With a variety of programming to choose from, visiting the Museum with a group is easier than ever before.
From our interpretive Nature Trails outside the Museum to more than 30,000 square feet of exhibition space within the Museum, our unique mix of living, preserved, and non-living collections engages visitors of all ages for the perfect Chicago museum experience!
In-person field trips to the Nature Museum are currently unavailable as a result of our building closure. Our educators are ready and available to bring field trip programming and more to your classroom virtually. Click here to get the conversation started.
Group Visit Pricing
Group rates are given for all groups of 10 or more, seven days a week – including Thursdays, our Suggested Donation Day. Groups wishing to visit on a Thursday must register at least two weeks in advance.
Group rates apply to preschools not located within an Illinois elementary school, daycares, after school programs, school summer sessions, non-Chicago Park Districts, scout groups not taking a scout workshop, colleges/universities, and pre-registered groups of 10 or more paying visitors.
Interested in registering a senior group visit? Click here to learn more about our offerings.
| Adults (Ages 23-59) | $7.00 |
| Seniors (Ages 60+) | $5.50 |
| Students (Ages 13-22) | $5.50 |
| Children (Ages 3-12) | $4.50 |
| Children (Under 3) | Free |
*Students and adults visiting from DePaul University received free general admission.
All chaperones and group leaders attending a group visit will be charged the group rate. The Museum recommends a 1:5 (grades PK-3/ages 0-9) and 1:10 (grades 4-12/ages 10-17) adult:student ratio.
Home School Groups
Group rates do not apply to verified Illinois Home School Groups. Free admission is given to Home School Groups of three or more students that submit verification of home school status before submitting a group visit request. Please click here for more information.
Birthday party groups are not eligible for group rates and must register through Private Events. For information on birthday parties at the Museum please click here.
Enhance Your Visit
Add a Field Trip Workshop
Enhance your group’s Nature Museum experience by participating in one of our popular, hands-on workshops during your field trip. Choose from our 15 workshops created for Pre-K through High School groups that use unique museum resources to teach relevant science and nature content. All workshops are taught by Museum Educators and are correlated with the Next Generation Science Standards.
Themed Field Trips
Looking to focus your group visit? We offer you a choice of four free themes to attach to your group visit. These themes will provide your groups with a focus while traveling through our permanent, temporary and outdoor exhibits. Groups will be given a custom-themed tour card for their self-guided tour. Choices include Insects & More, Midwest Ecosystems, Conservation, and Collections & Specimens.
Adopt-A-Butterfly
Make your field trip visit unforgettable by releasing a butterfly for its very first flight. For $10 per class, each class will be able to adopt a butterfly that has just emerged from its chrysalis and is ready to be released into the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven!
Arrival and Check-in
When your bus arrives, it will pull into the turn-around directly in front of the Museum. One of our staff members will greet your bus and provide the Museum rules to your group, while the lead teacher from each school enters the Museum to check in and receive your group’s tour cards.
In order to ensure that our visitors have the opportunity to explore the Museum fully, school groups will be divided by class into lettered groups (A, B, C, etc.). We will provide one tour card to the leader of each lettered group. These custom tour cards provide an outline for your trip and also include specific times and locations for lunches and workshops. Click here for a sample tour card.
Your classes will then be led off the bus and organized into letter groups by class, each with their own tour card. Once organized, your group will be moved inside to drop off lunches and coats. If you have requested a lunch space, each lettered group’s lunch time and location will appear on their tour card. We ask that you bring lunches in small, recyclable brown paper bags. We will bring them to the lunch room at your assigned lunch time. Please do not call ahead for lunch times.
Once those have been dropped off, a staff member will escort you to your first exhibit or workshop, and your Museum exploration will begin!
Request a Field Trip
Reserve your space today! Click one of the buttons below to begin filling out the Field Trip Request Form. Please only submit one request per field trip. If you are planning multiple field trips – either on more than one day or a morning and afternoon visit – you must fill out a separate request for each. Before requesting a visit, please click here to review the Payment & Cancellation Policies.
Please note: field trip registration is currently unavailable.
After you’ve submitted a request form, we will process your request within five business days. Once we’ve booked your field trip, we will send you a confirmation packet via email. Your field trip is not confirmed until you’ve received this email. After five days, if you have not received an email please email groups@naturemuseum.org to check on the status of your request.
Anything Else?
Please visit our Field Trip FAQs for answers to common questions. If you need further assistance, please email groups@naturemuseum.org.
Do you ever wonder how a butterfly gets its colors? Or how turtles hibernate? Do you wonder how birds know where to migrate each year? For over 160 years, the Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has served a unique role in the city of Chicago connecting children of all ages to nature and science through immersive exhibits, fun family events, important conservation research and in-depth education programs, inspiring the wonder in all of us.