Chicago is known for its many pleasures like the Navy Pier, Millennium Park, and various zoos and aquariums. Like these landmarks, the museums are just as fascinating and a good time to be at.
But it gets even better, as the following are offering free admission for all Illinois residents. This fall, as long as there is proof of residency in the state, there’s an opportunity to be awestruck at what each building holds.
Now, it is time to name the select landmarks that are included for free admissions days.
Art Institute & Museum of Contemporary Art
Both exhibits are good recommendations for those with a fine arts taste. Since 1879, it has been one of the world’s major museums with its collection of arts and objects. Whether it be Aztec stone carvings to Obama’s infamous “Hope” campaign poster, there’s something for everyone no matter the era or style preference.
The MCA, though recently built, is just as prestigious regarding elegant art. Like the Art Institute, prepare yourself with a mind-boggling array of modern art that takes up full display rooms to even the smallest piece of art.
Art Institute:
Location: 111 South Michigan Avenue.
Free Admission hours: 5-8 p.m. on Thursdays through August 31.
MCA:
Location: 220 East Chicago Avenue.
Free Admission Hours: Tuesday.
Adler Planetarium
Ever wanted to explore space, but not take the four-plus years of college and more years of space training to do it? At the alder plantation, there is no need to do any of that and have the same experience. Having over half a million visitors each year, their focus on community engagement through science and other stem practices always brings people together.
They have a plethora of exhibits with the planet Earth and beyond like Chicago’s Night Sky and the Space Visualization labs, each exhibit has something to do hands and eyes-on.
Location: 1300 South DuSable Lakeshore Drive.
Free Admission hours: Every Wednesday after 4 p.m.
DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
For those who love exploring black history and its infamous figures throughout time, DuSable Black History Center is the place to go. Be face-to-face with the Black experience told through music, art, and stories from the slave trade to current history makers.
Multi-media to tell the story of the black experience in America, from the slave trade to the Civil Rights Movement and the election of the nation’s first Black president (President Barack Obama, in fact, aims to build his library near the DuSable).
One of their newer exhibits will be about the life, and unjust passing, of Emmitt Till. The exhibit is aimed to show youth and others his legacy and understand how his death and mother’s actions further the civil rights movement.
Location: 740 East 56th Place.
Free Admission Hours on Wednesdays.
Field Museum
Best known for the giant skeleton of a Brachiosaurus at its entrance, it is another one of Chicago’s science-based exhibits. Instead of space-related topics, they focus on life, earth, and social science from the dawn of time until now. See the exhibit’s newest dinosaur Sobek, a 60-plus-foot-long Spinosaurus skeleton.
Location: 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive.
Free Admission hours:
- September 5, 9, 12, 19, 26.
- October: 3, 9, 10, 17, 24, 31.
- November: 7, 10, 14, 28.
- December: 5, 12.
Museum of Science and Industry
The final place listed if you brought all of the museums together, and put them in one package. MSI celebrated its 90-year anniversary since its creation and looks to continue to wow residents. MSI is Chicago’s most
successful landmark, having over 180 million visitors come and go to see the variety of activities they have. Some of these go from a Model Train recreation of Chicago and Denver to the destruction of Pompeii, a mirror maze, and so much more.
Location: 5700 South Lake Shore Drive.
Open Free Days:
- September 5,6,11,12,15,18,19,20,26.
- October 4,5 and 9.
- November 1 and 8.
All tickets, bookings, and any other information will be found in the sources below and on their websites.
Written By Daylontie Jasper
Sources:
Block Club Chicago: Free Museum Days Are Back For Illinois Residents This Fall. Here’s When To Visit: by Isaiah Reynolds
WTTW: “Let the World See’ Exhibit at DuSable Museum Teachers Children about Emmett Till; By Erica Gunderson
Field Museum: Field Museum Announces Vote to Name New Spinosaurs; by Field Museum Press
MSI: Museum of Science and Industry celebrates 90th anniversary, opens new exhibit highlighting the past and future of Chicago’s iconic science museum; by MSI Press Release
Second Inset Image Courtesy of Christine Warner’s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License
Feature Image Courtesy of Lisa Andres‘s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License
Third Inset Image Courtesy of David Wilson‘s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License
First Image Courtesy of Phil Beard‘s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License
