Tour Groups, School Groups and Bus Tours

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Museum welcomes tour groups of all ages and interests. Reservations for tour groups are strongly recommended to ensure the availability of a dedicated tour guide. Reservations should be made at least one week prior to the visit (catered lunches, Special Tours, Workshop Packages and Lecture Packages require additional notice). A minimum of one hour should be allowed for a tour group visit (two hours minimum for special tours and packages). Ninety minutes should be allowed if tour group members are interested in visiting the Museum Gift Shop and 45 minutes should be added for all tours that include a catered lunch.

Tour information and scheduling is handled by Museum Operations, Rich Kujawa, extension 206. Please call Museum Operations between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. After the Museum officially opens at 11:00 a.m. Operations staff may be occupied with visitors and may not be able to take your call.

The maximum tour group size is 45 people. However, groups of up to 90 people can be accommodated with at least one month advanced reservation notice. There is no minimum tour group size. Tour groups may be accommodated, within limits, on days and times other than our regular hours. Please call to discuss your needs for off-hour visits. Tours will not be scheduled for any time later than 2:00 p.m. Tours may be scheduled before normal opening hours, as early as 8:00 a.m. It is preferred that tours be scheduled to start before 11:00 a.m. in order to allow staff to attend to the tour group without being interrupted by other visitors.

We recommend that all group tour members read our Tips on Visiting.

Tour groups that will arrive by school bus, coach bus, or any vehicle larger than a mini-bus or passenger van should call for alternate directions and parking instructions.

Adult Tours

The standard format for adult tour groups consists of a fifteen minute introduction to the Museum that includes its history and collection highlights. Members of the tour group may then proceed on their own or continue with a guide for a directed tour. In either case, the assigned tour guide will be available to answer questions or provide additional information. For more on adult tours, click here.

Student Tours

The format used for school groups depends on the grade levels of the group. Videos are used extensively for younger students with an emphasis placed on Polish folk dress, folk arts and crafts, and traditions. Older students learn about basic Polish history and the reasons for Polish immigration to America.

Student groups can be provided with free Student Activity Books that include information on the Museum and educational games dealing with artifacts found in the Museum. For example, there is a Math Puzzler, Museum Scrambler and Scavenger Hunt. Teachers may request to receive a copy of the workbook prior to their visit to help prepare the students. Teachers are also provided with an answer sheet to help foster post-visit discussions. Please call to inquire prior to your visit.

Many student tour groups have expressed enthusiastic interest in the Tour and Workshop Packages and/or Tour and Lecture Packages offered by the Museum and explained below. A catered lunch is another popular option for students. For more on student tours, click here.

Catered Luncheon Option

Any group tour scheduled with sufficient advance notice (usually two weeks) is available with an optional catered luncheon in the Social Hall. For an additional charge, groups can enjoy Polish foods to enhance their experience. Please allow 45 minutes additional time for any tour that includes this option. Please call for more details.

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SPECIAL TOURS

These special tours allow visitors to focus on a particular aspect of the Museum’s Collection. They include viewing exhibits of material not generally available for public viewing. Reservations are required at least one month in advance. Special Tours can be combined with the Catered Luncheon Option.

Paderewski

This tour focuses on the life of the famous Polish pianist, composer and statesman, Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860–1941). The tour includes visiting the Paderewski Room, which contains his practice piano, sheet music, programs and posters from his performances. Visitors can enjoy listening to selections of his music. The Paderewski Room also features this statesman’s unique watch, the pen used to sign the Paris Peace Treaty in 1919 and other interesting artifacts from his life as Poland’s Prime Minister from 1918–1920. Time: 90 minutes. Limited to groups no larger than 25 people.

Polish Art Deco

This tour focuses on the Art Deco movement in Poland during the pre-World War II period. It features paintings and sculptures. Time: 90 minutes.

Polish Folk Art

This tour focuses on traditional Polish folk arts, including wood carving, textile weaving, wycinanki (Polish paper cuttings), decorated Easter eggs, leathercraft, etc. Time: 90 minutes.

Polish Immigration to America

This tour explores the causes of Polish migration to America—especially to the Chicago area from 1865 to the present. This tour is suitable for school tour groups in grades 8 through 12, or adults. Time: 90 minutes. This option is generally not available on Saturday or Sunday.

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WORKSHOP PACKAGES

Tour and Workshop Packages give our visitors an opportunity to learn and participate in specific areas of Polish culture. These packages include the standard format tour and a hands-on workshop selected from the following list:

Making traditional Polish Christmas ornaments
Christmas ornament painting
Decorating Polish Easter eggs (pisanki)

For 16 years to adult, this workshop is conducted with stylus, beeswax and dyes
For younger children, this workshop uses wycinanki and decorates paper eggs

Painting Easter eggs (for all ages)
Making traditional decorative Polish paper cuttings (wycinanki)

Tour and Workshop Packages can be combined with the Catered Luncheon Option. Please allow a minimum of 2 hours for the tour and workshop plus 45 minutes for the (optional) luncheon. Minimum number of people for a Workshop Package is 15; maximum is 30. An additional $5.00 per person for materials will be added to your Museum admission charge. Reservations are required at least two weeks in advance, but we recommend more to ensure the availability of an instructor.

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LECTURE PACKAGES

Tour and Lecture Packages give our visitors an opportunity to learn about specific aspects of Polish culture and history. These packages include the standard format tour and an interactive lecture selected from the following list:

Important Polish Artists in the Museum’s Collection
History of Polish Literature
Polish Fairy Tales and Folk Stories
Polish American Heroes
Polish Easter Customs and Traditions
Polish Folk Dress, Dances and Songs
Polish Constitution Day (May 3rd)
Polish Art from the Art Deco Period

Tour and Lecture Packages can be combined with the Catered Luncheon Option. Please allow a minimum of 2 hours for the tour and lecture plus 45 minutes for the (optional) luncheon. Minimum number of people for a Lecture Package is 15; maximum is 30. Reservations are required at least two weeks in advance, but we recommend more to ensure the availability of a lecturer.

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MORE ON ADULT TOURS

Please call (773) 384-3352 ext. 206 to schedule a group tour of the Museum. Allow at least 2 weeks advance notice and re-confirm the visit one week prior. Please note that we will not schedule tours after 2:00 P.M. unless special arrangements are made.

Cost is $6 for seniors and $7 for adults. Tour leaders are free. Allow at least 1 hour for the visit. An allocation of 1 1/2 hours is better to allow visitors sufficient time in the Museum's Gift Shop. Gift Shop prices for tour groups are discounted the equivalent sales tax, over 9% in Chicago.

It is preferable to start the tour before the normal opening time of 11:00 a.m. This will allow the group to be given full attention by Museum Staff. It may also be possible to arrange a tour visit for a Thursday (when we are normally closed) depending on other activities at the Museum. An elevator is available for visitors who cannot manage the trek up two long flights of stairs.

A typical tour starts with the group taking seats in the Great Hall of the Museum. A Museum Staff member then presents a brief history of the Museum and its collections. This is followed by a discussion of four large exhibits in the Hall; Painting of General Pulaski at Savannah, Painting "Memories of Childhood" by Kossak, Stations of the Cross from Panna Maria, Texas and the stained glass window from the 1939 Polish Pavilion. The entire introduction takes about 15 minutes. Additional topics may be added to the introduction if requested (for example, the history of Polish immigrants coming to Chicago can be discussed). After that the group can take off on a self-directed tour, or part of the group can start their self-directed tour while the others remain seated for an additional lecture. We are very flexible, so the tour visit can be tailored to suit specific needs or interests. Museum Staff is always available to answer questions or provide more information.

The Library is available to tour group members for quick genealogical work.

We can assist tour operators in preparing a tour offering. We can provide contacts at historic area churches and Polish restaurants.

Please view our Tour Calendar for available dates.

Please have the following information available when you call or submit a tour request by email:

Date and time of your visit
Approximate number of people in your group
Age profile of your group
Will elevator use be expected / required?
Any special interests?

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MORE ON STUDENT TOURS

Please call (773) 384-3352 ext. 206 to arrange for a student tour. Allow at least 2 weeks notice prior to your group's visit. Groups larger than fifty students require special arrangements and at least 4 weeks advance notice. We prefer to host student groups prior to our 11:00 a.m. opening so, if possible, please schedule your visit to start between 9 and 10 a.m. We request that you provide an adequate number of chaperones to maintain discipline.

Cost per student grades 1 thru 5 is $5.00. Cost per student grades 6 thru 12 is $6.00. Teachers and chaperons are gratis. The Museum Gift Shop is not open to large student groups for security reasons.

Age appropriate workbooks are provided to the students free of charge (courtesy of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America). These workbooks have various questions and puzzles that relate to Poland and Museum exhibits. A sample can be mailed for pre-visit class work.

A typical class visit consists of an introduction to the Museum followed by information on specific exhibits. Both introduction and exhibit information vary by age group.

For grades 1 thru 5, the introduction includes an explanation of how students can use a museum to learn. A Polish folk costume is used interactively as an example of how we can learn by observation; the heavy wool trousers indicate a cool climate, the wool indicates sheep herding, the flower decorations about their nature, etc. We then go to look at other folk costumes, a Polish szopka (manger scene), Polish pisanki (Easter eggs) and pierniki (gingerbread). The students are then at liberty to go on a self-directed tour. We finish by presenting some common Polish words; hello, goodbye, etc. Museum Staff are available for questions. The visit should not be scheduled to last more than 1 hour.
For grades 6 thru 12, the museum usage is replaced by a brief history of the Museum and highlights are presented in a less interactive manner. Material is presented on Casimir Pulaski, the first permanent Polish settlement in the US, our stained glass window and the large Kossak painting. The students are then free for self-directed tours. Museum Staff are available for questions.

The above can be modified at the request of the teacher to cover other topics such as Polish immigration history (for which a special workbook is available) or our art exhibits. If requested, the teacher can be given a written summary of which Illinois teaching standards were met by the visit.It is suggested that the day before the visit some preparatory material be covered: locate the country of Poland on a map; find out how big it is relative to the state of Illinois; find out how many people live there relative to the state of Illinois; find out how many Polish-American people live in the Chicago Metro area; if it's 10:00 a.m. here, what time is it in Poland?; what does the flag of Poland look like?

It is also suggested that the students be given some questions that they need to get answers for from their visit. For example, name five famous people from Poland and explain why they are famous (Nikolas Copernicus, Casimir Pulaski, Pope John Paul II, Taddeus Kosciuszko, Marie Curie, Ignacy Paderewski, etc.)

Please view our Tour Calendar for available dates.

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