The Field Museum in Chicago, IL is hosting the Pokémon Fossil Museum until April 11, 2027. A mix of paleontology and our favorite pocket monsters, I had the opportunity to go on opening day, and I loved my experience. From the displays to the gift shop, everything you’d want out of a Pokémon experience like this was present and pretty easy to navigate. Let’s dive into a review of the Pokémon Fossil Museum!

With entrance into the exhibit timed and staggered, our designated window to line up was painless and a great opportunity to build anticipation for the experience. In line, there were really great wall decals and stickers on the queue barriers, many of which featured Pokémon we’d later see in the exhibit. As we entered, we were handed a limited edition Archeops card, which was a really fun touch.

The Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition originally debuted at the National Museum of Nature and Science of Japan, and then traveled to museums across Japan for five years before closing in April 2026 in preparation for its North American debut. Jaap Hoogstraten, Head of Exhibitions, shared in a blog post that the goal of the exhibit was to compare “fossil replicas that we were getting of the Fossil Pokémon [to] the Field Museum’s collection, which largely consists of North American fossils.”

Upon entering, you get a look at some screens that display things like various types of Pokéballs, a display of the first two games to come to North America, and other fun tributes to the franchise as a whole. Quickly, however, you dive into the fossils. Real-world fossils and info are denoted in red cases and placards, and blue for Fossil Pokémon. Pictured above is an exclusive display for the Field Museum: the Pokémon Archeops. Archeops’ inclusion in the Field Museum’s exhibit best matches the recent acquisition of the real fossil Archaeopteryx.

As you move through the exhibit, the displays do a great job of providing you with scientific facts and jaw-dropping displays of the Pokémon. From displays showing fossil Pokémon evolution cycles to information about real pieces from the Field Museum’s collection, I found it fascinating how seamlessly they began to blend together. For example, the Field Museum hosts SUE, one of the largest, most extensive, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever found, with over 90 percent recovered.

Naturally, there’s a great section for Tyrantrum. There’s also a gorgeous Aurorus display, seen below. The way these scenes are lit and designed is a dream come true for trainers old and new. It was amazing to see adults and children dressed up in Pokémon gear taking photos and talking about the displays. Many, including myself, were also playing Pokémon Go, which offered special in-game items and collectibles. You could even catch many of the Pokémon you saw in the exhibit.

As a life-long Pokémon fan who received a Game Boy Color and Pokémon Yellow at 4 years old for Christmas, I wouldn’t have dreamed that Pokémon still meant so much to me in my early 30s. I’m glad it does. The joy I felt internally, as well as the glee radiating off of other attendees, was a wonderful experience. Any fans in the Chicago area, or looking for a reason to visit this wonderful city, should try to come out before the exhibit closes on April 11, 2027. Tickets are not easy to come by, necessarily, but from what I can tell, they continue to release more on the official website.

Some quick answers to questions you might have: yes, you must purchase a timed entry ticket to the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition as an add-on to your General Admission ticket to the Field Museum. It took about 40 minutes to make our way through the entire exhibit, and upon finishing, you receive a gift shop ticket that lets you purchase up to 5 items. I came away with an Excavator Pikachu plush and keychain, a reusable tote bag, a sticker, and a pin. There’s another big Pokémon event around the corner in Chicago: Pokémon Go Festival! I’ll be attending on June 7th and capturing footage and photos for a write-up and social content. If you’re in the area and attending, feel free to shout it out in the comments!

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