Visiting area museums make for some amazing learning opportunities and fun family adventure days, but with short attention spans and easily tired feet, it’s hard for a family to get their money’s worth on a full day admission.

Thankfully many local Chicago area museums offer free days for Illinois residents.

Here’s a list of 38 of Chicagoland’s best museums (compiled with information directly from museum websites) and the days they are available for FREE in 2015.

Make sure to check any museum website before your visit for cancelations, to familiarize yourself with parking fees, and to make sure that you have the appropriate identification with you to qualify for free days.

Happy Free Chicago Museum Days 2015!

Most Popular & Museum Campus

Adler Planetarium

1300 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago IL 60605 | 312-922-7827

Free general admission for ILLINOIS residents

January 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28

Chicago Children’s Museum

Navy Pier | 700 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 | 312-527-1000

Free admission for ALL visitors every Thursday 5PM-8PM.

Free admission for visitors 15 AND UNDER on the first Sunday of each month.

Field Museum of Natural History

1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 | 312-922-9410



Free basic admission for ILLINOIS residents

January 14, 15 & every day in February

Museum of Science and Industry

5700 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60637 | 773-684-1414

Free museum entry for ILLINOIS residents

January 5-9, 12-16, 19-23, 26-30

March 2-6

April 22

May 21

June 1-5, 8

September 8-11, 14-18, 21-25, 28-30

October 5, 6

Shedd Aquarium

1200 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605

Free general admission for ILLINOIS residents

January 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

February 2, 3, 9, 10, 13, 14 , 15, 16, 17, 23, 24

June 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16

September 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29

October 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27

November 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24

Bank of America/Merrill Lynch ATM, credit or debit card holders

Eligible for ONE free general admission

May 3-4

June 7-8

July 5-6

August 2-3

September 6-7

October 4-5

November 1-2

December 6-7

Nature Museums, Farms & Zoos

Brookfield Zoo

8400 West 31st Street, Brookfield, IL 60513 | 708-688-8000

Zoo admission is free from January 1 – February 28, 2015, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Chicago Botanic Garden

1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022 | 847-835-5440

Free daily admission for ALL, parking fees apply.

Elawa Farms

1401 Middlefork Drive, Lake Forest, IL 60045

Free daily admission for ALL, check website for programs and scheduling.

Emily Oaks Nature Center

4650 Brummel Street, Skokie, IL 60076 | 847-677-7001

Free daily admission for ALL, check website for programs and scheduling.

Gardens at Cantigny

1S151 South Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL 60189 | 630-668-5161

Free daily admission for ALL, parking fees apply.

Garfield Park Conservatory

300 North Central Park Avenue, Chicago, IL 60624 | 312-746-5100

Free daily admission for ALL, street parking available.

Lincoln Park Zoo

2001 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614 | 312-742-2000

Free daily admission for ALL, parking fees apply.

Lurie Garden at Millennium Park

201 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60602 | Southeastern end of Millennium Park

Free daily admission for ALL, check website for programs and scheduling.

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

2430 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614 | 773-755-5100

Thursdays are suggested donation days for ILLINOIS residents.

The Grove

1421 Milwaukee Avenue, Glenview, IL | 847-299-6096

Free daily admission for ALL, check website for programs and scheduling.

Wagner Farm

1510 Wagner Road, Glenview, IL 60026 | 847-657-1506

Free daily admission for ALL, check website for programs and scheduling.

History Museums

Cantigny Park Museums

Robert McCormick Museum & First Division Museum

1S151 South Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL 60189 | 630-668-5161

Free daily admission for ALL, parking fees apply.

Chicago History Museum

1601 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614

Free admission for ILLINOIS residents

January 5-9, 12-15, 19-23, 26-30

February – every Monday through Friday

March 4

July 4

August 18-20, 24-27, 31

September 1-3

Free admission for children 12 and under.

Clark House Museum

1827 South Indiana Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616

Free for ALL on Wednesdays

Glessner House Museum

1800 South Prairie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616 | 312-326-1480

Free for ALL on Wednesdays.

Illinois Holocaust Museum

9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL 60077 | 847-967-4800

Bank of America/Merrill Lynch ATM, credit or debit card holders

Eligible for ONE free general admission

January 3-4

February 7-8

March 7-8

April 4-5

May 2-3

June 6-7

July 4-5

August 1-2

September 5-6

October 3-4

November 7-8

December 5-6

Jane Addams Hull-House Museum

The University of Illinois at Chicago

800 s. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60607

Free admission for ALL (suggested donation).

Art Museums

Art Institute of Chicago

111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603 | 312-443-3600

Free admission for ILLINOIS residents

January 5 – February 10, 2015 every WEEKDAY, all day long.

Every Thursday 5-8PM.

Residents under 14 free everyday.

Chicago Cultural Center

78 E. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602

Free daily admission for ALL.

City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower

806 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611

Free daily admission for ALL.

Ed Paschke Art Center

5415 W. Higgins Avenue, Chicago, IL 60630 | 312-533-4911

Free daily admission for ALL.

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art

220 South Cottage Hill Avenue, Elmhurst, IL 60126 | 630-833-1616

Free admission for ALL every Friday.

Loyola University Museum of Art

820 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 | 312-915-7600

Free admission for ALL every Tuesday.

Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art

Northwestern University

40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 | 847-491-4000

Free program admission for ALL.

Museum of Contemporary Art

220 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 | 312-280-2660

Free admission for ILLINOIS residents every Tuesday.

The Renaissance Society – University of Chicago

5811 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637

Free daily admission for ALL.

Smart Museum of Art – University of Chicago

5550 S. Greenwood Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 | 773-702-0200

Free daily admission for ALL.

Ethnic Art & History Museums

DuSable Museum of African American History

740 East 56th Place, Chicago, IL 60637 | 773-947-0600

Free admission for ALL every Sunday.

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian

3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201 | 847-475-1030

Free admission for ALL every first Friday.

National Museum of Mexican Art

1852 West 19th Street, Chicago, IL 60608 | 312-738-1503

Free daily admission for ALL.

Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago

1155 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637 | 773-702-9514

Free daily admission for ALL (suggested donation).

Swedish American Museum

5211 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60601 | 773-728-8111

Free admission for ALL every second Tuesday of the month.

Science Museums

International Museum of Surgical Science

1524 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60610 | 312-642-6502

Free for ALL on Tuesdays.

If you can’t make it to local museums during Free Chicago Museum Days in 2015, you may still be eligible for Chicago Museum Discount Admissions. Take a look at the special deals these Chicago area museums offer to various groups all year long.