We recently traveled to Chicago and since we have been there several times, we were looking for unique experiences for our trip. One of the things that we discovered was that Medieval Torture Museum and to say that it was not your typical museum would be a huge understatement. It is an interactive museum, but don’t worry, there aren’t people in costumes that are going to jump out at you. The various displays within the museum are extremely realistic and also extremely horrific.

Walking through the museum takes you on a journey of how the torture techniques used by humans have evolved throughout our history. It is disturbing to see all of the ways that we have come up with to impose pain and suffering on our fellow human beings. It would be wonderful to think that as a modern society, we’ve eliminated all forms of torture, but some of the forms of torture still exist today. Obviously, this is not an experience for young people and we have chosen to put photographs here that are suitable for everyone, but be aware that there are some that are more difficult to see.

The cost to visit the museum is about $40 per person and it will only take you about an hour or two to get through all of the exhibits. There is an online audio tour that you can get on you mobile device and there is also signage on many of the exhibits explaining what is being depicted. In addition to Chicago, the Medieval Torture Museum is also located in Los Angeles and St Augustine. Certainly, this is not an experience for everyone, but if you aren’t squeamish and want to discover some unique aspects of our global human culture, it is fascinating.