A Splendid Season at the Bridgehouse Museum

The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum wrapped up a successful 17th season this year welcoming over 20,000 people. Serving as both the educational hub of Friends of the Chicago River and the cultural hub of the Chicago Riverwalk, the five-story historic landmark Bridgehouse offers guests an exploration of the history of the Chicago-Calumet River system from pre-colonization to modern day. The permanent exhibit, temporary exhibits, Chicago River is Wild Science Station, various fundraisers, and celebratory rental options all make the Bridgehouse Museum a unique one-of-kind Riverwalk experience.

Host Your Special Event at the Museum 

Start planning now to host a special event at the Bridgehouse Museum next year. The 2024 season opens to the public on Chicago River Day, May 11, 2024.

This year we also invited the community to contribute to our offerings. The WM-sponsored Poster Contest invited kids K-12 students to design posters highlighting the importance of a litter-free Chicago-Calumet River. The success of this program spawned an additional art contest which invited multimedia artists to submit pieces with the theme “Life on the Chicago-Calumet River.” Dozens of pieces were submitted and five winners were chosen for display in the museum lobby.

Two successful annual fundraisers benefiting the museum’s education and public outreach programs capped the museum season – the 10th annual Autumn Cruise and two nights of our 2nd annual Eerie Evening. The festive fall cruise hosted revelers to a splendid evening on the river among the glistening Chicago skyline. Eerie Evening returned as the museum was transformed into haunted stories from the turn of the last century when the five-story bridgehouse was built. Clad in costumes, museum associates regaled guests with true and bone-chilling Chicago tales as they were guided through each floor of the museum.

For additional information about the Bridgehouse Museum contact Museum Director Josh Coles at jcoles@chicagoriver.org or fill out an online rental request here.