Visit the Polish Museum of America!

HOURS

The Museum is open 11:00a.m.–4:00p.m. Friday–Wednesday. Visiting tips.
The Archives are not open to the public. Please visit our Archives page for more information.
The Library is open 10:00a.m.–4:00p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, and 1:00p.m.–7:00p.m. Wednesday.
The Gift Shop is open 11:00a.m.–3:30p.m. Friday–Wednesday.

While the Museum is open on weekends, only part-time Staff are available on those days. Inquiries made to weekend Staff will most often wait until Monday for response.

Please note also that email is received, read and redirected only on weekdays between 7:00 am and 9:00 am. Please plan your inquiries accordingly. Staff will make every effort to provide requested information but, reasonable lead time for us to do so is an expected courtesy.

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CLOSURES

The Museum is closed every Thursday as well as major holidays.
The Archives are not open to the public. Please visit our Archives page for more information.
The Library is closed every Thursday and Sunday as well as major holidays.
The Gift Shop is closed every Thursday as well as major holidays.

NOTE: In the event of severe weather, we may experience an unscheduled closure; please call ahead, (773) 384-3352.

2011 Holidays and Other Scheduled Closures

January 1, 2 & 3 - New Year's Holiday
February 21 - President's Day
March 7 - Pulaski Day: Close at Noon
April 22 - Good Friday
April 24 - Easter
May 31 - Memorial Day
July 4 - Independence Day
September 5 - Labor Day
October 10 - Columbus Day
November 11 - Veteran's Day
November 24 & 25 - Thanksgiving
December 24, 25 & 26 - Christmas

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ADMISSION

Adults—$7.00
Seniors (over 62 years) & Students (over 9 years)—$6.00
Members - $5.00

Admission tickets are purchased in the Museum's Gift Shop when you arrive.

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MAP

The Museum is no more than 10 minutes from the Loop by car or cab, 15 minutes by bus or subway. A cab ride from either airport (O'Hare or Midway) typically takes 30–40 minutes in mild to moderate traffic, about 45 minutes by subway.

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DIRECTIONS

BY CAR FROM ...

North & Northwest: Travel to the Kennedy Expressway, I-90/94, and proceed toward downtown Chicago. Exit at Division Street and turn right, heading west. At the third traffic light turn left onto Milwaukee Avenue heading southeast. At the second traffic light turn right onto Augusta Boulevard then very shortly left into the parking lot behind the building.
West: Use the Eisenhower Expressway, I-290, to get to the Kennedy Expressway, I-90/94. Travel on the Kennedy Expressway, I-90/94, and proceed through downtown Chicago. Exit at Augusta Boulevard. At the end of the exit ramp is the intersection of Augusta Boulevard and Milwaukee Avenue. Proceed across the intersection and turn left into the parking lot behind the building.
South & Southwest: Use the Stephenson Expressway, I-55, the Dan Ryan Expressway, I-90/94 or I-57 to get to the Kennedy Expressway, I-90/94. Travel on the Kennedy Expressway, I-90/94, and proceed through downtown Chicago. Exit at Augusta Boulevard. At the end of the exit ramp is the intersection of Augusta Boulevard and Milwaukee Avenue. Proceed across the intersection and turn left into the parking lot behind the building.

BY SUBWAY FROM ...

(CTA Information)

Loop: Use the "blue line" outbound from the Loop. Get off at the Chicago Avenue station. Walk 4 bocks northwest on Milwaukee Avenue (away from the city) to Augusta Boulevard.
O'hare Airport (ORD): Use the "blue line" inbound to the Loop. Get off at the Division Street Station. Walk 4 bocks southeast on Milwaukee Avenue (towards the city) to Augusta Boulevard.
Midway Airport (MDW): Use the "orange line" to the Loop. At the Clark & Lake Street station transfer to the "blue line" outbound from the Loop. Get off at the Chicago Avenue station. Walk 4 bocks northwest on Milwaukee Avenue (away from the city) to Augusta Boulevard.

BY BUS

Take the #56 CTA bus to Augusta Boulevard. Refer to CTA route maps to find out how to get to the #56 bus route.

FROM POLAND!

Fly from Warsaw to O'hare Airport then hop in a rental car, taxi or limo and follow the directions BY CAR FROM ... North & Northwest.
Fly from Warsaw to O'hare Airport then catch a "blue line" train at the airport and follow the directions BY SUBWAY FROM ... O'hare Airport.

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PARKING

There is free, secure parking in the lot located to the west of the building, entry from Augusta Boulevard. Additional parking through the main lot to the lot across the alley.

Museum entrance is under canopy. Intersection is Milwaukee Ave. and Augusta Blvd. looking southwest.

Handicap entrance from parking lot. Elevator access from this door. Ring doorbell for entry.

Free parking lots behind building; enter from Augusta Blvd. Looking to the south.

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TIPS ON VISITING

Here are some suggestions for maximizing your enjoyment of the Museum. We love our visitors to share our enthusiasm for the treasures found within!

Please allow at least one hour for your visit. There is a lot to see in the Museum and you will want to visit the Gift Shop. Please try to arrive before 3:00 p.m.
The building that houses the Museum must be secured at 4:00 p.m. For security reasons you will not be allowed to stay beyond that time. Please also realize that Museum Staff will begin preparing for shut-down before 4:00 p.m. and may not be available for the Gift Shop.
Feel free to ask questions of the Staff! Museum Staff have a great deal of knowledge, particularly about the Polish-American community, as well as the exhibits in the Museum.
Museum Staff can give you information and help about getting around Chicago. We can direct you to the Polish neighborhoods in Chicago and suggest where you can find Polish food.
Museum Staff can give you information about Polish Catholic churches in the area.
Do not assume that Museum Staff are fluent in Polish. In fact, some have no Polish language capability.
If you are visiting as the result of a school assignment, please let the Museum Staff know this when you enter the Museum. Museum Staff are aware of these types of assignments and can help you meet the requirements. We are always most happy to tell you about the history and background of the Museum.
Please be patient during your visit. The Museum has limited staff and someone may not be immediately available to see to your wishes.
Please watch your step when walking about, especially in the stairwells. All too often we have visitors so interested in the displays of art that they miss a step and take a tumble. Please do take care!
Please be prepared to make your donation without asking for change. Museum Staff have some capability for making change for large bills but it is limited, especially on weekends. Please do not ask us to provide change for bus or subway fares.
We can call a taxi for you if you ask. This is usually only necessary on weekends. On weekdays you will wait no more than five minutes to catch a cab in front of the building.
If you are bringing small children to the Museum you will be expected to control their behavior such that their safety is assured. Running or throwing objects is never allowed in the Museum. If Staff notice such behavior you will be asked to control your children or leave the Museum. Visiting the Museum is a privilege, not a right. You may be held liable for any damages caused.
Please do not play the piano. (An exception will be made if your name is Ignacy Jan Paderewski or Frédéric Chopin!)

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Frequently asked questions

- I have items that belonged to a deceased relative. Can I donate these to the Museum?
It depends. We have limited storage space and must be selective about what we will accept. Please prepare a list of the items you want to donate and send it to the Museum. We will advise you what we will accept.

- I have a painting by a Polish artist. Can you tell me its value?
No! This is potentially a conflict of interest. Contact the agent who handles your property or renters insurance and ask the agent to recommend a qualified appraiser.

- My ancestor lived in Chicago around 1900. Can you give me more information about him/ her?
No. We do not have information about past residents of Chicago or any other city. We have newspaper obituaries and some selected church records available on microfilm. Please go to our genealogy page for more information on getting started with your genealogical research.

- My family will be visiting the Museum next month. What else is there to do in Chicago?
Please click on the links page for information about Chicago tourism.

- Are there any Polish restaurants near the Museum?
Yes. Podhalanka restaurant is about three city-blocks from the Museum. Any Museum Staff can give you directions at the time of your visit. The restaurant is very near to the Division Street Blue Line subway station. There are also very good non-Polish restaurants near the Museum.

- Where is the Polish neighborhood in Chicago located?
The nearest Polish neighborhood to the Museum is located about four miles northwest of the Museum, at the junction of Belmont Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue. It can be reached by car or Public Transportation. Museum Staff can give you more information at the time of your visit.

- Can we get a guided tour of the Museum?
This would be difficult. The Museum is large and has a great many exhibits. We have very limited staff available, usually just one person who handles visitor questions as well as the Gift Shop. We can give visitors an overview of the Museum and its history. We can answer questions and provide additional information on specific exhibits. Taking your group from exhibit to exhibit is not practical.

- I have some letters written in Polish. Can you translate these for me?
Generally, no. We can suggest people who can translate but they will charge you a fee. However, sometimes there are exceptions to this general rule. It is best to send a description (quantity, dates, nature of the documents, if known, etc.,) of the documents to the Museum. For example, some years ago a person came in with quite a number of letters, correspondence between two sisters in the U.S. and their father in Poland. What interested us was that the letters spanned the period of 1914 to 1925. This was a critical period in Polish history and a long sequence of letters is very rare. We scanned all the letters and provided translations at no charge in order to add this information to our Archives.

- I would like to rent the Museum space for an upcoming wedding reception, how do I arrange this?
The Polish Museum of America is available for rental to community groups, organizations and businesses, however we regret that we are unable to host private celebrations (such as weddings).

For more information about planning a special event at the PMA, please contact: Pat Tropp at (773) 782-2605 or Kasia Budzyn at (773) 782-2604

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