Explore the history of Chicago and the United States through permanent and temporary exhibitions drawn from more than 20 million items in the Chicago History Museum’s collections. “Chicago: Crossroads of America” explores the city’s development and its influence on US history. Explore a treasure trove of historical artifacts, including a chunk of the original Fort Dearborn and the actual first locomotive to operate in Chicago.

Use all five senses to discover Chicago’s history with the “Sensing Chicago” exhibition and even pretend to be a Chicago-style hot dog. Check out temporary exhibitions that pull from the vast collections of photography, documents, artifacts, and interviews that help tell Chicago stories.

In the dynamic film presentation, “The Great Chicago Adventure,” experience the intensity of the Great Chicago Fire and splendor of the World’s Columbian Exposition, explore the sights of bustling Maxwell Street in the 1950s, and peer down from an I-beam at the top of the Sears Tower in the 1970s.