Between Chicago's Skydeck And Navy Pier Is A Top-Rated Museum Full Of Dark, Unsettling History

While looking for things to do in the world's most beautiful city of 2025, you have probably stumbled upon the Chicago Skydeck and Navy Pier. The Skydeck is the highest observation deck in America, allowing you to see Chicago from 1,353 feet in the air, while Navy Pier offers a way to connect with the community on the ground. If you're planning to hit both of these iconic Chicago attractions in one day, there may be a lesser-known stop you'll want to make along the way. Located in the middle of these two hotspots is none other than the Medieval Torture Museum, the perfect place to satisfy those with morbid curiosity.

While the Medieval Torture Museum is certainly less wholesome than the Skydeck and Navy Pier, it offers a gruesome yet fascinating look at medieval history. If you know anything about the Middle Ages, you're bound to be familiar with guillotines and the cruel torture tactics that were often used, but you might not comprehend the extent of how sickeningly creative these torturers were. Not to fret, because this is the largest interactive history museum in the U.S. and has over 100 gruesome items on display that showcase what it was like to be a prisoner from the 5th to the 15th centuries.

You might be wondering why anyone would want to explore this dark part of history, but all time periods are worth discovering — even the most macabre. We've all heard the phrase "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it," after all. The Medieval Torture Museum sticks to this stance wholeheartedly, emphasizing the importance of preserving even the cruelest of histories so that humans don't make the same mistakes again. That being said, they also acknowledge that the Middle Ages are often portrayed to be much more ghastly than they actually were, and while the devices themselves were real, they weren't as widely used as some might believe. With a whopping 4.8-star rating on Tripadvisor, it's clear that visitors see the value in the museum, proving this is no Chicago tourist trap. One Tripadvisor review reads, "Made sure to stop here since I love horror and history, and this place did not disappoint. Pretty quick and the staff was super nice, plus it's interactive, which makes the experience all the more educational!"

That being said, the museum is not for the faint of heart, and you'll definitely want to leave the kids at home for this one (although kids under 10 years old do get in for free). You can expect to see lots of realistic models, complete with anatomical gore. Sift through an extensive collection of dozens of medieval torture devices with interactive elements that make the experience, while gruesome, highly entertaining. Tickets start at $39.97 and fluctuate based on current sales and the day of the week.