing.

Amazing experience to walk threw the bridge tower and below the the bridge to see how the bridge works. It's free on sundays.

It's a must visit when it is open. Gives a history of the Chicago River and how it has changed over the years. Reflecting on the rivers many, many uses to the surrounding area. It also offers some amazing framed views of the area through it windows.

It’s cheap and quick, but not very exciting to be honest. As you walk through the tower, you see a lack of maintenance. Dust, spider webs, broken exhibits, etc. It seems like whoever is running this museum hasn’t actually walked through it in quite some time. Anyway, get your tickets on Groupon for a discount and only go here if you’re ok with climbing lots of stairs. Wouldn’t really recommend it, but if you’re bored, give it a shot.

Interesting little museum that gives you some insight into the development and reclamation of the river and an up close look at the bridge machinery. A very worthwhile 30 - 40 minutes (if you read everything!)

Wonderful gem of a museum. See the bridge mechanism and 5 floors of the tower full of river and water related history. Most excellent. It is free, so pay it forward and donate a few bucks.

Cool little museum with some outstanding history. You could easily kill 30 minutes in here and it’d be worth it. The machinery required to lift the bridges is just spectacular, I kinda wish it was lit better. Still, fantastic place. If it’s open, stop in.

It was free and quick. Nice to see the gear, but it was just that: big gears. A very cool concept of the building and the plaques were informative, but not much in the actual building. Would have liked to see more actual artifacts and less boards. Don't come with high expectations and you will not be disappointed.

This is a nice museum. This bridge house has five floors, with a different theme for each floor. The first floor is home to exhibits that explain how the terrain of the Chicago area was shaped, and the lifts that lift up the DuSable Drawbridge, which was really cool to see. The second floor has exhibits explaining the history of Native Americans in Chicago and the first Europeans arriving to Chicago. The third floor explains what Chicago was like in the 1800s and the construction of bridges across the Chicago River and the beginning of its pollution. The fourth floor had exhibits about the pollution of the Chicago River and what was done dato fix it. The fifth floor has exhibits about how clean the Chicago River is today and information about what the Friends of the Chicago River Organization (which runs the museum) is doing to keep the River clean. I gave this museum five stars because it was very cool to see the lifts beneath the DuSable Bridge along with old bridge operating equipment on the third floor. Considering the price of things in Chicago, the $8 admission fee is a pretty good deal.

My son went for his field trip and loved the experience

Interesting history of Chicago bridges and nice views from the top floor. It’s reasonably priced but has very limited exhibits. You can probably tour the whole tower in < 20-30 minutes

Great little museum on the riverwalk. The exhibition is limited but definitely worth the ticket price. Seeing the interior of the bridge and the history of the river is very interesting.

I was able to experience the museum today and it was so nice! It's wasn't busy at all which gave us plenty of space and privacy to shoot some awesome photos in the rooms. The sparkle room was absolutely amazing and I didn't want to leave the room. Definitely a fun place to check out if you're in IL!

Visited during the Chicago Architecture Open House Weekend. History of the Chicago river creation, WQ pollution, and then cleanup was very interesting. Also really impressive to see the draw bridge works that include motor, gear assemblies, and large reinforced concrete counterweight. Great 360 degree views of the City from the 5th floor.

It was interesting 🤓 it was cool that they open a museum like this and it gives a chance to see inside 😃🤓

Such a great exhibit. The story of the river’s life is well told and the seeing the bridge mechanism was impressive! Being located right on the River Walk at the Michigan Ave Bridge is so convenient. So nice that it is only $5 admission. Definitely recommend!

Pretty cool place to just chill!

Super fun tucked away little museum and costs almost nothing to visit!

Small museum w informative signs and nice views from its upper stories

My favorite sort of museum is the sort that both curates history and IS a piece of living history itself. The Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum fulfills both of these criteria. As both a history major and lifelong Chicagoan I still learned an enormous amount of things I'd never known before, especially about the ecology of the river. Seeing the gears on the bottom floor is fascinating and the view from the top floor is spectacular. Our tour guide was supremely informative, engaging, and enthusiastic, providing detailed answers to every question we asked. I still wouldn't go swimming in the Chicago River but now I feel safe knowing I won't get toxic waste poisoning if I accidentally fell in. I went while still on crutches from a hip injury, and while the stairs were a bit of a challenge there were plenty of places to sit and rest on each floor of the museum. A great place to bring a friend from out of town and to explore at any time!