Reviews of Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Money Museum (Museum)

Cell 1

Take your ID or a passport. Nice purpose built exhibit space about history of the dollar. And more. A few things for kids but parents more likely to understand how capitalism works even though this museum is free. Just don't walk out with the contents and probably only need hour or so here as fairly small but great.

Kelly M

They have a really cool free money museum. We spent a decent amount of time here checking it out and learning. It was definitely worth the stop!

YTReconNational

Loved the workers. They were really helpful and provided me tons of support.

Marypatricia Barrett

Our presenter was amazing. He was so well informed about so much of their operations and why they do some of the things they do. So much cool information. Also you get a free bag of shredded money. One thing they could change is to have some sort of small gift shop. Other than that it was perfect.

Ricky Pruitt

Enjoy going to the money museum and taking other people.

Michael Prinzi

Interesting museum. Great displays. More fun than you'd think.

Chris Chwe

Good, but short tour. Would have liked to see more of the Reserve Building, but the tour was very educational and interesting.

T D

Great educational experience!

christie yong

Not big but nice facts to learn

Steve Pierre

Happened to stumble upon this museum when browsing the downtown area and was so glad to have been curious to check it out. The Money Museum is small, but free and a great look into the history of money in America. Any and everything you would like to know, it is covered here. From money during wartime to how money is destroyed, you'll learn about it here. It's also VERY interactive, you can grab a bag of shredded money, take photos with cubes and briefcases of a million dollars, and even make your own money. The team here was able to take a small space and make it one of the best stops on a visit to Chicago.

Mara Christiani

Very nice to visit. Interactive museum to learning.

Mike I

An undervisited small but a free, fun, and easy way to teach kids about the federal reserve and banking in general. I don't know any other place that offers that.

Jeff Smith

Cool place. Make sure you bring your ID to get in!

April Lin

A great museum to go to... lots things to see and to learn. Great for family, friends, or go alone. ;)) bring your ID or passport!

Amy K. Milligan

I would not consider this truly a museum. It is a small group of interactive exhibits. Though they made a good effort to try to make education about currency and finance as engaging as possible.

Jose Manuel Galdo

It is an interesting place to visit, because it is free. And you get a present during the visit... There is a machine to take and print photos, but it was broken when we were there.

Janet Kroll

Very interesting museum about our money

John Adekola

Loved the place! Too bad I couldn't see where the vault was!

Paula C. Dawson

Our presenter was amazing. It's nice and you can get history of US currency Great information cool museum.

Alicia Vasquez

Amazing architecture on the buildings.

Machou T.

Fun museum that is free and nice to visit for both adults and children.

Andrew KPro

Great little museum. Very educational. Small, so it's not one you'll spend hours at, but you can definitely spend an hour there, if you read a lot of what is shown on the exhibits. There's not much hands-on, but the giant 4x4x4 glass cube of dollar bills (one million) is worth standing next to and getting your picture taken. Might be the only time you will ever get that close to a million! It's a great place to educate yourself on the birth and history of money and it's evolution in America as well as the birth of the Federal Reserve Bank and it's role in American history. You need to check it out.

Oliver Ewert

Pretty small but packs a lot of information, very child friendly and free!

Uli Hessdörfer

Very interesting museum about the USD and general education policy on interest rates. Must visit for highschool students!

elalva

Enjoyable and free! Learn about monetary policy and history of money Free admission but need government issued ID

James Strid

Interesting museum. I learned quite a bit about money & finance.

Kasia Myszka

The place is worth seeing. Is good for adults and children. The staff is very nice.

Ernesto Nava Jr.

Awesome and very educational

Edward Richter

Its free! Its fun and informative. And they give you a free bag of shredded money as a token gift. Also you can see what a milli looks like in a few differwnt bill denominations

angie peck

It was really neat learning some of the history and setting the old bills. It is also neat too see 1 million dollars displayed in three different forms.

Soofwan Minhas

Nice small educational place, worth dropping in if your a few minutes away, and it's FREE!

Roland Le Franc

Nice visit: take a photo with a million dollars in cash, learn about the history of money, learn how to recognize fake notes. All free, 1 hour visit.

Nimesh Shirke

Wonderful experience! Great history & information about currency. A place must to visit!

Jonathan Zhang

Supervisor there was so kind. Make sure to bring your I.D!

Arthur What If

Consider im poor maybe I would like it better if didnt have so much debt but definitely a very interesting venue.

Senthil Pillai

Very nice place to understand how financial instruments came into being from barter system. How the Fed keeps tab on currency. Very informative and interactive. Must visit.

Pete Almond

Absolutely fantastic! A great museum! Utterly enjoyable me. You can easily spend a good few hours here. Staff are lovely, knowledgeable and polite

Dylan Potter

Love the Money Bags

Shannon Wax

Small but good interactive games for all ages and free to visit.

JB JB

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Money Museum was interesting, entertaining, free and I even received gifts, namely a souvenir photo and a small sack of shredded money. In addition, the staff was friendly and helpful. To conclude, I highly recommend to people staying in Chicago for sightseeing to visit this museum.

Kotesh Akurathi

Excellent and it's free entry. You can see One million dollars at a time and you can take picture as well. It's nice and you can get history of US currency. Nice place to visit with kids.

George Troy

It was a great experience. We learned a great deal about its role in our economy.

Jim Manley

Fun free museum to visit when in Chicago. There are some activities for kids and interesting money history.

Joshua Koepke

Free museum, with lots of money on display. The rotating cube of cash is a neat photo, and the shredded bills make an interesting (and free) souvenir. Museum is on the first level, and you will need to have your items run through an x-ray machine before entering. Self tour is on the shorter side, 30-45 minutes, but worth it if you are interested in the history of US currency.

Naveed iftikhar

Lovely introduction to a difficult subject. Loved the museum.

Juampis C

Great museum, lots of educational stuffs

Emily Hase

I'm a finance nerd, so I was in love with this museum. You can play a game where you are Chair of the Fed and save the economy (or destroy it, if macroeconomic stability isn't really your thing), take pictures with millions of dollars, and learn about the history of the Chicago Fed. Don't miss this great little museum if economics, monetary policy, or money in general is your thing!

Sam Bergus

An interesting museum which has an good touring exhibit on the redlining of Chicago right now. The only negative about this museum is it's in a bank, which means its only open during banking hours. Not a problem if you're a tourist, but it makes it hard to visit if you're a local.

Philip Vecchio

The Money Museum was small, but very interactive and fun. It's a good quick stop. There were a lot of very interesting artifacts that tell the history of money in America. There were a lot of very interactive displays for kids. I don't have kids, but when I do if I'm in Chicago, this is a great place to go.

jane val

A great museum to bring kids of all ages! A museum all about money!!! Enter through the main doors of the Federal Reserve Bank, show your ID and then go through the security screening process. This museum is free and open to the public year-round from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Bank holidays. Adults must bring a government issued ID, and are subject to all bags being searched. Take a look at $1,000,000,.00 dollars, try your luck at detecting counterfeit money, create your own money, see military money from 3 different wars, stand on top of $50,000.00 in coins, learn about the history of U.S. money. if you are bringing children, be sure and take a tour, you will watch a short film that tells kids that "money doesn't come with instructions," the kids head into the museum for a scavenger hunt that familiarizes them with the exhibits. They also receive "Be Money Smart" comic books. Your can learn all about the federal reserve, and there are lots of interactive exhibits. You even get to take home a souvenir bag of shredded money, just don't try to spend it anywhere.

Lorinda Sues

A wonderful way to spend an hour or two, and you get a bag of shredded cash.

Beth Brand

Not a typical tween, but my kid really enjoyed it. The interactive displays captured his attention most. I liked the historical descriptions, especially where there’s a blurb to read quickly if your party is rushing you along. Of course longer explanations are appreciated too when they’re easy to read. Some artifacts were borrowed from the Field Museum.

Mary Powers

This museum was actually very interesting though I expected otherwise before entering. I learned a great deal and enjoyed the interactive activities.

hannah sandel

So so so cool they give a bag of shredded money you can take a picture with a million dollars which is so cool loved it

Maddy Osman

The Money Museum in the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago is a small museum that won’t keep you all day, but is worth a tour if you’re a fan of cold, hard cash. They lead daily tours at 1 pm, or you can check out the various exhibits on your own. One of the best features is an exhibit showing you how to tell a real bill from a counterfeit. The best part? You’ll leave with a free bag of shredded cash to do with as you please.

Pamela Seaton

Great place for a field trip for my students.

Sahian Del Valle

What a great experience. I learned so much! It's free but very strict on what you can and can't bring. Totally worth it.

Bella Bailey

Our presenter was amazing. Interesting museum. Great information cool museum

Arun Prassanth

Awesome place!! Get your free bag of shredded money, take pictures with million dollars (and print for free!). Didn't have much expectations before visiting, but man I was wrong!

Julie Cheng

This was a great free museum to learn all about the banking system. Lots of interactive exhibitsfor hands on fun.

Kotogaeshi

Great little museum work lots to see and learn. This is a great museum with lots to see. It's worth your time for an hour.

Aaron Sulak

Great place to enjoy a bit of currency history and learn about how inflation has an effect on you and your family. And where else are you going to see $1,000,000 in real money? It is free to the public and very easy to find.

jason molidor

(Review for the money museum) If you like history, money, museums, or just need a cheap family friendly activity this is the spot for you. I can't recommend the money museum enough. The exhibits are modern and fun. There is something for all ages. Lots of great things to take pics of and tons of great information. Be warned it is the federal reserve so there is tight security going in and out. Don't bring pocket knives or anything.

Emilia Pazos

We had a long layover in Chicago and decided to explore some of the city. We stumbled upon it while looking for a free museum to visit, and we loved it! Did not take long to explore but was super interesting and fun. Recommended!

Xuankang Lin

You can get printed photo with one million dollars here! You can see past 10000 dollar bill here!

Miguel Alejandro Rodriguez Portella

The history is here, you have to visit at least for once in your life, placer is very short but you learn about the money in USA, you need to bring you ID o passport the museum is free, enjoy my friend.

Dina Katz

Great stop, quick if you want it to be, get your face onto "currency"

Darek Whiting

This is a great free family activity. You can learn about inflation and even have your photo taken with a million dollars. I would definitely suggest this for someone going to chicago.

Sriram Stark

So cool. Learnt so many things today! Very interesting.

Mary Hildebrandt

It's a small museum full of money, with free admission! You won't need to spend much time here, but it's a fun place to venture into whilst downtown. Also, you can take your picture next to 1 Million dollars. The security staff were very friendly and helpful.

brad fox

Got to check out the money museum, it’s free and very interesting and educational and they have rare money to view and learn about. The display of $1 million is cool too.

Ian M

Cool for a free museum. Can spend up to 1 hour here.

J.P. Geiman

A surprisingly fun and informative family trip while in downtown Chicago, there were a number of activities and interactive learning opportunities, and best of all it was free. My kids had a lot of fun having their picture taken next to a million dollars and I actually learned what the Federal Reserve is.

Amanda Juman

If you are visiting Chicago, you cannot go wrong by visiting the money museum. It is totally free and very informative. You also get to leave with the free souvenir which is great. You can use the photo booth to take pictures to capture your moment there. You also get to see what a few million looks like and learn of modern money and as well as money history. It is located inside of the reserve bank of Chicago which makes it so much more interesting.

Ashi Vinod

Best part about this museum it's free. Be prepared to go through the TSA and your ID be checked. The museum has many interactive exhibits for the family and tells the history of the Federal Reserve notes and the emergence of money from colonial times up to the present day. It's a small museum but one of the great places to bring kids. The money museum is centrally located inside the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and very close to Revival Food Hall and not that far from Willis Tower. The hop on and off bus tour guide mentioned they give old shredded money on certain days. We missed it.

Grigol Makharadze

This small museum inside federal reserve bank has a lot of fun ways to learn and explore about currency system and money. You can create your own currency, manage inflation etc. Free of charge. Kids will love this place.

Amise McIntosh

It was a great and and good experience

Kate Gronstal

Great free museum for kids and adults. Learn about the Federal Reserve with interactive exhibits. Kids love the free shredded money, photos of your face on a bill, and photo on the headline of the Wall Street Journal.

Vondavia Stephens

Very secure place, friendly atmosphere

Rob Christiansen

Fun to see how much space a million dollars requires in 100s, 20s, and 1s

Ted Malefyt

Great museum for a family... we all learned a lot about money and how the bank structure works. Highly recommend.

Willie W

Money Museum is a interesting place to stop on a day off.

L Gold

Almost like Chicago's little secret. A free museum in the heart of the city. Great for older kids to learn about the origin of the United States of America money/bank system. It's really small and need to have ID and go through a metal detector. And you get a free souvenir of shred United States of America money. Oh and there is literally a million dollars on display. Wish I could say I see that everyday.

Stan Perlman

The visit here was a wonderful surprise. It helped me really learn the purpose of the federal reserve bank besides interest rates. The exhibits are interactive which made then informative and fun. It is free and well worth the time.

Todd Anderson

Good if you're interested in currency and monetary policy. Exhibits are interactive and kept pre-teens engaged. 30-60 minutes.

Jack Davies

Brilliant little meseum.

Author Neva Squires-Rodriguez

This a great museum in downtown Chicago, which is completely free. Of all the places I took my kids in Chicago, this was their favorite. They enjoyed learning how money was made and about the history of the dollar. They were excited to see lots of money all in one place and up close. While a smaller museum, it took us about an hour to walk through and see everything. I would highly recommend visiting this museum.

Laura Dunn

I'm a history buff so I loved this little museum. Got to take my picture with $1 million.

Tyler Pickel

Fun thing to do with your family! It's free and has some cool little exhibits. Make sure to bring some form of identification to prove that you are an US citizen.

Mohtashim Ali

It is great.

w. liang

It is a great place to visit that will show you the history of currency in the US.

Jim K

Nice, free, compact little museum. Bring State (at least) ID, else they wont let you in.

Nancy Hansen

We really enjoyed our visit to the Federal Reserve Bank. Not only did we learn many new things, it was also free. Just make sure you have your I.D. with you.

Ginger Castro

It is the largest natural and historical museum in the western, with the history over one hundred years. The impressive museum has regular exhibitions like dinosaur hall and mammals, also special exhibitions that change all the time. The current special one is tattoo, the art of marking skin with ink spans cultures, continents, and has evolved over time, like five thousand years in the making.

Derek Fregeau

Had a great time here today. Came on tax day (April 15th) to celebrate my tax dollars at work. When we first arrived there was a quick security screening and then we were allowed in. It seems we might have been the first ones there because we had the place all to ourselves. There were a lot of interactive and informative displays. It is very well put together, clean and well maintained. Plus you get a free souvenir (shredded money)!

PojoDogmeat

Interesting stuff to see here and a lot of cool information, but seems to be geared more towards children and younger teenagers.

E String

Great information!

Candice Palmer

Fun, informative and really friendly staff to help you!

Tiffany Perfect

Loved it and you get shredded money when you visit

Princeton P

Short and simple, but your questions should be answered from the things en display, AND might be amazed concerning things you didn't know

Brett Ashley

Well, it's a bank. Some interesting stuff going on, but all in all, pretty boring. Confirmed all my suspicions about how messed up the Federal Reserve really is. I guess at least the guy was honest about it though...

kaycay squad

I learned alot regarding Banking procedures as it relates to all Banks ...the Government Board and 12 districts. It was well worth the time understanding the Federal Reserve Banks.

Toni Perkins

Great history of banking & free $$$

Stacey Cooper

Cool! Learned all kinds of things.

ItsCoyote

Very fun place to go to learn and educate yourself. Very informational.

Tom A

A National Landmark that is of great historical significance.

Joojoo Bears

Cool, small, free money museum that alot of people don't know about. See a million dollars in singles and twenties. I suggest if you're in the area going to another museum or event or coming from metra come check it out. Note you must bring an id to enter or a passport for foreign travelers.

Tianne Baker

Some of the friendliest staff we have come across. The exhibits were informative and fun and worth the visit. Budget to spend around 1.5 hours here, but you can easily do it in less.

Emilia Rivero

You can spend here 30 min to an hour here. Fun and full of history.

Joann Fang

I absolutely enjoyed my time at this small "museum". So fun to learn about details of money and how the reserves try their best to prevent counterfeiters. You get to leave with a bag of shredded money too!

carmelo fenald

What a awesome place. Actually in the federal reserve bank. Free admission as well.

Jake Hoioos

Fun and free shreded money!

Diana Rodriguez

Great information cool museum

Michelle Rice

Unexpected stop and was worth it. So neat and educational.

Jeremy Eckenrode

This place is amazing!

Andrea Fadel

Free museum in downtown Chicago! It’s a wonderful museum that educates about the banking system. The exhibits are interactive so good for children as well. Definitely worth stopping by!

Iliya Petrow

This is a museum that is very informative. The amount of information is large and it is also pretty nifty information. In other words this is not a boring museum. They will give you the history of money and money in the United States and how the government has instituted the US dollar into our system. There is also a really cool display of $1 million in Single dollar bills. But I also love about this place is that it is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. If you are with your family and you are in millennium Park this is just a short walk to get there. Probably the best feature of this museum is that it is 100% free that should make it a no brainer to come and check out. You will have to go through the security check before entering but other than that this place is a great experience.

Jessica Pocha

Interesting place. Geared towards kids/teens, but still fun for adults. Free souvenirs for all guests. Nice place to spend an hour and get out of the heat.

Ariel Harlev

Fun and entertaining place.

Kathy Amen

Free and educational. Interesting place to visit

JAY 21

Nice. Take the train.

Mohammed Riad

It needs to be bigger +it should contain real bills

Alan Cring

Great experience for students. I took the college students in my business club to the Fed for a guided tour and presentation. The gentleman who was our host was affable, knowledgeable, and quite engaging. Maybe five or six years ago when I took a similar group there, we were treated much less invitingly, so I must compliment the people at the Fed in Chicago for making changes that truly benefit its interactions with visitors, especially when those visitors will ultimately be professionals in the finance industry.

Jenn W

The money museum was super fun - it's awesome for being a free museum too. Lots of great history and interactive exhibits. It was definitely worth popping by. I got to walk away with a bunch of fun photos and a bag of shredded money.

Jake Freyer

They have some pretty cool stuff here, especially samples of pre-Civil War currency and military money through the years. There are also photo ops with a million dollars in each of three denominations. Fun place, and free!

Rodney Adams

Great learning experience..

David King

Small, but had lots of very interesting information and interactive experiences

Charles Struck

Was hoping the tour would have been more than just take you through the areas you have just been walking through. It was not.

James Rogers

Always enjoy visiting this museum. From the free pictire with the 1 million dollar briefcase to the 1 million dollar cube using 1 dollar bills. Also learn some history and check for counterfeit bills. Plus the free swag bag of chopped bills is nice memorbial.

Michael L

The money museum is fantastic and the presentations were very informative.

Maya Davis

Lots of interesting facts about our currency. Got to stand on $50,000 in coins. Got to check to see if my money was counterfeit. And it was free!

Brian Watson

Cool free museum. It's a quick stop, but also nicely informative and featuring some cool money artifacts and paper currency history. And you get a free bag of cash for visiting! ($350ish in shredded bills)

Aaron Thompson

It's free which is a bonus since it is in downtown Chicago and almost nothing is free. It was really neat to see the various forms if currency in our nation's history. Also got to see what a million dollars in cash looks like.

Julio Silva

Good and important, historical.

Charlie Chapman

Kind of fun. Actually great, for the price! (free)

Sam Solomon

Very good free museum. Worth a half hour or hour. Have to be escorted in by a security guard through metal detectors, but pretty quick process. Even give you free souvenirs.

Keith Johnson

Ever wonder if a million $100 Bill's would fit in a small duffle bag like in the movies - go here to find out.

Zed Griffiths

Bring your ID card. Fun little museam about the history of the Federal Reserve System and the history of money. Highlights are free souvenir bags of shredded US dollars, and seeing $1,000,000 in twenties with and explanation of inflation.

Sam Sukumar

Definitely worth a visit.

Simon Donald

Best value museum I have ever been to, cracking little museum to learn all about our history with money, so much to learn albeit in a small venue. This is lesser known to tourists in Chicago but worth visiting!

Owen Haesler

Great Museum! Interactive and very child friendly! Free admission so very budget friendly and quick but still clean and I interesting.

Lynn Gantner

I went here with my mom, sister and a group of teen girls. Everyone enjoyed the visit and you can't beat the free admission. It's a small museum you would only need an hour or less here. Afterwards we walked over to millennium park, about a 15 minute walk.

obinna okechuku

You want to know more about the greenback? This is the place to go! Loved it... So much history packed in just one building!

Alan Sexton

The money museum was small but very cool with lots of money history

Shital Chaudhary

We visited the mesusm of money! It was pretty cool to see how money looked like back in the days.

Julio Eccheli

Small but interesting museum. There is a tour, which is more a presentation than a tour, but it is very interesting and help us understand better the economic system.

Jaiden Sutaria and Associates

There isnt that much to do here, but it is interesting for 15 minutes

LT de Leon

Lots of good information and they give you free souvenirs.

shobha naidu

It’s work place for me .

Charlotte Buchanan

Go! It's free, entertaining, and informative. They give you little bags of shredded money...I put it in random cards to my nephews, completely freaks them out. Worth it;)

Debra Bledsoe

Accessible and interesting opportunity to learn about historical and political aspects of the banking system.

Jacqueline Lee

Good to no the history

Jason Cadell

When in the Loop you should make time to stop at the Chicago Fed Money Museum off the lobby of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago! This museum is great for all ages with lots of activities and learning opportunities and so much history its worth the visit. Be sure to have a valid government issued ID for gaining access to the museum. There's airport type security to get into the museum as well. You have a chance to see different types of current and old currency. You can have your photo take with $1,000,000.00 in a briefcase as well while in the museum. It's always a fun trip to take to check this museum out.

snoopy b

good see where it is. nice spot

Robin Brink

Had an interview interesting building with the money museum.

a Moore

Very nice. A hidden gem.

Bill Cliver

Excellent place to visit with or without children, the exhibits are interesting and you even get a free bag of chopped up currency as a keep sake!

Miran Cho

Great place to visit for an hour or less. Have to go through security and show ID to get in. Lots of interactive displays. Well worth the time especially if you're in the area already!