Free Chicago - 2009 Schedule of Free Days at Chicago Museums

Save Money - Bookmark this List

Chicago offers an incredible landscape of museums and cultural attractions that no one should miss an opportunity to enjoy. Explore your city and save money by keeping track of free admission days with this handy list.

Of course, like just about everything, this information is subject to change without notice.

Related: Top 10 Chicago Museums

Chicago Cultural Institutions - FREE EVERY DAY

Check out this impressive list of Chicago cultural institutions that you can visit for free whenever they're open:

• Chicago Botanic Garden (Note: Parking is pricey, so you may want to be mindful of that. The garden is located in Glencoe where there are fewer public transportation options.)
• Chicago Center for Book & Paper Arts Gallery
• Chicago Cultural Center
• DePaul University Museum
• Garfield Park Conservatory
• Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
• Lincoln Park Conservatory
• Lincoln Park Zoo
• Museum of Contemporary Photography
• National Museum of Mexican Art
• Oriental Institute (Free general admission with an optional suggested donation.)
• Renaissance Society
• Smart Museum of Art
• Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows
• Ukranian National Museum

Chicago Cultural Institutions - VARYING FREE DAYS

Some of Chicago's most popular museums feature a variety of free days throughout the year rather than a recurring free day of the week. Below are links to this year's calendar of free days for the listed museums.

• Adler Planetarium
• Art Institute of Chicago
• Field Museum
• Museum of Science & Industry
• Shedd Aquarium

Chicago Cultural Institutions - FREE ON SUNDAYS

• Chicago Children's Museum (Note: Only free for children ages 15 or under on THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH.)
• DuSable Museum of African-American History

Chicago Cultural Institutions - FREE ON MONDAYS

• Field Museum (Note: Admission is free on the SECOND MONDAY OF THE MONTH. See more Field Museum Free Days.)
• Chicago History Museum

Chicago Cultural Institutions - FREE ON TUESDAYS

• International Museum of Surgical Science
• Loyola University Museum of Art
• Museum of Contemporary Art

Chicago Cultural Institutions - FREE ON WEDNESDAYS

• The Spertus Museum (Note: Only free between 10 a.m. and noon.)

Chicago Cultural Institutions - FREE ON THURSDAYS

• The Art Institute of Chicago (Note: Only free from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
• Chicago Children's Museum (Note: Only free from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
• Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (Free general admission with optional suggested donation.)
• The Spertus Museum (Note: Only free between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.)
• Notebaert Nature Museum
  Note: Technically, Thursdays are the day that admission is "optional," which seems to me to be slightly different than free.

Chicago Cultural Institutions - FREE ON SATURDAYS

• Edgewater Historical Society and Museum (This is also the only day of the week they are open.)