The Richard H. Driehaus Museum — Attraction in Chicago

Before we went I called and spoke with a rep who said that there is street parking or if you park in the Row Self Parking it will be validated. Validated parking to me means that the parking will be free if you visit the museum. We went, parked in the Row Self Parking tower. When we checked in at the counter they did not question to see if we parked in the tower or not. When we got to the gift shop on the third floor I asked if they could validate the parking and the lady put a sticker on the ticket. Mind you, the only thing we did was park, walk the two blocks to the museum, waited in line, self toured the museum and walked the two blocks back. In total, the car was parked in the parking garage for one hour and nine minutes. Keep in mind, this is shorter than the time it would have taken to do the one hour tour plus waiting in line and visit the gift shop and that is if you entered exactly when the very next tour was about to begin. In any case when we went to leave the parking garage it still cost $17 for parking! So no the parking is not completely validated. The rep should have said discounted, validated typically means free not reduced cost.

When you enter you are directed to go the the main room that has no furnishings it is a blank space with different placards you are able to read about the space. You must go to the desk to "check in" there is not a separate line if you pre bought tickets or if you didn't so really there is not a point of pre buying the tickets since you are still waiting in the same line as everyone who did not buy tickets online. If you have children they will just assume you don't want to take the tour and WILL NOT offer it because they "don't recommend it for children.". This to me is crazy because my children have successfully completed dozens of house tours which zero issues.

The entry fee is $20 per adult and free for kids 12 and under. It is the same prices online vs in person. The guided tour is an hour and costs $5 more.

The actual entry fee is hugely overpriced because there are not many furnished rooms, not much history or information about the styling of each room and generally not really a lot to see or take inat this home for the price they are charging. I have been to much nicer historical homes that had many more furnishings and things to see, more information to read about than this had to offer. Maybe the people who run this home can visit the homes in Newport, RI, Natchez, MS and the plantation homes in Louisiana and the Biltmore to see what else they can add to justify charging $20 per ticket.

The placards are also missing many details of each of the rooms features. There is a jewelry exhibit on the second floor but nothing tied the jewelry to the people of the home, it was really odd to be honest to have a jewelry collection of random pieces in the home. They didn't have any facts about the jewelry featured so that too was disappointing.

On Wednesdays from 5 until 7 the the entry fee is waved which is when I would recommend you go. Unfortunately today they close at 3 so the free option was...

Would recommend visiting this place, but beware of going in groups of 4+ people.

Found the museum mentioned online, and decided to pay it a visit as I’m a geek for everything related to 19th Century history. The house is absolutely gorgeous and awe-striking. We took a guided tour which was fun and very informative (I think our tour guide’s name was Griffith, but I might be wrong. If I got your name wrong, I’m so sorry, as the tour was lovely). They also had a temporary exhibit on contemporary artworks inspired by different rooms in the house, which I thought gave a refreshing twist to the over-the-top lavishness of the place.

However… our only, but significant, complaint is that when we got our tickets at the entrance and asked about the tour, they told us the couldn’t sell us tickets for our whole party of 5 (3 seniors + 2 adults), as, supposedly, museum policy forbade more than 4 people from the same party to be on the same tour, which we thought was ridiculous. They explained that it was because they didn’t want one group to “hijack” the tour… in the end one of our party hand sit the tour out, and, to add insult to injury, the tour got split into two different groups as a lot of people had signed up for it. We wished they would’ve offered to split us into two groups for the tour or given us another option rather than making one of us stay behind for an hour when all of us wanted to go and we were by no means a rowdy group or anything.

My four-star-review of an otherwise five-star experience is because of the poor handling of museum policy regarding...

The Richard H. Driehaus Museum was a treasure trove filled with antiques. If you are a fan of Tiffany Lamps, Art Nouveau embellishments, or out of this world opulence and grandeur, then this museum the right place for you. The museum is held in the historic Samuel M. Nickerson House, a wealthy banker who built the home at the height of America's Gilded Age.

The contents of the museum are extraordinary. The rooms on the first floor are filled to the brim with objects, and are very maximalist in design. You really have to be mindful, and look at everything in detail to appreciate the craftsmanship and history of the objects in front of you. There is a lot of focus on the natural world through many of the objects, as you will see a lot of flowers and animal motifs scattered across the rooms.

Overall, I would highly recommend visiting this museum. The collection of Art Nouveau objects is truly special. You don't see details like that anymore, and it feels really inspiring to be surrounded by so many beautiful and unique objects. It's also amazing to visit if you love Tiffany stained glass and lamps - this place has tons of it!

I appreciated being able to stroll through the home at my own pace since I didn't schedule a tour. The museum's app which I downloaded on my phone prior to my arrival was also very insightful in providing me with information and context about the collection and the home. I also purchased tickets the day of visiting, the process was seamless and the staff...