Located along the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, the Field Museum is a destination for natural history exhibits, research, and education.
The museum’s current building opened in 1921, but its origins trace back to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. This international fair featured thousands of displays from around the world, including natural specimens and cultural objects. When the fair ended, many of these items remained in Chicago and formed the foundation of what was then known as the Field Columbian Museum. Today, the museum’s collection has grown to nearly 40 million artifacts and specimens, including fossils, meteorites, plant specimens, insects, and gemstones.
The Field Museum operates as an active research centre, where scientists study the collection, identify new species, and contribute to conservation efforts. In addition to research, the museum supports education and public engagement through exhibitions and programmes that explore both the natural world and human history.
Exhibition spaces are organized to present both scientific research and public interpretation, combining traditional displays with interactive and multimedia elements. Galleries are periodically updated to reflect ongoing research, allowing returning visitors to encounter new material alongside long-standing installations.
From May 22, 2026, to April 11, 2027, the museum hosts the Pokémon Fossil Museum for its North American debut. The installation compares Fossil Pokémon such as Tyrantrum and Archeops with real fossils, including SUE the Tyrannosaurus rex, highlighting similarities in structure, classification, and interpretation.
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