Get out your calendar and get ready to save a bundle, ’cause here are Chicago museum free days AND museums that are free all the time.
In a world-class city like Chicago, one of the best things to do is explore its world-class museums. Unfortunately, seeing them all can be very expensive.
Lucky for you (especially if you’re an Illinois resident), there are several free days at the most popular Chicago museums.
There are also several free museums in Chicago, and we’ve got them, too!
It’s worth noting that, while general admission is free on the days listed below at museums including Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum, and the Shedd Aquarium, special exhibitions usually require a paid ticket.
If these dates don’t fit your schedule you can save money on tickets with a Go Chicago Card. Save up to 55% off Chicago attractions – get this virtual pass on your smartphone now!
Related: How to save money in Chicago
Take these dates with you! Download our free museum days guide, organized by date:
Please note that many free days are for Illinois residents only.
2020 Chicago Museum Free Days
Find out when your favorite museum is offering free days.
Adler Planetarium
1300 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, (312) 922-7827
When you visit Adler Planetarium, you’re visiting the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. Built in 1930, its exhibitions bring the stars to you.
- Neighborhood: Grant Park / Museum Campus
- January 7-9, 20-22
- February 4-6, 11-13, 17-20
- March 9-12
- April 20-23
- May 10-16
- June 2, 9, 16
- August 22-23, 31
- September 1-4
- October 12-15
- November 11, 17-19
- December 4-6
- Free days for Illinois residents only
Can’t visit on those days or not an Illinois resident? Get your tickets to Adler Planetarium here.
Art Institute of Chicago
111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.443.3600
The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the city’s finest treasures.
Popular exhibits include the largest collection of Impressionism outside of the Louvre, the Thorne Miniature Rooms, and galleries devoted to American art, to African American art, to photography, prints and drawings, and Indian Art of the Americas.
- Neighborhood: Grant Park / Museum Campus
- Wednesday nights from 5pm to 8pm for Illinois residents
- Monday through Friday January 27 – March 4, 2020
Visiting another day, or not an Illinois resident? Get a fast pass to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Find hotels near the Art Institute of Chicago
Brookfield Zoo
3300 Golf Rd, Brookfield, IL 60513 708.688.8000
Not only is Brookfield Zoo a wonderful place to visit the animals, it’s also a world leader in animal population management and wildlife conservation.
- City: Brookfield
- Free admission on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through February, 2020
Charnley-Persky House
1365 N Astor St, Chicago, IL 60610 312.573.1365
It’s only fitting that the Charnley-Persky House is the home of the Society of Architectural Historians since it was designed by Louis Sullivan and his junior draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright.
- Neighborhood: Gold Coast
- Free 45 minute tour on Wednesdays at 12pm
Chicago Children’s Museum
700 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, 312.527.1000
- Neighborhood: Streeterville
- 1st Sunday of every month free admission for children 15 and under
- Always free for Military Personnel, but active and veterans
Check out these hotels near the Chicago Children’s Museum:
- ACME Hotel Company – fun and affordable boutique hotel
- Doubletree by Hilton Magnificent Mile – get a warm cookie at check-in!
- Hyatt Regency Chicago – one of Chicago’s largest hotels
- Intercontinental Hotel Chicago – an historic hotel on the Magnificent Mile
- Loews Chicago Hotel – closest hotel to Navy Pier
- Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel – located in one of the most distinctive buildings in Chicago
Chicago History Museum
1601 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614, 312.642.4600
The Chicago History Museum showcases the city’s complicated history and is itself a piece of history.
- Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
- Every Tuesday 2pm to 9pm, except in July and August and on January 27 and May 12
- Also free on Commemorative Days: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, March 4, and July 4
- Free days for Illinois residents only
Can’t make it on Tuesday, or not an Illinois resident? Get your tickets.
Learn more about the Chicago History Museum
DuSable Museum of African American History
740 E 56th Pl, Chicago Illinois, 773.947.0600
Named for the first non-native permanent resident of Chicago, the DuSable Museum of African American History was founded in 1961. It was the first independent museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, and study of the history and culture of Africans and Americans of African descent.
Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors Wednesday through Sunday. Chicago residents save $2. The DuSable museum is free on Tuesdays for everyone.
- Neighborhood: Hyde Park
- Free on Tuesdays
Field Museum of Natural History
1400 S Lake Shore Dr , Chicago Illinois, 312-922-9410
The Field Museum of Natural History houses millions of specimens in its collections, from gems to mummies to dinosaurs.
- Neighborhood: Grant Park / Museum Campus
- January 8, 15, 20, 22, 29
- February 1 – 29
- Free days for Illinois residents only
Glessner House
1800 S Prairie Ave, Chicago, IL
- Neighborhood: South Loop
- Free on Wednesdays, with tours at 11:30am, 1:00pm, and 2:30pm
International Museum of Surgical Science
1524 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60610, 312.642.6502
- Neighborhood: Gold Coast
- Monday, November 30, 2020 – Friday, December 4, 2020
- Monday, December 7, 2020 – Friday, December 11, 2020
- Monday, December 14, 2020 – Friday, December 18, 2020
Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art
1220 Kensington Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523 630.833.1616
This “gem” of a museum highlights the fine art of cutting and polishing stones.
- Free on Wednesdays
McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum
99 Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago, IL 60601 312.977.0227
Chicago has the most moveable bridges in the world. Get an inside look – literally, at these complex structures at the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum.
- Neighborhood: The Loop
- Free on Sundays May – October
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
3001 Central St, Evanston, IL 60201, 847.475.1030
- Neighborhood: North Suburbs (Evanston)
- Free 1st Friday of every month
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, 312.280.2660
- Neighborhood: Magnificent Mile / Streeterville
- Free on Tuesdays for Illinois residents, open until 8pm
Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science & Industry
5700 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL
- Neighborhood: Hyde Park
- January 6-9, 13-16, 20-23, 27-30
- February 3-6, 10-13, 18-20, 24-27
- June 1 – 3
- August 24 – 26
- Free admission is for Illinois residents only
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614, 773.755.5100
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has the most hands-on activities of any museum in the city.
- Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
- Free on Thursdays (donations suggested)
Shedd Aquarium
1200 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL (312) 939-2438
Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is not just a fantastic place to see aquatic animals, it also has a magnificent conservation program.
- Neighborhood: Grant Park / Museum Campus
- 2020
- January 16-20
- February 3-7, 10-14, 17-21, 24-28
- April 22
- June 15, 16, 22, 23
- Free days are for Illinois residents only
Swedish American Museum
5211 N Clark St, Chicago, IL (773) 728-8111
- Neighborhood: Andersonville
- Free on second Tuesday of every month
Free Museums in Chicago
These Chicago museums are free all the time.
The Arts Club of Chicago
201 E Ontario St, Chicago, IL
- Neighborhood: Magnificent Mile / Streeterville
- Always free
City Gallery
Located within Historic Water Tower, 806 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
This free gallery inside the Historic Water Tower focuses on photography.
- Neighborhood: Magnificent Mile/Streeterville
- Always free
Clarke House Museum
1827 S Indiana Ave, Chicago, IL
Chicago’s oldest house was built in 1836 and moved not once, but twice!
- Neighborhood: South Loop
- Always free; Tours on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 1pm and 2:30pm
Learn the story behind Chicago’s oldest house.
Jane Addams Hull House Museum
800 S Halsted, Chicago, IL
Jane Addams was a remarkable person and a Nobel Peace Prize-winner. Step inside Chicago’s first settlement house and learn the story behind the social reformer.
- Neighborhood: University Village
- Always Free, $5 suggested donation
Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 N Clark St, Chicago, IL
One the country’s oldest and last free zoos, Lincoln Park Zoo has been delighting locals and tourists since 1868.
- Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
- Always Free
Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA)
820 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, 312.915.7600
- Neighborhood: Magnificent Mile / Streeterville
- Always Free
Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art
40 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston, IL
- Neighborhood: North Suburbs (Evanston)
- Always Free
Museum of Contemporary Photography
600 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
- Neighborhood: South Loop
- Always Free
National Museum of Mexican Art
1852 W 19th St, Chicago, IL
- Neighborhood: Pilsen
- Always free (donations accepted)
The Oriental Institute
1155 E 58th St, Chicago, IL
- Neighborhood: Hyde Park
- Always free (donations accepted)
The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago
5811 S Ellis Ave, Chicago, IL
- Neighborhood: Hyde Park
- Always free
Smart Museum Of Art
5550 S Greenwood Ave, Chicago, IL
- Neighborhood: Hyde Park
- Always Free
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art
2320 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL
- Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village
- Always Free; $5 suggested donation
These aren’t the only free things to do in Chicago! Find more in our ultimate guide.
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