Starting Memorial Day Weekend the AWM will be open six days a week!
May 4, 2023 (CHICAGO) – The American Writers Museum is revising its hours for the summer, recognizing Chicago will continue to see an increase in tourism and visitors who will add the AWM to their itinerary. The AWM, located at 180 N. Michigan Avenue, Second Floor, is just steps away from Millennium Park and other popular Chicago attractions, hotels, and restaurants. The AWM has been closed to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the past two years, only opening its doors for field trips and private events on those days. Beginning May 30, the AWM will be open on Tuesdays through September 5. The museum’s new summer hours of operation will be Thursdays to Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.
Admission to the museum ($14 for adults; $9 for Seniors, Teachers and Students; Free for Members and Children 12 and under) includes the special exhibit Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice and optional guided tours at 3pm on the days the museum is open. A special Trailblazing Women Writers tour continues through May 15 and then a Writing Queer tour, highlighting LGBTQ+ writers, starts June 1 and runs through July 30. There is also an optional scavenger hunt experience for young people where they are given visual clues to search for throughout the museum.
Add-ons to general admission include such activities as a letter writing experience where museum-goers can write a letter on one of the museum’s typewriters in the Story of the Day exhibit to send as a gift to friends and family. For a nominal fee, visitors can obtain a special stamped envelope that the museum will mail for the visitor. They can also pay an extra fee to have the museum take a polaroid of them at the typewriters to insert into the envelope.
Tickets to the museum’s public programming events range in price but all include access to AWM exhibits.
Upcoming events and programs:
Writing Queer Museum Tour
Lisa See: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (IN PERSON)
Lisa See: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (ONLINE)
Get Lit: Pride Night
Juneteenth Celebration at the American Writers Museum
Juno Dawson: You Need To Chill (IN PERSON)
About the American Writers Museum
The American Writers Museum is the first museum of its kind in the United States. The mission of the American Writers Museum is to engage the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, and our daily lives. The museum is located at 180 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60601, and offers something for every age group including permanent exhibits and special galleries highlighting America’s favorite works and the authors behind them. Tickets to the museum are $14 for adults, $9 for seniors, students, and teachers. Free for members and children ages 12 and under. To inquire about discounted rates for groups of 10 or more, including adults, student travel groups, and University students, visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org/visit/groups/ or call 312-374-8770. Museum hours are Thursday – Monday 10 AM – 5 PM. For more information visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org or call 312-374-8790.