What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Name: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Address: 2430 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL, 60614, US
Telephone: (773) 755-5100
Price range: $

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Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

For over 160 years, we have connected the people of Chicago to nature and science.

For over 167 years, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences has been connecting Chicagoans to nature and science. As a leader in the field of scientific research, education and community programming, the Nature Museum aims to inspire nature champions by creating a positive relationship between people and nature through collaboration, education, research and collections, exhibitions and public forums.

08/31/2026

Registration is now open for our Day Off + Winter Camps for the 2026-2027 school year!

Campers will observe the natural world around them, grow their comfort with scientific skills, and explore the outside world around them, all while having a blast! Head to naturemuseum.org/camps to learn more and register your camper!

Our first day off camp is coming up on September 25, so be sure to register your camper today!

08/29/2026

Everyone talks about how cute Bob the Blanding’s turtle is…but he’s so much more than that! 🐢

Bob is a great swimmer, which comes in very handy because Blanding’s are semi-aquatic! 🤿

He’s an expert at staring contests, so if he challenges you to one, don’t take it lightly! 👁️👁️

He’s an excellent animal ambassador! Although Blanding’s turtles are native to Illinois, they’re also an endangered species in Illinois and other Midwestern states. Visitors of all ages have had the chance to meet Bob and, in the process, learn more about his species. 🐢

And he has a great smile! 💚

08/26/2026

🦋 "When I was little I would wander off, chasing butterflies into the woods, so they had to come find me. I always related to them because I felt like they were harmless and they were colorful—kinda like I think that I am. They’re just meant to be mine, I think.” - Dolly Parton

Through her work, including setting up a facility for the American Eagle Foundation in Dollywood, Dolly Parton inspired countless nature champions of all ages. Her love for the natural world, and our beloved butterflies, was clear. In tribute, here are a few of our favorite Dolly outfits along with the incredible creatures that may have inspired them.

🦋 Thank you for everything, Dolly. 🦋

📸 Slide 1: taroman

📸 Slide 2: ronald_olivier

📸 Slide 3: BicBugs

📸 Slide 4: cnagele

📸 Slide 5: gblkrum

📸 Slide 6: soooonchye

📸 Slide 7: phuwarin

📸 Slide 8: j-l-g_1950

08/22/2026

Our next block of Free Days starts Monday! Illinois residents can enjoy free general admission August 24-26!

Head to our site to reserve your tickets online, or get tickets in person with proof of residency.

08/19/2026

Like our insect pinning classes? You'll love the workshops our friend Domingo of RIP Repurposed has planned! They will be hosting three separate workshops over the next few months, giving you lots of chances to explore the art of insect pinning! Check out the details below then head to the links to register!

🦋 9/5 - Insect Pinning: Monarch Butterfly & Chrysalis Vial Making - Celebrate the fall migration of Monarch Butterflies by pinning your own specimen and crafting a Chrysalis Vial! Sign up for just one part of the workshop, or combine both for a fun morning of insect pinning. https://bit.ly/4wW3g2C

🦂 10/24 - Insect Pinning: Tarantula OR Scorpion - Choose between a sustainably sourced tarantula or scorpion to pin in this Arachnid Pinning workshop. Which will you choose? https://bit.ly/4hqmKrn

🪶 12/12 - Tiny Cloche Making Workshop - Celebrate the beauty of nature by crafting a small cloche display out of natural materials! Learn how to build your very own tiny “pocket cloche” using a variety of organic materials, including dried florals, insect specimens like butterfly wings and other assorted bug parts, tiny animal bones, molts, feathers, mushrooms, and more! https://bit.ly/4bHF1wH

08/16/2026

🦋 Allow us to interrupt your scrolling for this moment of zen with our beloved monarch butterfly.

Have we grabbed your attention? Great! Because Flutter into Fall is just around the corner! 🍂

Our annual celebration of monarch butterflies will be on Saturday, September 5, and you're invited! Join us for a morning of monarch tagging, live dance, crafts, and more as we mark the beginning of the annual monarch migration to the Oyamel fir forest in Mexico. We'll have special First Flight Butterfly Releases, programming from our friends at the National Museum of Mexican Art and Trickster Cultural Center, a performance by Xochitl-Quetzal Aztec Dance company, and more! Head to the link to grab your tickets! https://bit.ly/3UtrtPo

08/12/2026

💅 Kinda chic to encourage native gardening. 🌱

🪴 Native gardening prioritizes, you guessed it, native plants. These are plant species that have grown naturally in a region for thousands of years, adapting to the local climate, soil, and wildlife. They are deeply intertwined with local pollinators, insects, and animals, with many of those species depending on them for food and shelter.

Want to embrace native gardening next year? Stop by the Nature Museum and check out From Seed to Sanctuary: Native Gardening in the Midwest by Nature Museum Graphic Designer Tara Preston! Learn all about host plants, growing zones, flower lifecycles, and more to enhance your native gardening.

Pssst... A little bird told us you can even buy some of Tara's works in the Museum Store, but you'll have to stop by to see them for yourself!

08/07/2026

🪲 Meet the beetles! ...and the butterflies, and the moths, and more!

🐞 Bugapalooza, our annual celebration of all things arthropod, returns this Sunday, August 9! Guests of all ages are invited to join us starting at 1pm for the chance to meet a variety of live insects, get up close to specimens from our preserved collections, see insect pinning demonstrations, hear live local music, and so much more!

🦋 Fly over to the link to grab your family's tickets! https://bit.ly/3TaltdH

08/04/2026

🌱 Sprout change in your community while you get the inside scoop on our local food system!

Join us for our Fall 2026 Food Sustainability Leadership Training to examine food access, sustainable agriculture, how you can support Chicago’s growing urban agriculture and food rescue initiatives, and more. Attend a FREE info session to learn more!

🪴 Information Session Dates:

-Tuesday, September 8 at 12:00pm (online via Zoom)
-Thursday, September 10 at 6:00pm (in person at the Nature Museum, accompanied with a Happy Hour)
-Tuesday, September 15 at 6:00pm (online via Zoom)
-Friday, September 18 at 12:00pm (online via Zoom)

Head to naturemuseum.org/c3 to get the details & RSVP!

08/01/2026

🏛️ NOW OPEN - Dragonflies & Damselflies: Aquatic and Aerial Hunters

☁️ Dragonflies and damselflies are a common sight flying near Chicago lakes and ponds during the summer months, but did you know that they spend part of their lives living in the water?

🔬 Learn the differences and similarities between the two, see preserved specimens up close, discover their complex life cycles, and more. You're sure to leave with a new appreciation for these high-flying hunters!

Address

2430 North Cannon Drive
Chicago, IL
60614

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

(773) 755-5100

Website

http://www.naturemuseum.org/

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