October 22, 2010 – March 6, 2011

Known as one of the rarest and most prized minerals in the world, gold has captured the world’s fascination for centuries. Discover its natural beauty, scientific value and its power to shape history as you explore a dramatic array of gold objects.

October 1, 2010 — April 3, 2011

Travel to distant corners of the globe to discover the fragile beauty of four isolated Arctic towns. These towns are among the first to experience the powerful effects of climate change. Young teens from these communities have documented these changes to create The Field Museum’s newest exhibition, Portraits of Resilience.

February 12, 2010 – January 3, 2011

Featuring two-dozen examples, selected from over 7,000 items in The Field Museum’s collections, discover the artistry and intricacy of Chinese rubbings.

July 30, 2010 – January 2, 2011

Find your inner scientist as you explore the exhibition, The Romance of Ants, and discover things you never thought you’d be interested in. Get a rare look at the life of Field Museum scientist Dr. Corrie Moreau, and learn how her childhood love for insects spurred a career dedicated to researching ants.

Africa
Gain insight into the cultures and environments of the vast African continent.

Animal Biology
How does a species become endangered? What is variation? Consider these and other issues in biology.

Bird Habitats
A birdwatcher's paradise of peacocks, penguins, quetzals, weavers . . . You can study them to your heart's content.

Bushman
Meet the piercing gaze of one of the most popular primates ever, a lowland gorilla who once lived at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Lions of Tsavo
Stand toe-to-paw with the lions that terrorized East Africa a century ago. (Where are their manes? You'll find out!)

Mammals of Africa
Stroll among Africa’s mammals, with everything from aardvarks to zebras.

Mammals of Asia
Watch giant pandas, Bengal tigers, a leopard and many other Asian mammals in lifelike habitat settings.

Man-eater of Mfuwe
Look into the eyes of the largest man-eating lion on record.

Messages from the Wilderness
Discover how all living things are linked in nature.

Nature Walk
Follow a nature trail through prairies, wetlands, woodlands, and ocean shores to discover the wonders of the wild.

North American Birds
Step inside 3-D field guide to learn more about your favorite birds, and discover a whole flock of new ones!

Plants of the World
Marvel at world-famous plant models, from algae to orchids. You won't believe these are models crafted from glass and wax!

Reptiles and Amphibians
Satisfy your curiosity about these often-misunderstood animals. Discover beauty in the pattern of a snake's skin, or admire the strength of a turtle's shell.

Sea Mammals
See how seals, otters, walruses and others are equipped for life in water.

Underground Adventure
Enter a whole new world - the soil beneath your feet. Find out how life underground sustains the life above it - and why it matters to us.

What Is an Animal?
Explore what makes an animal an animal. See what animals look like, where they live, how they survive and more.

World of Birds
Why do peacocks have such long tails? How does a pelican use its pouch? Why do mockingbirds mock?

World of Mammals
Bounders and burrowers, swimmers and swingers, creepers and crawlers-here you'll meet mammals of all kinds.

Earth Sciences
Uncover the basics about rocks, minerals, and other earthly structures-even one that dropped in from outer space!

Grainger Gallery
Enjoy the sheer beauty of stunning Museum treasures.

Grainger Hall of Gems
Dazzle your eyes with all that glitters and then some! Marvel at gleaming gems, sparkling diamonds--even a Tiffany stained-glass window.

Hall of Jades
See why people in China have treasured jade for more than eight thousand years.

Evolving Planet
Take an awe-inspiring journey through 4 billion years of life on Earth.

McDonald's Fossil Preparation Laboratory
Watch as fossilized bones are readied for scientific study.

Moving Earth
The plates of Earth's crust are always on the move. Discover how and why--and what happens when they collide.

Traveling the Pacific
Find out what life on a picture-postcard beach is really like.

Africa

• Africa
  Gain insight into the cultures and environments of the vast African continent.
  
  
• • Inside Ancient Egypt
    Unlock the secrets of tombs, mummies, marshes and more.
    
    
  •    The Americas
    
    • Eskimos and Northwest Coast Indians
      Compare life in the Arctic with that along a temperate coast, and see how these environments led to two unique cultures.
      
      
    • The Ancient Americas
      Follow the epic tale of the peopling of the Americas, featuring artifacts from the Hopewell, the Maya, the Inca, the mammoth hunters of North America, and many others.
      
      
    • Pawnee Earth Lodge
      Explore this full-scale reconstruction of a traditional Pawnee lodge, a fully furnished Native American dwelling that brings to life the traditional ways of this Great Plains tribe.
      
      
    • Webber Gallery
      Discover contemporary Native American cultures.
      
      
       Asia and the Pacific
    
    • The Art Lacquer of Japan
      Marvel at detailed lacquerware that takes years to create.
      
      
    • China
      View objects from daily and ceremonial life, including musical instruments, puppets, bronzes and pottery.
      
      
    • Hall of Jades
      Relax in this peaceful space as you marvel at the wonders human hands can create from these tough gemstones.
      
      
    • Pacific Spirits
      Consider Pacific peoples' beliefs about religion, warfare and ancestors.
      
      
    • Maori Meeting House
      Ruatepupuke II Visit this exquisitely carved structure said to embody the beloved ancestor whose name it bears.
      
      
    • Tibet
      Explore items relating to the religion, art and daily life of people who live at the highest inhabited altitude on Earth.
      
      
    • Traveling the Pacific
      Find out what life on a picture-postcard beach is really like.
      
      
       Global Themes
    
    • Grainger Gallery
      Enjoy the sheer beauty of stunning Museum treasures.
      
      
    • Malvina Hoffman Bronze Sculptures
      In 1930 the Museum commissioned Hoffman to create these sculptures, which depict people from around the world.
      
      

The Field Museum's entomologists have accumulated one of the largest collections of insects in the Western Hemisphere. The Museum's collection is expanding constantly through field work, purchases, and donations. Some of the most remarkable specimens-along with fascinating collectors' stories-are presented in the Small Treasures gallery. Come and see giant beetles and butterflies, 40 million-year-old insects in amber, and other wonders.

Insects: 105 Years of Collecting is free with regular Museum admission.

September 15, 2010 — September 18, 2011

For centuries, Mexican artists have created nacimientos, or nativity scenes, with materials and symbols that reflect their own cultures and times.

Explore the complex and unique melding of pre-Hispanic and Catholic traditions represented by these compelling and colorful nativity scenes of animals, angels, and expressive figures from across Mexico. In crafting scenes from painted ceramic, corn husks, woven palm fronds, and fired clay, artists celebrate the birth of Jesus and reflect a legacy of Indigenous artistic and ritual practices.

PERMANENT EXHIBITS

The Ancient Americas

Enter The Ancient Americas and journey through 13,000 years of human ingenuity and achievement in the western hemisphere.

Evolving Planet

Evolving Planet takes visitors on an awe-inspiring journey through 4 billion years of life on Earth, from single-celled organisms to towering dinosaurs and our extended human family.

Sue on the Web

See Sue on the Web! Sue, the world's largest, most complete, and preserved Tyrannosaurus rex, made her grand debut on May 17, 2000.

DNA Discovery Center

DNA Discovery Center — Discover what DNA is, how it works, and what it can tell us about all life on Earth—including ourselves.

Crown Family PlayLab

Dig in...dress up...explore and grow! Little ones now have their own place to explore in our new Crown Family PlayLab.

Lions of Tsavo

Enter the cave of the man-eating lions of Tsavo! These maneless male lions killed and ate more than 128 workers building the Uganda Railway in 1898.

Underground Adventure

Enter a whole new world – the soil beneath your feet in Underground Adventure.

Africa

Discovery, Understanding and Conservation in Africa.

Hall of Jades

Explore the story of jade, and learn about an ancient land and its most potent symbol in the Hall of Jades website.

TRAVELING EXHIBITS

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver: Discover the life and work of an extraordinary man who used his gifts to become a groundbreaking scientist, educator, and humanitarian.

Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics

Witnesss the groundbreaking work of the man recognized as the father of genetics in Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics.

Chocolate

Learn about the fascinating story of Chocolate: its science, history, and role in popular culture.

Pearls

Pearls: Discover Nature's perfect gem.

PAST EXHIBITS

Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters

From earthquakes to tornadoes, get inside natural disasters and discover how nature’s forces shape our planet in Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters.

Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids

Discover the legend and the science behind some of the most spectacular creatures ever invented in Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids.

Maps: Finding Our Place in the World

Maps: Finding Our Place in the World: Take a rare journey through over 100 of the world's greatest maps.

Darwin

Darwin: Discover the man and the revolutionary theory that changed the world.

Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries

Shatter your previous ideas about our favorite prehistoric creatures in Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries.

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs

Come discover the secrets of Egypt’s most fascinating ruler in Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs.

Pompeii: Stories from an Eruption

Pompeii: Stories from an Eruption: Rediscover the vibrant, cosmopolitan society that vanished overnight.

Jacqueline Kennedy: White House Years Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum

Revisit an era of style and grace with Jacqueline Kennedy: White House Years Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas

Travel back in time 500 years to discover a royal Inca mountain retreat. Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas.

Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong

Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong: Explore the hidden world of the Imperial court.

Eternal Egypt: Masterworks of Ancient Art From The British Museum

Eternal Egypt: Masterworks of Ancient Art From The British Museum: See magnificent treasures from 3,000 years of ancient Egypt.

Baseball As America

Baseball As America: See the stuff of legends and discover how baseball embodies the American spirit.

Cleopatra

Cleopatra: Discover the truth behind the legend.

Sounds From the Vaults

In Sounds From the Vaults, you can play one of The Field Museum’s musical instruments through the magic of digital technology.

RESEARCH AND COLLECTIONS

Biodiversity and Conservation

Biodiversity and Conservation: Get the basic facts about biodiversity and the issues that affect us all. You’ll also discover how Field Museum’s scientists, collections, and public outreach programs help preserve our planet’s amazing array of life.

Expeditions@fieldmuseum

Whether they're fishing for fossils in the Green River Formation or digging up dinosaur data in Bighorn Basin, Field Museum scientists are all over the world!

Explore Africa

Explore Africa and learn how Field Museum scientists are working to solve the mysteries of nature and culture in Africa.

Explore the world

Explore the world with Field Museum scientists! The Field Museum has active research programs in anthropology, botany, geology, zoology and conservation. Meet some of our scientists and see where in the world they are working and what they are hoping to find.

Women in Science

Visit the Women in Science Web site and meet thirteen women scientists at The Field Museum.

Parker/Gentry

Visit the Parker/Gentry web site and explore the work of leading conservationists around the world – past and present Parker/Gentry awardees.

ANTHROPOLOGY

The Field Museum's Anthropology collections

View The Field Museum's Anthropology collections on-line. Discover a beaded chief's crown from Nigeria, exquisite prints from Japan, a pre-Columbian gold ornament from Colombia, and many other treasures in our collection.

1893 World's Columbian Exposition

Explore this virtual museum featuring highlights from the Anthropology Department's collection of 1893 World's Columbian Exposition objects.

Mesopotamian city of Kish

Explore the incredible collection from the Mesopotamian city of Kish, excavated by joint archaeological expeditions of The Field Museum and Oxford University from 1923 through 1933.

Paul Martin

The Paul Martin Web site will introduce you to The Field Museum's valuable archaeological collections from the southwestern United States.

The Boone Collection

The Boone Collection web site will introduce you to The Field Museum's valuable East Asian collection. View an impressive selection of paintings and objects from Japan, China, and Korea.

Javanese Masks

See Javanese Masks from the Museum’s collection.

Chinese folk textiles

Enjoy the largest collection of early 20th century Chinese folk textiles in the world.

BOTANY

Forest Regeneration in Tanzania

Forest Regeneration in Tanzania: Join scientists working to conserve the amazing biodiversity of an area often described as the "Galapagos Islands of Africa."

Natural Products Initiative

The Natural Products Initiative explores the rich interconnections among anthropology, botany, zoology and environmental conservation at The Field Museum.

NAMA Voucher Collection Project

The NAMA Voucher Collection Project contains images and data for fungi collected across America at the annual North American Mycological Association (NAMA) forays.

CCUC

Creative Networks: Mexican Immigrant Assets in Chicago

Creative Networks: Mexican Immigrant Assets in Chicago is an innovative study of social networking practices of Mexican immigrants in Chicago.

Cultural Connections

Cultural Connections is a partnership of over twenty ethnic museums and cultural centers throughout Chicago dedicated to understanding diversity through our "Common Concerns, Different Responses" framework.

ECP

Science in Action for Conservation

Science in Action for Conservation: Journey alongside researchers and experience conservation work happening in the rainforests of South America and right in our own backyard!

Rapid Biological and Social Inventories

See how Rapid Biological and Social Inventories catalyze effective action for conservation in threatened regions of high biological diversity and uniqueness.

GEOLOGY

A Fabulous Find

Travel high into the mountains of Chile with Field Museum paleontologist John Flynn as his team discovers A Fabulous Find — one of the oldest fossil monkey skulls in South America.

Expedition to East Greenland

Unravel the events leading to one of the greatest losses of biodiversity the Earth has ever witnessed through this Expedition to East Greenland.

ZOOLOGY

Butterfly Collection

Did you know there are about 20,000 different kinds of butterflies in the world? Learn about featured butterflies from The Field Museum's worldwide Butterfly Collection.

Aquatic Snakes of Southeast Asia

See the fascinating Aquatic Snakes of Southeast Asia and understand their importance to researchers.

Tanzanian Mammal Key

Utilize the Tanzanian Mammal Key to determine the identity of a skull or skin of most mammals found in Tanzania.

Mammalian Fauna of the Philippine Islands

This web site is a synopsis of the remarkably diverse, species-rich, and endangered Mammalian Fauna of the Philippine Islands. This web site is a synopsis of the remarkably diverse, species-rich, and endangered Mammalian Fauna of the Philippine Islands.

February 16—August 14, 2011

Explore the profound relationship between horses and humans and discover how almost every facet of human existence has been influenced by our union with the horse. Explore over 200 different breeds of horses and investigate their extraordinary qualities that have made them so significant and useful to humans. Celebrate the bond between horses and humans that continues today, only at The Field Museum.

May 20, 2011 - January 16, 2012

Come immerse yourself in their vibrant underwater world and discover an order of the mightiest animals on Earth like none before them. Dive to the depths of the sea with a mighty sperm whale in the hunt for giant squid. Climb into and explore a life-sized whale heart. Stand before two massive whale skeletons – each longer than a school bus.

Listen to the voices of different whales and see how they use sound to navigate, find food, and communicate with each other. And meet people whose lives have been inextricably linked with whales – from legendary South Pacific whale riders to whale scientists and former whaling families.

Discover why whales continue to intrigue, astound, and inspire us, only at The Field Museum.