Experience Chicago'due south award-winning museums, without spending a dime. Check out our ever-growing list of Chicago free museum days in 2022, plus some of our museums that are gratuitous all year long.

Looking for other means to salvage? Bank check out theChicago CityPASS or Go Chicago Menu, which offers admission to several Chicago museums and attractions for one discounted price.

Here's a list of upcoming gratis Chicago museum days. Keep in heed that some museums may be operating with different hours and new ticketing procedures; contact the museum to learn more.

Adler Planetarium

Adler Planetarium exterior

The Adler Planetarium offers a diverseness of discounted tickets throughout the twelvemonth.

Upcoming complimentary museum days for Illinois residents at the Adler Planetarium:

  • Every Wednesday evening from iv – 10 p.m.

All tickets must exist purchased online and in advance. Access is always free for Illinois teachers (pre-Thousand through 12).

Field Museum

Field Museum with guests socially distanced
Photo by Lucy Hewett

The Field Museum offers free bones admission, plus discounted passes to explore a ticketed exhibition or bask a 3D movie, for Illinois residents on select dates throughout the yr.

Upcoming free museum days at the Field Museum:

  • Jan. v, 12, 19, 26, 2022
  • Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23, 2022
  • May 14 and 15, 2022

Tickets for free days are just available onsite and cannot be reserved in advance. The free tickets include all full general access exhibitions, such as Evolving Planet , The Aboriginal Americas , and Within Ancient Arab republic of egypt.

Illinois teachers (pre-K through 12th grade) and active military personnel receive free basic access year-round.

Art Institute of Chicago

Women view a Monet at Art Institute of Chicago
Art Constitute of Chicago; photograph by Abel Arciniega, @tequilagraphics

The Art Institute of Chicago offers select free admission days for Illinois residents throughout the twelvemonth.

Upcoming gratuitous museum days for Illinois residents at the Fine art Plant of Chicago:

  • Weekdays (Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays) from Jan. 3 – March 17, 2022

To receive gratis admission tickets, Illinois residentsmust reserve them online in advance.

The museum is always gratis for Chicago teens nether the age of 18, all children under age fourteen, Link and WIC cardholders, agile-duty military, and Illinois educators.

The public can enjoy the following public museum areas free of accuse:

  • The Ryan Learning Center in the Modernistic Wing
  • The N and S Gardens (accessible from Michigan Avenue)
  • The Nichols Bridgeway connecting the museum to Millennium Park
  • The Bluhm Family Terrace on the tertiary floor of the west pavilion of the Modern Wing

Museum of Science and Industry

MSI Storm exhibit
J.B. Spector/Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

Access at the Museum of Science and Industry is free for Illinois residents on select dates throughout the year.

Upcoming complimentary museum days in 2022 at the Museum of Scientific discipline and Industry include:

  • Feb. 2, 9, sixteen, 23
  • March one – 2, seven, and xiii – 14
  • Apr 21, 25
  • May 2, iv, 9, 17 – xviii
  • June 1, 14
  • Sept. 6 – 7, 12 – 15, 19 – 20, 26 – 27
  • October. iv – five, 10 – 11, 17 – xviii
  • November. i, 8

The Museum of Science and Industry is always free for United States military agile-duty personnel and veterans, Illinois POWs, Chicago firefighters, Chicago police officers and Illinois teachers (Pre-K through twelfth grade).

Shedd Aquarium

Shedd Aquarium

The Shedd Aquarium offers Illinois residents costless access to all permanent exhibits, including special exhibits Underwater Beauty and seasonal Stingray Touch, on select dates throughout the twelvemonth.

Upcoming free museum days at the Shedd Aquarium:

  • Jan. 13 – 17, 2022
  • Feb. 7 – 11, 2022
  • Feb. 14 – xviii, 2022

Accelerate reservations required; no tickets will be available onsite. A $3-per-society transaction fee applies to Illinois Free Twenty-four hour period tickets reserved online. All adults must provide proof of residency in-person when redeeming tickets at the discounted rate.

Chicago History Museum

Clayton Hauck

The Chicago History Museum offers free access on select holidays and dates throughout the year.

Upcoming free museum days at the Chicago History Museum volition be appear soon.

Admission is ever free for active duty armed forces and veterans, active duty Chicago police and firefighters, Illinois teachers, Illinois residents under age xviii, and all children nether 12.

DuSable Museum of African American History

DuSable Museum of African American History
DuSable Museum of African American History; photo past Abel Arciniega @tequilagraphics

The DuSable Museum of African American History is offers free access for all every Wednesday.

Online booking in accelerate is currently required for all visitors. Access is always gratis for military and first responders.

Museum of Contemporary Art

Duro Olowu exhibit at Museum of Contemporary Art
Installation view, Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago, MCA Chicago Feb 29-May x, 2020 Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago

The Museum of Contemporary Art is always complimentary for visitors under age 18, visitors with disabilities and their caregivers receive free access, members of the military and police and fire departments and veterans, and Illinois elementary and high school teachers.

  • Illinois residents receive free admission every Tuesday

To encourage more people to visit and visit often, the MCA has a pay-what-you-can policy — no one will be turned away. They likewise offering suggested admission of $three each for upward to six individuals when visitors present their LINK (EBT) Card as part of the Museums for All programme.

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

Resistance Gallery at the Illinois Holocaust Museum
Photograph by Kathleen Hinkel

The Illinois Holocaust Museum will announce upcoming free days soon.

Reserve your gratuitous tickets in advance.

National Museum of Mexican Art

Admission is complimentary twelvemonth-circular at the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier

Navy Pier Entrance in the Fall

The Chicago Children'south Museum offers veterans and active military machine free admission every day with the presentation of valid armed forces status identification. They also offer families that qualify for country food assistance and are in possession of an EBT card or WIC menu free access for up to 6 people.

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Clayton Hauck

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum:

  • No upcoming free access days

Loyola University Museum of Art

Access is free year-round at the Loyola University Museum of Art.

McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum

The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum:

  • No upcoming free access days

Swedish American Museum

Swedish American Museum Exterior

Free admission every second Tuesday of the month year-circular at the Swedish American Museum. Children aged 1 year or younger are admitted free.

Wrightwood 659

At that place are currently no upcoming gratis access days at Wrightwood 659.

National Veterans Fine art Museum

The National Veterans Art Museum is always free. Donations are accepted.

Chicago Cultural Center

Chicago Cultural Center Exterior

Admission is free year-round at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Museum of Contemporary Photography

Access is free yr-round at the Museum of Contemporary Photography. All visitors must reserve a costless timed ticket.


Dates are bailiwick to alter and may not include fees to view special exhibits. Visit individual museum websites for admission details, too as policies for specific community members such as military personnel and local schoolhouse groups.