Here's a list of those free days, but they can change, so make sure to check it out before heading to the museum.
Always Free:
CenterSpace Gallery at Gallery 37
66 E. Randolph Street
Gallery visits available by appointment
Gallery 37
(312) 744-8925
Chicago Architecture Center
224 S. Michigan Avenue
Hours vary depending on tour.
Chicago Architecture Center
(312) 922-3432
Chicago Beaches and Parks
Various locations
chicagoparkdistrict.com
(312) 742-PLAY (7529)
Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington Street
Hours: Monday - Thursday 8am - 7pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm
Sunday 10am- 6pm
Chicago Cultural Center
(312) 744-6630
Chicago Tourism Center
72 E. Randolph Street
Chicago Office of Tourism
(312) 744-6630
City Gallery at the Historic
Water Tower
806 N. Michigan Avenue
City Gallery At The Water Tower
(312) 742-0808
Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State Street
Various hours for vavrious locations
Chicago Public Library
(312) 747-4300
DePaul University Art Museum
935 W. Fullerton
Hours:Monday - Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 7pm
Saturday and Sunday 12pm - 5pm
DePaul University Art Museum
(773) 325-7506
Garfield Park Conservatory
300 N. Central Park Avenue
Daily Hours: 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Garfield Park Conservatory
(312) 746-5100
Jane Addams Hull House
800 S. Halsted Street
Hours:Closed Monday
Tuesday - Friday 10am - 4pm
Closed Saturday
Sunday 12pm - 4pm
Jane Addams Hull House
(312)413-5353
Lincoln Park Conservatory
2391 N. Stockton Drive
Hours:Daily 9am - 5pm
Lincoln Park Conservatory
(312)742-7736
Lincoln Park Zoo
2200 N. Cannon Drive
Open 365 days a year and is free every day
Hours:Memorial Day - Labor Day
Weekdays 10am - 5pm
Weekends 10am - 6:30pm
Lincoln Park Zoo
(312) 742-2000
National Museum of Mexican Art
1852 W. 19th Street
Hours:Closed Mondays
Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 5pm
National Museum of Mexican Art
(312) 738-1503
Museum of Contemporary Photography
600 S. Michigan Avenue
Hours:Monday - Saturday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 8pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm
Closed: When Colombia College Chicago is closed, including all major holidays.
Museum of Contemporary Photography
(312)663-5554
Navy Pier
600 E. Grand Avenue
Current Summer Hours: Sunday - Thursday 10am - 10pm
Friday & Saturday 10am - Midnight
Open year-around (hours vary depending on the season)
Navy Pier
(312) 595-PIER (7437)
Newberry Library
60 W. Walton Street
Exhibition Gallery Hours:Monday 8:15am - 5pm
Tuesday- Thursday 8:15am - 7:30pm
Friday & Saturday 8:15am - 5pm
Sunday Closed
newberry.org
(312) 943-9090
The Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago
1155 E. 58th Street
Hours:Closed Monday
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 8:30pm
Thursday - Saturday10am - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 6pm
The Oriental Institute Museum
(773) 702.9514
The Renaissance Society of University of Chicago
5811 S. Ellis Avenue
Bergman Gallery, Cobb Hall 418
Hours:Closed Monday
Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday & Sunday 12pm - 5pm
The Renaissance Society of University of Chicago
(773) 702-8670
The Smart Museum of Art
5550 S. Greenwood Avenue
Summer Hours:Monday Closed
Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 5pm
smartmuseum.uchicago.edu
(773) 702-0200
The Smith Museum of Stained Glass
Navy Pier
700 E. Grand Avenue
Hours:Sunday - Thursday 10am - 8pm
Friday and Saturday 10am - 10pm
The Smith Museum of Stained Glass
(312) 791-6049
The Adler Planetarium
1300 S. Lake Shore Drive
Summer Hours:Everyday 9:30am - 6:00pm
Third Thursdays (21+ Adler After Dark)
Adler Planetarium
Complimentary General Admission days
(312) 922-STAR (7827)
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Avenue
Hours:Monday - Wednesday 10:30am - 5:00pm
Thursday 10:30am - 8:00pm
Friday - Sunday 10:30am - 5:00pm
The Art Institute of Chicago
Free Family Wednesdays
Free to Illinois residents the first and second Wednesday of every month.
Chicago Children's Museum
700 E. Grand Avenue
Hours:Open daily 10am - 5pm
Summer Hours: Sunday - Wednesday 10am - 6pm (Sunday open at 9am for Members)
Thursday - Saturday 10am - 8pm (Friday opens at 9am for Members)
Target Free First Sunday (First Sunday of every month free admission all day for ages 15 and under)
Kraft Free Family Night (Thursday evenings 5pm-8pm free admission for everyone)
Chicago Children's Museum
(312)527-1000
Chicago Historical Society
1601 N. Clark Street
Hours:Monday - Saturday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm
Illinois residents can enjoy free admission to the museum during Illinois Resident Discount Days. Discount Days at the Museum from July 2012 to June 2013.
(312) 642-4600
Clark House Museum
1827 S. Indiana Avenue
Hours:Wednesday - Sunday 12pm - 2pm
Free tours on Wednesdays(not applicable to groups of ten or more).
(312) 326-1480
DuSable Museum of African American History
740 E. 56th Place
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm
DuSable Museum of African American History
Free on Sundays
(773) 947-0600
The Field Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Hours: 9am - 5pm (everyday except Christmas)
The Field Museum
Illinois residents can enjoy complimentary basic admission duringThe Field Museum Discount Days
(312) 922-9410
Glessner House Museum
1800 S. Prairie Avenue
Tour Hours: Wednesday - Sunday1pm and 3pm
Glessner House Museum
Free on Wednesdays
(312) 326-1480
International Museum of Surgical Science
1524 N. Lakeshore Drive
Hours:Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10 am to 4 pm
Wednesday: 10 am to 4 pm
Thursday: 10 am to 4 pm
Friday: 10 am to 4 pm
Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm
International Museum of Surgical Science
Tuesdays are free.
(312) 642-6502
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Avenue
Hours: Closed Mondays
Tuesday 10am - 8pm
Wednesday - Sunday 10am - 5pm
mcachicago.org
Admission is free for IL residents on Tuesdays, year round.
(312) 280-2660
Museum of Science and Industry
57th Street and Lake Shore Drive
Open Daily: 9:30am - 5:30pm (extended hours through September 3)
Museum of Science and Industry
List of Free Days
(773) 684-1414
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 N. Cannon Drive
Hours: Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday and Sunday10am - 5 pm
Nature Museum
Thursday Illinois residents can enjoy free admission
(773)755-5100
The Shedd Aquarium
1200 S. Lakeshore Drive
312.939.2438
www.sheddaquarium.org/
Shedd Discount days 2012 Illinois Resident Discount Days
January: 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31
February: 6, 7, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28
June: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
September: 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25
October: 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30
November: 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27
Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
610 S. Michigan Avenue
312-322-1700
spertus.edu
Sunday-Thursday 10 am - 5 pm. Closed Fridays and Saturdays.
Exhibits are free. Program and performance prices vary. Check website for schedule.
Swedish American Museum
and Children's Museum of Immigration
5211 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60640
773.728.8111
samac.org
Second Tuesday of every month
Museum of Broadcast
Communications
78 E. Washington Street
312.629.6000
museum.tv
