Go to Chicago museums for free.
First, there are an incredible number of great museums in Chicago. Second, many are free or have free days. This is a list of the free museums or those who have special free days.
Museums with free admission:
- ArchiCenter
- DePaul University Museum
- Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art
- Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
- Museum of Contemporary Photography
- National Museum of Mexican Art
- The Newberry Library Exhibits
- The Oriental Institute
- Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago
- Smart Museum of Art
Museums with free days:
- The Alder Planetarium - Click on the link to look for the select free days
- The Art Institute of Chicago - Thursdays, 5 - 8pm
- Charnley-Persky House Museum - Wednesdays, limited to 15 people.
- Chicago’s Children Museum - Thursdays, 5 - 8pm and the first Sunday of each month for chicldren 15 & under
- Chicago History Museum - All day Mondays
- Clarke House Museum - All day Wednesdays
- DuSable Museum of African American History - All day Sunday
- Field Museum of Natural History - Every second Monday
- Glessner House Museum - All day Wednesdays
- International Museum of Surgical Science - All day Tuesdays
- Loyola University Museum of Art - All day Tuesdays
- Museum of Contemporary Art - All day Tuesdays
- Museum of Science and Industry - Click on the link to look for the select free days
- National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum - Free for active or retired military
- Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum - Thursdays are “suggested donation days.” Admission is normally $9.
- Shedd Aquarium - On Mondays and Tuesdays, click on the link to look for the select free days
- Spertus Museum and Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies - every Wednesday, 10am - 12noon and every Thursday, 2 - 6pm
