Getting Free Chicago Museum Tickets
There are two advantages above all others when it comes to having a family with young kids and living in Chicago–the museums and the libraries. For at least half of the year, from wet autumn to muddy spring, these two activities offer a small bit of sanity over the long weekends when it gets dark before dinner time.
The Shedd Aquarium.
Visiting Chicago’s many museums can start to get pricy, however, especially if you also go when out-of-town relatives visit. That’s why it’s vital to get acquainted with the two best ways to score free visits.
Chicago Free Museum Days
The most common way for families living in Chicago to score free visits is to go to one of the many Chicago Free Museum Days throughout the year.
The Field Museum
As the name implies, Chicago Free Museum Days are the days through the year when each museum offers free basic admission to Illinois residents. Each museum has its own unique free days. Some are the same days every week, others are sprinkled here and there. Follow the link to see what days work for you and plan your day.
Free Museum Passes from the Library
This used to be the white whale of free admissions. I have lived in Chicago for over a decade and this was by far the hardest prize to land–the physical museum pass card. After years of myself and thousands of other people struggling to land one, however, the system has recently gone digital.
The free museum pass from the library, now available online.
Rather than each library branch having its own set of museum passes, now you can use your Chicago Public Library account login to see a list of available passes at Explore More Illinois.
The login page to see a list of admissions available with your Chicago Public Library account.
After logging in with your library card number and PIN (zip code), just as you do when you check out books at a library branch, you will be presented with a list of participating attractions from around the state of Illinois and even southern Wisconsin.
An example result from the Field Museum.
Each location has its own requirements/restrictions about getting a free pass. For example, some locations require a physical printout of the pass to present at the gate, others only allow admission on weekdays, and many restrict how many free passes you can use per account per year.
Many locations were added with the switch to digital passes.
I have used the new system to visit the Brookfield Zoo and it was no problem. Naturally, the free passes from the library generally only cover basic admission and do not include optional add-on attractions. Still, it’s yet another wonderful value of our city library.
And with that, good luck and happy museum-ing!