{"id":106735,"date":"2026-04-24T12:03:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=106735"},"modified":"2026-04-24T18:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T23:00:12","slug":"embrace-the-niche-a-guide-to-chicagos-specialty-museums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/embrace-the-niche-a-guide-to-chicagos-specialty-museums\/","title":{"rendered":"Embrace the niche: A guide to Chicago\u2019s specialty museums"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mallory Evans<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>Medill Reports<\/i><\/p>\n

Smelling dozens of ice cream flavors.\u00a0Clicking buttons and cranking levers to control inflation and cash flow.\u00a0Squinting your eyes to see tiny bowling pins, buttons,\u00a0rocks\u00a0and figurines. The commonality?\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0all activities in Chicago museums.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to\u00a0<\/span>Museum Hack<\/span><\/a>, there are 67 museums in the city of Chicago \u2014 but what constitutes a \u201cmuseum\u201d? Institutions that exhibit artistic, scientific and historical work can also extend to unusual interests and hobbies. Keep an open mind. Minnesota draws visitors to its 14,000-foot museum dedicated to Hormel\u2019s canned meat, Spam.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the extraordinary things about Chicago is its wide variety of cultural offerings and extensive breadth of museums that are here,\u201d said Lindsay Bosch, associate director of communications, marketing and digital strategy at Northwestern University\u2019s free <\/span>Block Museum\u00a0of Art<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe kind of conversations you can have in a museum are unlike conversations you can have anywhere else.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Add these spots to your Chicago bucket list:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Toy
Michael\u2019s Museum at the Chicago Children\u2019s Museum (Mallory Evans\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michael\u2019s Museum: A Curious Collection of Tiny Treasures<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the third floor of the Chicago Children\u2019s Museum,\u00a0red\u00a0porti\u00e8re\u00a0curtains mark the entrance to a small world: Michael\u2019s Museum.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This \u201cmini\u201d museum features almost 100 collections (each made up of several thousands of items) of tiny objects donated by collector and retired teacher Michael Horvich. Horvich began accumulating miniatures and trinkets when he was 8 years old, and instead of the traditional lemonade stand phase, he would charge people a fee to view his collectibles. For several decades, he ran a tiny museum in his Evanston attic. Then a 2007 article in the Chicago Tribune<\/a><\/span>\u00a0about his space\u00a0prompted him to donate his collection to the Children\u2019s Museum, which\u00a0he still\u00a0visits\u00a0for\u00a0events.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0so whimsical and wonderful, and it works with our environment because it\u00a0almost functions\u00a0as a big, living \u2018I Spy,\u2019\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Natalie Bortoli, vice president of education programming and experience development at the Children\u2019s Museum.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Curators figured out ways for Michael\u2019s Museum to be more immersive, Bortoli said, incorporating counting challenges and memory games that encourage visitors to have conversations about similar family heirlooms like music boxes and holiday decorations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Find\u00a0Horvich\u2019s\u00a0mini bowling pins, Christmas ornaments, rubber chocolates, tin cars, Beanie Baby bears and jumping beans. If the main walkthrough\u00a0is\u00a0too ordinary, kids can check out a tiny mouse entrance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[Michael\u2019s Museum]\u00a0is a quieter space in a very active museum \u2026 for families to settle in and look around when they need a nice decompressing space,\u201d Bortoli\u00a0said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Display\"Wooden<\/p>\n

\"Children's<\/p>\n

\"Miniatures
Michael\u2019s Museum at the Chicago Children\u2019s Museum (Mallory Evans\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n