If you don’t know Pulaski from a pierogi, this is the place to get the scoop on Polish culture. Founded in 1935, it’s one of the oldest ethnic museums in the country, and crammed with traditional Polish costumes, WWII artifacts, ship models and folk-art pieces, as well as rotating exhibits from Polish and Polish American artists. Entrance is on Augusta Blvd.
The curator can give you a personalized tour, since you'll likely be the only one here. It's a fine opportunity to learn about the Poles who helped shape Chicago, which has one of the world's largest Polish communities. (Casimir Pulaski, by the way, was a Polish hero in the American Revolution, known as the ‘father of the American cavalry,’ while a pierogi is a Polish dumpling.)