I had reserved a time slot for entry into the museum ahead of time but apparently hadn't purchased a tour. When we arrived, we purchased the tour adder ($5/person) since we had purposely arrived just before the tour started. We'd highly recommend a tour guide. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the house and family which helped add a significant amount of interest to the tour. The information placards are very helpful and add even more detail but a guided tour is highly recommended. The history is fascinating, especially since several families/groups have owned and occupied the building and the tie-in between Sullivan and photographer Richard Nickel adds another dimension to the history.

This museum is housed in a beautiful home. They have tours throughout the day. I was disappointed that we missed a tour (you can’t sign up in advance), but I downloaded the app and that gave an adequate description of each room and the items in each room. In retrospect, I was glad we could move at our own pace instead of being chained to a tour group. We spent about an hour; you could easily spend 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Restrooms on site and they have a very nice gift shop on the second floor.

I got an excellent guided tour of a restored Gilded Age mansion at the Richard Driehaus Museum. The first floor contains restored rooms that showed how the wealthy Nickerson and other families lived at that time, with an eye for displaying the latest fashions in architecture & decorative arts. The upper two floors were once the family & guest bedrooms; these are now used for temporary exhibits. I got to see the Hector Guimard exhibition of this now-famous French Art Nouveau architect who's best know for his design of the Paris Metro stations. It was interesting to see how Guimard's Art Nouveau ideas influenced the Nickerson mansion's rooms.

Richard H Driehaus museum is located in the River North area of Chicago. We took the number 3 bus up South Michigan Avenue to get there from the South Loop. The building was constructed in the late 19th century and was the home of the wealthy Nickerson family in the Gilded Age. There were many beautiful fixtures and fittings on display and some wonderful furniture. Also on show on the ground floor were some nice paintings but unfortunately no information was visible as to who the artists were. At the time of our visit, there was an exhibition of the work of French designer and architect Hector Guimard, famous for Art Nouveau, particularly on the Paris metro. I enjoyed his work which was reminiscent of that of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Admission fee was $20 per person.

A beautiful home that has been beautifully restored. The home is a piece of art! Guided tour was worth the money! I would not have understood and appreciated the home and articles in the home beyond their beauty if not for the tour guide explaining the history behind the home and furnishings. The black and white historical photos in each room depicting what it looked like in its day were so helpful bridging the gap between today and yester-years. A treasure to step back in time to the gilded age.

Such a fabulous museum. I have toured house museums all over the US and this is one of the finest as it is exquisitely restored. The docent was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic and so patient with our questions. I highly recommend this museum for a glimpse of the Gilded Age.

Very interesting look back at the gilded age. The house was restored and is in excellent condition. When we visited, they had a temporary art deco exhibit on the upper floors that was quite good. I would've enjoyed the house without the exhibit, but the exhibit was the highlight for me.