Group Tour Information


The Jane Addams' Hull-House Museum at the University of Illinois at Chicago welcomes prescheduled visits by groups of adults or elementary, high school, and college students interested in the history of the Hull-House social settlement and its surrounding neighborhood. The following information may be helpful to group leaders planning a field trip to the museum.

Planning a Visit
The museum offers guided tours for prescheduled groups of adults or students (from kindergarten through highschool seniors). Maximum group size is 35 ; minimum size is 7. Walkthroughs of more than 6 people should call in advance. One adult per 10 students is required for elementary, junior high, and high-school groups. Teachers should plan on spending at least 50 minutes to an hour for an average tour. However, times and topics can be adapted for a group's specific needs. Teachers are encouraged to visit the museum in advance to preview the orientation and exhibits.

Museum Regulations
Many of the furnishings in the museum are original, and visitors are requested to refrain from touching any of the objects. Teachers and adult volunteers are responsible for the conduct of their groups and encourage and enforce proper museum decorum. Teachers, chaperones, and tour guides must stay with the group at all times. All groups must be accompanied by museum a tour guide. Instructors and professors are prohibited from lecturing or giving their own tour of Hull-House inside the museum. Disruptive groups will be asked to leave. Food and beverages are not permitted inside the museum. Photography is not permitted within the museum. If your plans change and you must cancel your reservation, please notify the museum staff as quickly as possible.

Scheduling a Tour
Advance reservations for group visits are required and may be made by calling the museum at (312) 413-5353. Please have available the following information:

  • Name, address, and phone number of school or organization
  • Name of accompanying teacher or group leader
  • Size of group
  • Age or grade level of students or group members
  • Date and time of visit, including alternate choices
  • Information on any special needs participants may have
  • In addition, the museum encourages teachers, when scheduling a tour, to discuss the content of the course for which the trip is scheduled so that our guides can tailor their tours to the specific interests of your group.

Contents of Tours
All tours begin with a presentation. Two shows are available; teachers are encouraged to select the one most appropriate to their group's interests.

"An Experiment in Democracy" (approx. 20 min.) An Experiment in Democracy is the film for anyone who is a fan of Jane Addams, passionate about social justice, or a student or teacher of history.  With never-before-seen footage, The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum has produced a definitive short film of Addams’s life and the history of the Hull-House Settlement. Narrated by Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (granddaughter of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt), An Experiment in Democracy traces the history of Hull-House from Jane Addams’s childhood to the contemporary work of both Hull-House Association and the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.  Viewers will be introduced to social reformers who lived at Hull-House, catch a rare glimpse of the settlement’s innovative programs, and learn about the legacy of Addams and Hull-House in Chicago and the world.Includes English captions and Spanish subtitles.

"The Women of Hull-House" (approx. 25 min.) tells the story of the contributions of Jane Addams and other Hull-House women to the history of social welfare, education, progressive reform, women's rights, sociology, labor relations, international peace, and many other areas of American life. It is suitable for high school, college, and adult groups.

Related Activities
In addition to a film and guided tour the Hull- House Museum offers several activities for tour groups. To learn more about these activities download this document.

Arrival Procedures
Buses should pull into the turnout on Halsted Street immediately south of the museum. Buses may wait in the turnout while the group visits the museum.

Upon arrival, group leaders should ring the bell of the Hull Mansion; a guide will then escort the group to the Residents' Dining Hall for the slide presentation. The museum may not be able to accommodate late arrivals. Please notify us as soon as possible if there is a chance your group will not arrive at its scheduled time.

Facilities
The museum regrets that coatroom and lunchroom facilities are not available. However, groups may use the university cafeteria, in the Chicago Circle Center building, which is located directly behind the museum, or make plans to visit one of the ethnic restaurants located in the nearby Italian or Greek communities. The museum does not have public restroom facilities; restrooms are available in Chicago Circle Center. Please keep this in mind when bringing large groups. Automobile parking is available in two University lots directly across from the museum for a fee of $1.50 to $7.50, depending upon day of the week, time of the day, and length of stay. Buses may wait in front of the museum if the driver stays with the vehicle.

Pre-tour and Post-tour Suggestions for Teachers

Urban Experience in Chicago: Hull-House and its Neighborhoods, 1889 - 1963

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured above: Portrait of Jane Addams by Alice Kellogg Tyler. University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.