By Michele Alperin
Beyond wonderful walks along the river and through the colorful and diverse neighborhoods in
Chicago, the city offers many free opportunities to enjoy its cultural and other venues. Sometimes a location may not charge at all, but often museums and other institutions offer free entrance on certain days of the week or select days during the year.
Tour exhibitions at the National Museum of Mexican Art
As the largest Latino art institution in the United States, the National Museum of Mexican Arts supports both the visual and performing arts; its exhibitions are free.
National Museum of Mexican Art
1852 W. 19th St.
Chicago, Illinois 60608
(312) 738-1503
www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago, known especially for its strong Impressionist and post-Impressionist collections, is free on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60603-6404
(312) 443-3600
www.artic.edu/aic/
Navy Pier and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows
Learn about the history of Chicago through stained glass windows from the Victorian, Prairie, modern, and contemporary periods and view a gallery with 13 Tiffany windows. Or just wander around the Navy Pier.
Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows
Navy Pier
600 E. Grand Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60611
(312) 595-7437
www.navypier.com/things2do/rides_attract/smith_museum.html
Shedd Aquarium
The 52 discount days at the Shedd Aquarium offer free general admission to several popular exhibits, including Waters of the World, Amazon Rising, and the Caribbean Reef, as well as discounted packages for other exhibits.
John G. Shedd Aquarium
1200 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605
(312) 939-2438
www.sheddaquarium.org/
Garfield Park Conservatory
For not a cent, visit this 100-year-old collection that includes popular houseplants, cacti and succulents, ferns, palms, seasonal flowers, and plants used to create sweet desserts.
Garfield Park Conservatory
300 N. Central Park Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60624-1945
(312) 746-5100
www.garfield-conservatory.org/
Lincoln Park Zoo
Completely free, the zoo offers all manner of animal life, much of it indoors.
Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 N. Clark St.
Chicago, Illinois 60614
(312) 742-2000
www.lpzoo.org/
Smart Museum of Art
This art museum at the University of Chicago, founded in 1974, has 10,000 objects in its permanent collection. It is strong in European and American modern and contemporary works, East Asian art and works on paper.
Smart Museum of Art
5550 S. Greenwood Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60637
(773) 702-0200
smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/
Buckingham Fountain
Water spouts from 134 jets of this Beaux-Arts-style fountain hourly from dusk to 10:20 p.m., accompanied by lights and music, from mid-May to mid-October, since 1927, when it was dedicated.
Buckingham Fountain
Grant Park at Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway
(312) 742-7648
Millennium Park
Feast your eyes on this huge park in downtown Chicago that features the Jay Pritzker Pavilion designed by Frank Gehry, the Lurie Garden, the Cloud Gate sculpture and an interactive fountain.
Millennium Park
5550 S. Greenwood Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60637
(312) 742-1168
www.millenniumpark.org/
Oriental Institute
Expose yourself to artifacts of the ancient Near East at the Oriental Institute.
The Oriental Institute
1155 E. 58th St.
Chicago, Illinois 60637
(773) 702-9514
oi.uchicago.edu/
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Jane Addams was a social activist, born in 1860, who founded this settlement house, where educated, well-off men and women moved into houses to provide day care, an employment bureau, cultural and educational opportunities, and English and citizenship classes to poor urban immigrants.
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
University of Illinois at Chicago
800 S. Halsted (MC 051)
Chicago, Illinois 60607-7017
(312) 413-5353
www.uic.edu/jaddams/hull/
Resources
About the Author:
Michele Alperin is a freelance writer with more than 10 years' experience. She specializes in business, arts and Judaism, and her work has appeared in a variety of print and online publications, including MyJewishLearning.com, "U.S.1," "Princeton Packet," "Jewish State" and "Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles." She has master's degrees in business and Jewish education.
