Chicago: Medieval Torture Museum Ticket & Ghost Hunting App

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1/9

Duration1h 30m

Audio guideEN · ES

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk through six millennia of punishment—and hunt for ghosts while you're there

You enter with an audio guide that explains the hundreds of torture and execution devices across the 6,000-square-foot exhibition, including wax scenes showing how they were used. The ghost hunting app is available to download and use simultaneously if you want that layer. All entry fees and taxes are included, and the museum is fully wheelchair accessible. Plan for at least two to three hours to move through the exhibition at a pace that lets the audio guide land.

1h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Medieval Torture Museum and Ghost Hunt

Enter Medieval Torture Museum
Get audio guide from greeter
Explore 6,000 sq. ft. exhibition
View torture and execution devices
See wax sculptures of execution scenes
Use audio guide to learn history
Download app for Ghost Hunting Experience
Participate in Ghost Hunting activity

The Experience

There's something that pulls you toward the dark corners of history, even when you know what you'll find there. The Medieval Torture Museum in Chicago sits at 6,000 square feet of exactly that—hundreds of devices, restraints, interrogation tools, and the wax figures of executioners and victims frozen mid-action. You get an audio guide the moment you walk in, so you're not wandering blind through the exhibition. The guide walks you through how each device worked, what it was used for, and the brutal logic behind it all. It's not comfortable, but it's honest.

What makes this different from just reading about medieval punishment is that you're standing in front of the actual tools—the iron chairs, the wheels, the cages—and the audio guide doesn't shy away from explaining what happened in them. The wax sculptures are detailed enough that you feel the weight of what you're looking at. And if you want to layer something else onto the experience, you can download the ghost hunting app while you're in the museum and participate in that at the same time. Some people skip it, some people get into it. Either way, the ticket covers both.

The museum is wheelchair accessible, and all areas are navigable. Children under 10 get in free as long as an adult is with them one-on-one, though the museum itself recommends the exhibition isn't the best fit for kids under 18 without a parent there to provide context. The audio guide does that work for you—it's not a casual stroll, but it's structured, so you're not left to piece together the history on your own.

What’s included

Your ticket includes entry to the Medieval Torture Museum's full 6,000-square-foot exhibition, an audio guide that explains the hundreds of torture, interrogation, restraint, and execution devices, wax sculptures depicting the historical scenes, and access to download the ghost hunting app to use during your visit. All fees and taxes are included in the price.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Medieval Torture Museum

Is this one for you?Right for anyone curious about how punishment and execution were carried out across history, who wants context rather than just images—the audio guide does that work. The exhibition is intense and detailed, so plan for a slower pace and at least two hours; that's what lets you actually absorb what you're seeing instead of rushing through.