Richard H. Driehaus Museum, Chicago

So much awe. Lots of wonder. Honestly, most people don't REALLY get it. They say wow, or nice, or I don't have this at home ... Chuckles. Walk in. Just look. Let your senses feel almost a different world. This place was a family home, people bustled through it with important lives, the realty is an extension of their souls, if not the people that owned it, then the people who cared for it, leaving to the people that care for it now. It's hard to vision this house how it'd have been used, seeing it a museum now - invent your world to imagine yourself there. So many nooks. Amazing layout. This place is very special. I'm very lucky to have experienced how intensely it resonated with me.

Driehaus Museum - Get Ready to Be Astonished The Driehaus Museum is a hidden gem. The twenty-five thousand square foot, gilded-age home of Samuel Mayo Nickerson was built after the great Chicago fire of 1871. It is decorated in the Aesthetic Style - which was a design movement advocating more is more. The eclectic ornamentation throughout the house is almost overwhelming, but in a good way. We paid $20 for admission and $5 more for a docent tour - definitely worth the money. We came to Chicago to experience its art and architecture. This was, without a doubt, a highlight of our trip.