Upcoming Events at the Bridgehouse Museum

 

 
 

Autumn Cruise - 20th Anniversary Celebration

Thursday, October 1
6 – 8 p.m.
Tickets: $100 for one ticket; $95 each for multiple
Register Here
Cruise departs from the Wendella dock on the Main Stem of the river at Rush Street near the iconic Wrigley Building
Sponsor the Cruise

Cruise the Chicago River to celebrate 20 years of Friends' McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum. Join Friends of the Chicago River, our partners, and our sponsors for a spectacular evening on the river with drinks, hors d’oeuvres from local eateries, live music, and festive onboard entertainment.

The Bridgehouse Museum stands as the cultural anchor of the Chicago Riverwalk and welcomes tens of thousands of visitors every season for exhibits on the history and future of the Chicago-Calumet River system. Providing unique access to and understanding of the dynamic relationship between the city of Chicago and its rivers, the Bridgehouse Museum leads visitors on interactive tours of the river from pre-colonization to its modern revitalization. Inside this historic building, our gear room allows visitors to get up close and personal with the massive gears and counterweight system that still moves the 106-year-old bridge.

Celebrate the landmark five-story bridgehouse in style, and cruise among the glistening Chicago skyline on our 20th Anniversary Autumn Cruise. You and your friends will eat, drink, and share a night to remember—and all while raising money for the engagement, advocacy and action work of Friends of the Chicago River’s museum hub. 

To sponsor this special event, contact Bridgehouse Museum Director, Josh Coles (jcoles@chicagoriver.org).

Happy Hour Speaker Series

Join us to kick off the celebration of 20 years of the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum. Enjoy local beverages out on our riverfront plaza while you learn from local experts who bring to life key aspects of the Chicago-Calumet River system, wildlife, history, public policy, and community engagement throughout the summer.

These events are free and open to the public, and donations to Friends of the Chicago River are encouraged to support the Bridgehouse Museum's programming.

Located in the southwest bridgehouse of the historic DuSable Bridge on Michigan Avenue, the Bridgehouse Museum tells the story of how the Chicago-Calumet River system changed as people's use of it changed. The five-story museum showcases a river teeming with wildlife due in large part to hard fought water-quality victories and significant restoration efforts.

Sponsors help Friends offer free programs like this and support the Bridgehouse Museum in connecting people with the history and renaissance of the Chicago-Calumet River system inside this historic landmark Bridgehouse. 

Thank you to our sponsors Goose Island Beer Co. and the Fletcher Family for making this special series possible. 


Full series details, with more updates to come:

  • June 4: Riverfronts of this Century, presented by The Otter Society – Adam Flickinger, Friends of the Chicago River & Richard Wilson, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

  • June 25: Native and Invasive Crayfish of Chicago – Reuben Keller, PhD, Loyola University Chicago

  • July 9: Water Impacts of Data Centers - Panel moderated by Siri Chilukuri, freelance journalist at Chicago Reader. Panelists include Rachel Havrelock, UIC Freshwater Lab, A. Anne Holcomb, Founder and Co-Chair of ETHOS, Edith Makra, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, Ellicia Sanchez, The Nature Conservancy

  • July 23: Preserving and Reactivating Chicago’s Bridgehouses for Community with Ward Miller, Preservation Chicago & Mejay Gula, Tenderhouse Project.

  • July 30: Plastic Pollution and Solutions in the Chicago River, Tim Hoellien, PhD, Loyola University of Chicago & Emily Kowalski, Associate Director, Environment Illinois

  • August 20: Chicago River Trivia Night!

  • September 3: Sanitary & Ship Canal Project – Adam Flickinger & Amy Heldman, Friends of the Chicago River

Guided Tours & Field Trips

Sign up for a guided tour, offered Wednesday - Sunday June through October. Details HERE.

Interested in arranging a field trip or group visit? Email jcoles@chicagoriver.org

Would you like the see the DuSable Bridge lift from inside the museum? We do not take reservations for Bridge Lifts in the springtime, but we do in the fall.

Bridge lifts typically occur in the spring and the fall for the sailboats coming in and out of Lake Michigan. In the spring, most boats are traveling from the south branch of the river, which means there are 20+ bridges for them to go through before they get to our DuSable bridge. This makes it difficult to predict the timing of the lift. That said, they usually occur between 11am and 2pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and if you arrive in that time you may get lucky to see one.

Gears.jpg