Located on the iconic shore of Chicago’s Lake Michigan, the Field Museum is one of the world’s great museums of natural history. There are so many reasons why should you explore this museum, but one of those reasons is the collection of artifacts you can see inside this natural history museum. Visiting this extraordinary museum is a must if the windy city of Chicago and its attractions are on your bucket list for your next trip.
But in order to take an in-depth and detailed tour of everything inside the Field Museum, first you need to get rid of your heavy luggage and be free from the worry of extra weight on your shoulders. In other words, you need to store your luggage somewhere around to enjoy the experience of the museum. And if you’re the one who is frustrated by carrying luggage and trying to find storage for them, you’ve just come to the right place. Because we know what it takes to lug luggage around a city and that’s why we are here to find out everything about luggage storage near the Field Museum Chicago.
Don’t worry! There are a lot of different options to store luggage and we are going to discover them all one by one but before we do that let’s get to know something about the Museum itself.
About The Field Museum
The Field Museum of Natural History also known as “The Field Museum” is one of the largest and most popular museums of natural history. The Museum has a collection of some 30 million artifacts which includes beetles, mummies, gemstones, and so many other objects from ancient times and modern discoveries. Inside the museum, you can explore everything from an ancient Egyptian tomb to some of the largest creatures, or get to see mummies of humans and animals, discover ancient civilizations, and much more. The museum is well-known for the size and quality of its educational and scientific programs. The permanent exhibitions of the Field Museum attract up to two million visitors from around the world every year.
Field Museum is located south of downtown Chicago in the Museum Campus complex of Chicago Park. The museum was established in 1894 with a collection of artifacts collected from the Fair in Chicago, but today it maintains a collection of over 24 million specimens and objects with more than 4.6 billion years of natural history. In 1905, the museum’s name was changed to the Field Museum of Natural History and since then it became one of the most visited Museums in the United States. In 1921, the Museum moved from its original location in Jackson Park to its current building. The closest station to the Field Museum is the Metra Electric District station at Museum Campus/11th Street. But you can reach the museum using any transportation within minutes of Downtown Chicago.
Where to Store Luggage Near Field Museum?
Are you worried about your backpacks? You don’t have to because you are more than welcome to carry your backpacks throughout the Museum. And luckily, The Field Museum has a seasonal coat check located in Stanley Field Hall where many items including coats, bags, backpacks, luggage, and shopping bags can be stored securely. But as it is just a coat check you will be able to access very limited space for your items. On the other hand, you will be only able to store them while you’re visiting the museum, once your museum tour is over you need to carry them again to the next attraction. Alternatively, You can store your luggage at Chicago Union Station but since it is not accessible to all travelers on the same coast for storage it’s not recommended.
But what if you get to store your heavy luggage and extra weight with unlimited capacity, and you pick them up whenever you want? Well, to get this convenience you have to drop your luggage somewhere outside the park. There are multiple companies such as BagsAway, Stasher, and Bounce offering luggage storage facilities across Chicago. They are safe to use, flexible in duration and pricing, and easy to drop and pick up at multiple locations. To get rid of luggage worries you may use any of these providers for your luggage storage. We don’t recommend one but going with one that works for you will be the ideal choice to store your luggage near the Field Museum.
How Much Does it Cost to Store Luggage near Field Museum?
The cost of storing luggage near the Field Museum or anywhere in Chicago may vary depending on the location, and storage provider as well as several other factors. The coat check inside the Field Museum allows you to store your items for $3 each. Storing luggage at the Stations such as Union Station or Greyhound Bus Terminal will cost you anywhere between $10 to $20, Union Station’s locker being the most expensive at $20 USD for normal passengers. We’ve found that storing your backpacks at Field Museum itself is quite cheaper campared to other places.
Companies that offer luggage storage by online booking and luggage drop facility have different costs depending on the usage. If you’re looking for luggage storage just a for few hours you have to pay $1-2 per hour. But if you’re storing for a day you will be paying around $5-10 per item. If you even want to extend the duration to a few days you may get a discount. But In our research after comparing the available options we found BagsAway is charging the cheapest rate per day to store luggage. It has the cheapest plan per day at a cost of $5.95, which is the most affordable of all luggage storage companies.
Quick Details about Field Museum Chicago?
Attraction: Field Museum of Natural History
Location: Near South Side, Chicago, United States
Opening Hours: (9:00 am – 05:00 pm daily)
Parking: Paid parking is available
Contact: 312.922.9410
Lost & Found: The museum does have lost & found support for its visitors, lost items are held for up to 30 days before being donated to people in need, You can inquire at the Visitors’ Center on the ground level near the Siragusa Center, or contact them on [email protected]. If you’ve lost valuables, such as a wallet, phone, or jewelry, please contact protection services officers stationed at the museum’s entrance.
What to Expect at the Field Museum?
Chicago’s Field Museum has much more than you expect. From permanent exhibitions that showcase an outstanding collection of objects to exclusive temporary exhibitions, you’ll never run out of things to explore at The Field Museum! The exhibit highlights include ‘Evolving Planet’ which follows the evolution of life on Earth over 4 billion years and lets you explore the life on our planet, and get to know about some of the biggest creatures in the world’s history.
Inside Ancient Egypt, This popular exhibition takes to the ancient Egyptian time, and it’s a burial chamber reproduction that contains real human mummies, as well as many mummified animals from that time. The Ancient Americas, another most visited exhibit inside the museum offers a glimpse of life for the indigenous peoples of the Americas and features a collection of tools and objects. There are a few more exhibits including Cyrus Tang Hall of China, Underground Adventure, Abbot Hall of Conservation’s Restoring Earth, Crown Family PlayLab, Geology Halls, and Cultural Halls where you can explore a lot more. There is a 3D theater where you can see these exhibitions come to life on a digital 3D screen.
Best Places to Stay near Field Museum
It is true that most hotels don’t offer luggage storage if you’re not a guest or once you checked out but often hotels are considered great options to store luggage. And if you’re still confused about where to leave your luggage you may ask your hotel to store them in their baggage storage facility which comes with very limited space. So, obviously booking a hotel can also be a great choice to make if it stores backpacks with affordable pricing. Here are some of the best hotels to stay near the Field Museum.
Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown South Loop
As the name suggests Hilton Garden Inn may be the best choice if you have no budget problem, it’s not too expensive it’s a three-star hotel with all facilities you need. Most importantly it has a dedicated baggage storage facility which makes storing luggage easy and affordable. It’s also one of the best hotels located in Downtown Chicago. It is a few minutes walk from the Field Musem, it is located at a distance of 0.7km to be exact. You get everything including a swimming pool, free Wi-Fi, and Air conditioning. It costs $150-180 per night.
Best Western Grant Park Hotel
It is another great option near the Field Museum, It’s the close budget-friendly 2-star hotel to the museum. You get most facilities including air-conditioning, room service, breakfast, free Wi-Fi, and others as well. The hotel costs slightly lower than Hilton but as per users, it’s also an ideal location if you are planning to visit most attractions in Downtown Chicago. The cost for a room is around $110-120 per night.
Travelodge by Wyndham Downtown Chicago
A 2-minute walk from Harrison Metro Station, this simple hotel is 1.2km from the Feild Museum, It’s a great option to stay. This one is budget-friendly costing anywhere between $90-110 per night for a room. The hotel is equipped with all facilities. It is a two-star hotel on a budget that can help you with storing luggage as well as a comfortable stay. But the hotels don’t have dedicated luggage storage, which means once your check out your need to carry your luggage on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions!
Where to store luggage near Field Museum?
Field Museum doesn’t have luggage storage but it does have a coat check where you can also store backpacks and luggage. Alternatively, you can store luggage using luggage storage companies such as BagsAway, and Stasher or you can store them at Union Station Chicago as well.
Are bags allowed in the Field Museum?
Yes, You can carry your backpacks or coats throughout the Museum. There is a coat check where you can store your backpacks, coat, and shopping bags inside the Museum.
How much does it cost to store luggage at The Field Museum?
The coat check inside the Field Museum allows you to store your items for $3 each. You need to pay $10-20 if you’re storing luggage at the stations such as Union. To store with companies you have to pay around $1.5/hour or $6-10/day per item.
How do I get to the Field Museum?
The Field Museum can be accessed from anywhere in Chicago city by bike, public transportation, or car. The closest CTA train stop to the Field Museum is Roosevelt, the Roosevelt stop also offers a connected bus, which takes you directly to the Museum Campus.
Are there hotels near the Feild Museum?
Many hotels in Chicago’s Loop are within a few minutes from the Field Museum, you can check their pricing and availability online or you can go with any one of the three hotels we’ve recommended.