Early Access to the Field Museum: Worth Every Penny - Our trip to Chicago wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to the iconic Field Museum, and the Early Access Tour made the experience truly unforgettable. As a fan of natural history—and a total dinosaur nerd—this museum was a must-visit, but the early access tickets elevated it to another level. Booking through TripAdvisor for $73 a person (worth every penny!), we were able to enter the museum an hour before it opened to the general public. This meant we had the museum almost entirely to ourselves—a rare, peaceful way to explore such a grand space. Our guide greeted us promptly at the East Entrance and customized the tour based on our interests, which for me, of course, meant dinosaurs and the Evolving Planet exhibit. The Evolving Planet exhibit is massive, taking you through 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history, from early microbial life to human evolution. Our guide walked us through the highlights, sharing fascinating insights about key evolutionary periods, such as the Cambrian Explosion. A personal favorite? The Tully Monster, Illinois’ state fossil! It was such a quirky tidbit that made me appreciate how connected the state is to prehistoric life. But the crown jewel of the tour—and a personal highlight—was standing in front of Sue the T. Rex without a single crowd around. The chance to take in Sue’s immense size and power in an intimate setting was awe-inspiring. Our guide shared fascinating details about Sue’s discovery and how she made her way to the museum, which made this experience feel even more special. After our guided tour ended at 9 AM, we were free to explore the museum on our own with our all-access tickets. We hit some of the must-see exhibits, like Inside Ancient Egypt (complete with mummies and tombs) and the stunning Hall of Gems. We even checked out the fun, interactive Underground Adventure, where you "shrink" down to the size of a bug—a quirky and unexpected twist. The early access option gave us the luxury of exploring the museum in peace, and I cannot recommend it enough. If you're a museum lover, this is the way to go. Pro Tip: Grab breakfast beforehand to avoid feeling rushed—we stopped at Little Branch Cafe, which was decent, but the slow service almost made us late! Overall, the Early Access Tour was a fantastic way to see the Field Museum in all its glory without the usual crowds. If you're planning a trip to Chicago and love natural history, do yourself a favor and book this experience.

Well worth it for me - This was absolutely worth the extra $. I was in a wheelchair and being to see exhibits without fighting crowds to get up close was wonderful. My tour guide on July 31 was charming and knowledgeable. The museum was so peaceful and I went through the egyptian tomb all by myself.

Wonderful Informational Tour! - Jacob was fantastic! He shared so much information and pointed out many exhibits we might not have stopped to investigate on our own. I highly recommend taking this tour!!

VIP Field Museum Tour - Really recommend the VIP tour with a personal tour guide 1hour before the museum opens. Katie went to great lengths to bring the exhibits to life and was really easy to interact with. Her passion for the museum was infectious and added to the enjoyment of the tour.

Worth it - We got the early access pass. It included all the exhibits and a 3D movie. Only things we paid for while there was souvenirs and food. With the early access ticket you enter the museum an hour before it opens and get a tour. Our tour guide was excellent. Very knowledgeable. We parked across the street in the parking garage. It's $30 for all day. Easy check in and out. Don't lose your ticket! You pay for parking on the way out at a kiosk then have 15 minutes to exit. We spent about 7 hours in the museum. Great day!

A museum all to ourselves - This was a very unique experience. We were 2 of 3 people on the tour so it truly felt like we had the museum to ourselves. This museum is filled with interesting exhibits and covers history, science, different cultures, and many more fun topics. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. If you wanna avoid the crowds, i recommend this tour!

Guide was very... - Guide was very knowledgeable and made sure we had a very enjoyable experience! I would totally recommend this to friends and family.

Best tour! - Tour with Jacob was amazing! Great energy & sense of humor. He answered my many questions in a way that gave me context & fit the facts into the big picture for me. Really fun experience!

Great - We loved the tour. Are guide was wonderful.. we were lucky that it was just the three of us so it was a private tour. Then we where able to explore the rest of the museum.

Outdated and parking expensive - The museum will appeal to visitors who have no comparison to others. We were personally very disappointed. The exhibits are mostly poorly made and the technology is ancient. Time seems to have stood still in the 70s and there is no wow factor. A waste of time. If you also have to spend $30 on parking, the atmosphere doesn't get any better.