YOUR CHICAGO EVENT SPACE

A long table set for a dinner event at the American Writers Museum in Chicago
Photo by Carasco Photography
A lemonade stand at an event rental in the Children's Gallery of the American Writers Museum in Chicago
Photo by Carasco Photography
A cocktail event at the American Writers Museum in which 2 tables are set up in the Nation of Writers gallery
Photo by Carasco Photography
A table set for a private dinner at the American Writers Museum in Chicago
Photo by Carasco Photography
A pink and purple table setting for a private rental event at the American Writers Museum in Chicago
Photo by Carasco Photography
A dessert station set up near the front desk of the American Writers Museum for a private event rental
Photo by Carasco Photography
Readers Hall at the American Writers Museum set up with chairs in a theatre style facing a cocktail table for an event
Photo by Carasco Photography
A bar station serving specialty cocktails near the Word Waterfall at the American Writers Museum
Photo by Carasco Photography
A white and gray colored table setting at a private event at the American Writers Museum in Chicago
Photo by Carasco Photography

let us help you plan an event worth writing about!

The American Writers Museum is your next Chicago event space. Located on the the famed Michigan Avenue, we offer event spaces tailored to groups ranging from 20 to 250 people. Our colorful, interactive museum provides an atmosphere unlike any other for an indoor wedding venue, cocktail party, fundraiser, breakfast, corporate meetings, and more.

Looking for a fun activity for your staff, alumni group, club, family, or friends? We can help you host a wide variety of events with specialized tours and experiences to make your group’s event memorable.

We can collaborate on and customize virtual and in-person event experiences for adults and children of all ages and to fit varying budgets. Complete the form or email events@americanwritersmuseum.org.

Fill Out Request Form Here

Learn more about themed event packages at our Chicago event space here!

Chicago Event Space Details

Capacity

Cocktail reception in the entire museum: 250
Theatre style: 100
Seated dinner in Readers Hall: 60
Seated dinner in A Nation of Writers: 60
Seated dinner in Meijer Changing Gallery: 20

Rates

Early mornings: $1500/hr.
Evenings:
Events can be scheduled in blocks of 2, 3, or 4 hours.
Event up to 3 hours ……………………….. $3,500
Event up to 4 hours ……………………….. $4,500

Non-profit and special circumstances pricing
is available upon request.

EQUIPMENT

All facility rentals include the use of:
• Ten (10) sleek black highboy tables (linens not included)
• Up to one hundred (100) theatre-style chairs
• Three (3) coat racks with metal hangers
• Podium with a wireless PA system
• Handheld and Lavalier microphones
• Six (6) black stanchions
• Use of nine (9) television monitors
• Six (6) 66″ round tables (linens not included)
• Four (4) 6-ft folding tables (linens not included)
• Four (4) high-top chairs with backs, ideal for programming discussions

AV equipment for additional charge: 3 PTC-140ND Cameras, an RMC-300A camera controller, and a PC running VMix video production and streaming software. Inquire for more information and costs. 

Event Add-Ons

Private Tour Options (start at $75 for groups up to 25. Tours can be bundled with experience)

For curriculum based field trips for K-12 school groups, visit our Education page or contact education@americanwritersmuseum.org.

Group tours are for 10 or more and start at $75 for groups up to 25. AWM members receive 15% off tours. Please fill out our inquiry form and AWM Events will get back to you shortly.

  • General Museum/Highlights Tour
    Perfect for first time visitors!
     
  • Poe Tour
    The man behind the myth, from talking ravens to thumping tell-tale hearts. You’ll dive into Poe’s work and see how his legacy continues to impact the world today.

  • Trailblazing Women Writers Tour
    Discover the women of American literature with this tour highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of literary foremothers.

  • Frederick Douglass Tour
    You learn not only about the writer and statesman but who influenced him in life and the famous American writers and activists he worked with.

  • My America Tour
    Highlighted immigrant and native writers in each area of the Museum.

  • Hispanic Heritage Tour
    The voices of Hispanic writers have always been a part of the American literary landscape: from 1528 Spanish expeditions, to the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City, to contemporary Chicago poets.

  • Museum Tour with AWM President Carey Cranston (higher rate than other tours)

Private Experiences (Prices vary. Experiences can be bundled with tours.)
  • Poems While You Wait
    • A collective of poets & their manual typewriters who provide a magical, unexpected, unpretentious, & decontextualized encounter with poetry. No requested topic is too big or too small, too funny or too sad, too silly or too serious.
  • Chicago Detours
    • A Deep Slice of Chicago Food History: Chicago is known across the country as a food town! Learn about the history of the Billy Goat Tavern, a regular hangout for writers, and the influence of different cultures bringing food traditions together in Chicago.  Recommendation – Bundle with the My America tour! 
    • Badass Women of History: Hear stories of women who forged their own paths and reflect on how their stories of fearlessness, influence and integrity can inspire us personally and professionally today. Recommendation – Bundle with the Trailblazing Women Writers tour!
  • Adult Spelling Bees by Danielle Sepulveres
    • The Twilight Zone: There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge…of spelling. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Adult Spelling Bee. 
    • Fictional Characters We Wish Hadn’t Died: Can you spell Anna Karenina? How about Ned Stark? What better way to eulogize the fictional characters whose deaths have saddened us than correctly spelling their names! 
    • RomComs Forever: Tonight the words will be acted out in the form of a romantic comedy quote! If you spell it correctly AND guess which RomCom it’s from, you will get double points! Time to rewatch HARRY MET SALLY for the hundredth time!
    • Request a themed bee to be curated for your group
  • Food For Thought’s A Night at the Museum Dinner Packages – 5 Stage Story Plated Dinners
    • A Night at the Museum: Mediterranean Tour
    • A Night at the Museum: A Far East Adventure
  • StoryStudio Chicago
    • Single-session creative writing workshops
  • Scavenger Hunt
    • A Women Writers scavenger hunt will take your group through our permanent exhibits to find iconic American women who shaped the history of this country with their words and voices.
  • The Big Quiz Show
    • Literary-themed Trivia: Multimedia, “figureoutable” trivia, but focusing on famous authors, lit classics, publishing phenomena, and more.
  • Children’s storytime, author talks, and more.

Food & Beverage

Exclusive Caterer

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Your next chicago event space is the American writers museum

where every event tells a story

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