Best museums in Chicago

Written by:
May 3, 2019
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Best museums in Chicago

The United States is home to more than 35,000 museums, according to data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. These cultural strongholds run the gamut of natural history, world wars, art, and even children's books.

While some fancy a trip to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. or the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, others like to cozy up in a corner and read the Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, Mass. How does one define a museum?

Early museums housed private collections curated by individuals, while today's museums—many of them major tourist attractions—are filled with art, history, science, artifacts, fossils, historical documents, and some curious collections. Along with exhibitions of art, history, and science, Stacker unearthed museums filled with bananas, popcorn, and some very odd stuff.

Have you ever checked out the museums in your area? To determine the best museums in Chicago, Stacker turned to data from Foursquare (data current as of April 19, 2019). All museums were ranked by Foursquare's algorithm, which predicts the "best" museums based on combined factors of the number of check-ins, rating signals, category matches, tips, and photo trends to determine the top-ranked museum for every state. Click through this gallery to find out which are the best museums Chicago has to offer.

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#10. Sue The T. Rex

- Address: 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive (at the Field Museum)
- Foursquare rating: 9.0
- See more on Sue The T. Rex
 

#9. Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House

- Address: 5757 S. Woodlawn Ave.
- Foursquare rating: 9.0
- See more on Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House
 

#8. Chicago Children's Museum

- Address: 700 E. Grand Ave. (at Streeter Drive)
- Foursquare rating: 9.0
- See more on Chicago Children's Museum
 

#7. Chicago History Museum

- Address: 1601 N. Clark St. (at North Avenue)
- Foursquare rating: 9.0
- See more on Chicago History Museum
 

#6. Leather Archives & Museum

- Address: 6418 N. Greenview Ave. (at W. Devon Avenue)
- Foursquare rating: 9.1
- See more on Leather Archives & Museum
 

#5. DuSable Museum of African American History

- Address: 740 E. 56th Place (at S. Cottage Grove Avenue)
- Foursquare rating: 9.2
- See more on DuSable Museum Of African American History
 

#4. The Field Museum

- Address: 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive (at McFetridge Drive)
- Foursquare rating: 9.4
- See more on The Field Museum
 

#3. Museum of Science and Industry

- Address: 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive (at 57th Drive)
- Foursquare rating: 9.4
- See more on Museum of Science and Industry
 

#2. The Oriental Institute

- Address: 1155 E. 58th St. (between Woodlawn Avenue and University Avenue)
- Foursquare rating: 9.5
- See more on The Oriental Institute
 

#1. The Art Institute of Chicago

- Address: 111 S. Michigan Ave. (between Monroe Street and Jackson Drive)
- Foursquare rating: 9.6
- See more on The Art Institute of Chicago
 

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