Founded in 1857, the Chicago Academy of Sciences was the first museum in Chicago, and is the only museum to specialize in the ecology and natural history of the Midwest. The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum opened in October 1999. The Nature Museum offers daily programs, events, and activities that help people discover the science of nature and the nature of science. Interactive and permanent exhibits include:

C. Paul Johnson Family Water Lab
Explore the ecology of urban river systems, river hydrology and water chemistry. Learn about the effects of erosion, and make it happen at the stream table.

City Science
Learn about the urban ecosystem- plants, animals, and other organisms that co-habitate with us. Learn how we affect nature and how nature affects us.

Children's Gallery
Kids ages 3-8 can learn while playing in two native midwestern environments- a wetland and a prairie.

Wilderness Walk
Look at the past and present ecology of the Midwest and see how human settlement has changed the landscape.

Judy Istock Butterfly Haven
Walk through a year-round habitat for hundreds of native Midwestern and international butterflies and learn about butterfly biology.

Educational Outreach
Over the past five years, the Academy has worked in more than one quarter of Chicago's Public Schools. The Nature Museum continues to offer the public scientific learning programs for adults and children. Our Internet learning programs reach students, teachers, and families across the state and around the world.

Visit the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum web site