Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
4
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is located at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street on floors two through four of the historic Monroe Building in Chicago's Loop. Situated across the street from Millennium Park (home to Cloud Gate and the Crown Fountain) and the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum & Library is a unique institution – part military history and information center, part museum – open to the public with an extensive collection of books, artifacts and rotating exhibits covering many eras and branches of the military. Visitors can also participate in live television show recordings in the Museum & Library's state of the art broadcast center. The Museum & Library is a center where citizens and active duty military and veterans come together to learn from each other, about military history and the role of the Armed Forces in today’s society.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Downtown / The Loop
Often visitors' first stop in Chicago, The Loop is a good starting point to sample the city's energy and flavor. This central business district boasts Michelin-rated restaurants, upscale hotels, premier shopping, and enough arresting architecture to keep your camera busy for hours. You won’t find too many photo galleries of downtown Chicago without a shot of Millennium Park and Cloud Gate (“The Bean”), one of the most iconic landmarks in the city. A stunning skyline coupled with cultural attractions like the Art Institute of Chicago present a Downtown where work and play peacefully coexist.
How to get there
- Adams/Wabash • 2 min walk
- Monroe • 3 min walk
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4.0
76 reviews
Excellent
35
Very good
26
Average
12
Poor
3
Terrible
0
kenschum
Cedaredge, CO18 contributions
Nov 2022 • Business
Been there through the back door, which is funny if you’ve ever used the Jon in the park across the street at lunchtime, my Primal Scene. Books, so the kids can get lost across the street, pack a soccer ball, it’s safe(ish) before 3pm when the junkies over by the Lake wake up and start boning again. Orange Line CTA from Midway, and if you can’t find this place, you really don’t belong down there. I buy a transit pass, start here, and pair this intelligence lair with, for instance, Hemingway’s Boyhood Home, or the Ford City Bombers and Bombs “Area 52”. If you’re dragging along some society pronoun from the best families, It can hang at the Art Institute and put a cork in It’s Cancelhole for 2-3 hours.
Written 6 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kaspertime
Chicago, IL16 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
Clean, well run. Very nice staff. Definitely worth checking out. You can get through it in an hour or spend more time if you want. There's lots of books if you want to spend a day there reading.
Written 23 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tlakeusa
Los Angeles, CA89 contributions
Feb 2018
A small second floor library and museum in a very nice refurbished building. Located in the Monroe Building near the Art Institute the Pritzker offer a specialized library and theme oriented museum on mostly US military history. They also have lectures on occasion for members and guests. Well organized and quiet this two floor Illinois thread, US military focused library and museum is a very pleasant visit.
Written 10 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OctoberBirthdayGirl
Racine, WI37 contributions
Jan 2018 • Friends
Stopped in on our recent trip to Chicago and we were so
pleased we did. Excellent WW1 exhibit going on now, very
detailed and well placed. Spent about 1 1/2 to 2 hours browsing throughout the library and exhibit. Front desk staff very informative and explained how the exhibit was set up.
pleased we did. Excellent WW1 exhibit going on now, very
detailed and well placed. Spent about 1 1/2 to 2 hours browsing throughout the library and exhibit. Front desk staff very informative and explained how the exhibit was set up.
Written 26 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike M
Champaign-Urbana, IL307 contributions
Dec 2017 • Family
This place is specific to military history and research so if this isn’t your interest you may want to try something else. If it is your interest then there is no better place. The staff is knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. This month their “Lest we Forget” program about World War I opened and it was very interesting. Be sure and also see the Medal of Honor display and videos of WWI veterans. There is a $5 admission charge for non-members of the library. Best suited for teens with an interest in history and adults.
Written 21 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dennis S
Chicago, IL83 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
For people with an interest in military history, this is a "don't miss" museum and library. They'll be able to spend hours looking at exhibits and browsing the library stacks. For others, not so much. When we visited, there was an interesting exhibit based on the diaries of a career soldier from the Civil War through the Spanish American War. There were several aspects of service in that time period I'd never thought about that were interesting to consider. Another area had miscellaneous military objects donated to the museum, from medals and patches to canteens since WWII to bayonets, to field surgery instruments and more. And there's a Medal of Honor exhibit. The staff we chatted with were very knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge. At a $5 entrance fee, its a pretty good bargain for a museum. As a bonus, pay attention to the building and the entryway - it's an architectural gem.
Written 26 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
missjmt12
15 contributions
May 2015 • Friends
When we initially entered the museum it just looked like a library and we weren't sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised. The audio tour is worth it ($5/free for military). It was essentially a walking photo tour dedicated to Navy Seals, several photos had #s you entered to hear the audio that went along with the photo. Amazing to hear stories straight from the Seals and their family. Also a room dedicated to the fallen seals and stories from their wives. Worth the visit and an awesome dedication to Navy Seals and our military.
Written 22 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
K3bour
Kankakee, IL19 contributions
Jan 2014 • Business
Attended Medal Of Honor Speech here for my company - great place to have an event - great display of military history - highly suggest purchasing Medal of Honor Book for sale. Great cause and should be more advertised.
Written 27 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine H
Tinley Park, IL30 contributions
Jan 2013 • Family
It's the only military library like it in the United States. All other military libraries are on military bases that are off-limit to civilians.
Membership is really the way to go. Except for a few very special events, you are able to see the programs on site for free. Non-member admission is currently $5.00 per person. Program admission for non-members is $10.00 per person.
They have books on wars dating back beore the American Revolution. They also have books in several languages. An example - Russian, Gernan, Polish, Chinese and many others. They also have permanent and temporary exhibits of art and artifacts.
The programs are informative. The authors that come in to talk about their books are excellent. Where else can you here Sir Max Hastings talk about Winston Churhill for the price. They have their previous programs available on the web-site. The Medal of Honor Series is very moving. As you listen to the Medal of Honor recipients talk about what they did, you realize they were just servicemen doing what needed to be done. They are humble lot. Everyone of them has said he wears the Medal "for those that did not return. Those who will be forever young." If you're not a member, you can get books sent to you through your local library inter-library loan system. They also have an Oral History program. Veterans can come in and be interviewed about their military experiences. The veterans stories are being lost everyday. Especially the stories of WWII and Korean War veterans. The library is a great source for research by students and authors.
Go to their web-site and see for yourself.
Membership is really the way to go. Except for a few very special events, you are able to see the programs on site for free. Non-member admission is currently $5.00 per person. Program admission for non-members is $10.00 per person.
They have books on wars dating back beore the American Revolution. They also have books in several languages. An example - Russian, Gernan, Polish, Chinese and many others. They also have permanent and temporary exhibits of art and artifacts.
The programs are informative. The authors that come in to talk about their books are excellent. Where else can you here Sir Max Hastings talk about Winston Churhill for the price. They have their previous programs available on the web-site. The Medal of Honor Series is very moving. As you listen to the Medal of Honor recipients talk about what they did, you realize they were just servicemen doing what needed to be done. They are humble lot. Everyone of them has said he wears the Medal "for those that did not return. Those who will be forever young." If you're not a member, you can get books sent to you through your local library inter-library loan system. They also have an Oral History program. Veterans can come in and be interviewed about their military experiences. The veterans stories are being lost everyday. Especially the stories of WWII and Korean War veterans. The library is a great source for research by students and authors.
Go to their web-site and see for yourself.
Written 23 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Connie R
Pittsburgh, PA3 contributions
May 2022
Beautiful building, but very traditional museum with nothing but reproduced images and texts/captions. Was very interested in an exhibit on POWs, but the display was unimaginative and focused almost solely on American soldiers in WWII. Not for families, not for those with anything other than a deep interest in the current exhibit (and then, don't expect nuanced history or new insights).
Written 16 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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