Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

What a delightful hidden gem in Lincoln Park! The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum instantly warmed my heart with its beautiful Butterfly Haven, where hundreds of colorful butterflies flutter around you like living magic. The hands-on exhibits are engaging and educational for all ages, and the whole space feels light, welcoming, and full of wonder. Perfect for a peaceful, inspiring afternoon reconnecting with nature right in the city. Highly recommend!🌿🦋

We had a wonderful time exploring the Nature Museum with our two kiddos (2.5yrs & 5.5yrs old) today! There was tons to do - water play (in multiple areas), living & taxidermy creatures to see/learn about, two play spaces to get the wiggles out, and of course the beautiful Butterfly Haven. We went on a weekday around 11am during spring break and it was moderately busy, but there was no line to get in. We paid extra to visit the butterfly haven (100% worth it!). The 1st exhibit included water play, which our kids loved, but def bring a change of clothes for when they get wet. There is another water play zone on the 1st floor next to the play area as well. The highlight of our visit was the Butterly Haven. It’s very beautiful and I honestly could sit there forever watching butterflies flutter around. They release butterflies daily at 2pm, but we didn’t see that. We also enjoyed the digital interactive butterfly exhibit, where kids color a butterfly on paper, scan it, and it appears fluttering on a giant digital screen. Street parking was full, but there is a small lot across the street from the entrance and it was $24 to park. It was a short walk to the entrance. The gift shop is super cute and has snacks/drinks, but nothing fresh-made (mostly pre-packaged options). They have tables & high chairs near the entrance for snacking/resting. Also family restrooms, stroller parking, & an elevator. Super kid/family friendly and we’ll definitely be back!

I went to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum expecting a calm, educational stroll through nature… and instead witnessed a full-blown animal talent show. Let’s start with the softshell turtle—because clearly, that was the main character. This thing had presence. The kind of confidence that says, “Yes, I am just lying here… but I am also the reason you’ll remember this entire place.” I don’t know what it was doing exactly, but I couldn’t look away. Absolute scene-stealer. If there were awards, it’s taking home Best in Show, no debate. Then you walk into the butterfly section, and suddenly it’s like you’ve entered a tiny, peaceful jungle where everything flutters in slow motion like a nature documentary with a suspiciously high production budget. Butterflies everywhere—landing, flying, casually showing off like they know they’re beautiful. It’s one of those places where you slow down without even realizing it… partly because it’s magical, and partly because you don’t want to accidentally headbutt a butterfly mid-flight. The whole museum is great, but between the softshell turtle commanding attention like a reptilian celebrity and the butterfly haven turning you into a gentle, slow-walking nature observer, this place delivers way more entertainment than you’d expect. 10/10—would absolutely go back to see what that turtle is up to next.

06/06/26: A fun place for families and those who love nature. Many exhibits on Illinois and Midwest animals, fish, etc. Live turles, snakes, fish, etc. Little kids play area. Butterfly house with tropical species. Outside walk to observe birds.

This is a gem of a museum. Great for kids! The butterfly exhibit and garden are wonderful. The highlight was designing and coloring our own butterflies then scanning them and watching them appear and fly in a prairie on a giant surround screen! So cool! The staff were very helpful as well!

PNNM is a delightful walk thru nature with educational exhibits and stunning taxidermy to enhance the learning. It is pretty amazing to get up close to owls and other creatures you forget about in a big city. The highlight for me is the butterfly sanctuary. Absolutely beautiful and delightful.

This was such a beautiful place. I’m not sure why I hadn’t been any sooner. It was like the DuPage children’s museum but for nature when you enter on the lower level, they had a really cool ecosystem or irrigation exhibit that the kids loved playing in the water, there’s three levels the butterfly garden I believe is on level two so many different animals not in the sense of a zoo, but in terms of nature, turtles snakes, etc. the butterfly garden was beautiful. It was huge and we saw quails in there as well. I’ve never seen them in person. There is a bus that you can take all the way down, but I booked spot here and walked about 5 to 7 minutes and it’s right across the street from Lincoln Park zoo.

There's a separate fee to enter the butterfly haven in addition to general museum admission. The museum felt a bit small but it would be a nice place to visit with kids since there are interactive parts on the museum.