{"id":34533,"date":"2025-12-27T17:55:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T23:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/12\/27\/chicago-museum-free-days-for-the-start-of-2026-nbc-chicago\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T17:55:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T23:55:06","slug":"chicago-museum-free-days-for-the-start-of-2026-nbc-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/12\/27\/chicago-museum-free-days-for-the-start-of-2026-nbc-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago museum free days for the start of 2026 \u2013 NBC Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Introduction to Chicago Museum Free Days<\/h2>\n<p>If this year&#8217;s snowiest start to winter in almost half a century is any indication of what the rest of the season could look like, Chicago area residents are sure to have plenty of days best spent indoors throughout the start of the new year.<br \/>\nThe many museums and cultural attractions around Chicago provide both refuge from the cold and entertainment people of all ages can enjoy.<br \/>\nGive your wallet a break and schedule your next visit on one of the many free admission days offered next year for Illinois residents.<br \/>\nHere&#8217;s a look at the museums in Chicago offering free admission in the early months of 2026: <\/p>\n<h2>The Art Institute of Chicago<\/h2>\n<p>The Art Institute of Chicago, located at 111 South Michigan Avenue, has a free winter weekdays program for Illinois residents.<br \/>\nStarting January 5 and continuing through February 28, free admission is available from 11 a.m. through closing.<br \/>\nThe museum is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until 5 p.m. and Thursdays until 8 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays.<br \/>\nThough tickets are free, the museum has online ticket reservation. You first select the date you wish to attend, and then select your ticket choice. The ticket options will show a cost at that point, however, once you get to the &quot;select quantity&quot; screen and enter your local billing zip code, the free pricing will be reflected.<br \/>\nYou can also visit the admissions desk on the day of your visit to verify your residency and receive free admission if you do not wish to reserve a ticket in advance.<br \/>\nMore information on the museum&#8217;s free admission opportunities is available here. <\/p>\n<h2>Adler Planetarium<\/h2>\n<p>The Adler Planetarium, located at 1300 South DuSable Lake Shore Drive, is free for Illinois residents on several days throughout the first four months of the year.<br \/>\nHere&#8217;s a look at the dates:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>January: 7, 12, 14, 21, 26, 28<\/li>\n<li>February: 2, 4, 9, 11, 18, 23<\/li>\n<li>March: 2, 4, 9, 11, 18, 25<\/li>\n<li>April: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29<br \/>\nAdler Planetarium is open Friday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and open Wednesday nights from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. with timed ticket entry.<br \/>\nAdditional dates are likely to be added throughout the year and can be seen here.<br \/>\nTickets must be reserved in advance, which can be done here. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>DuSable Black History Museum<\/h2>\n<p>The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, located at 740 East 56th Place, offers free admission on Wednesdays throughout 2026.<br \/>\nTickets can be reserved in advance here.<br \/>\nThe museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. <\/p>\n<h2>Griffin Museum of Science and Industry<\/h2>\n<p>Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, located at 5700 South DuSable Lake Shore Drive, offers several free admission days for Illinois residents throughout the first half of 2026.<br \/>\nHere&#8217;s a look at the dates:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>January 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 27, 28<\/li>\n<li>February 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26<\/li>\n<li>April 19<\/li>\n<li>June 4, 19<br \/>\nMore information is available here.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Museum of Contemporary Art<\/h2>\n<p>The Museum of Contemporary Art, located at 220 East Chicago Avenue, offers free admission on Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in 2026 for Illinois residents.<br \/>\nThe museum also offers pay-what-you-can admission, though all discounts are available in person only. More information is available here.<\/p>\n<h2>Chicago History Museum<\/h2>\n<p>The Chicago History Museum, located at 1601 North Clark Street, offers free admission in January and February 2026.<br \/>\nFree admission days for Illinois residents are January 19 through 23 and January 27 through 30, February 16 and Tuesdays through Thursdays in February.<br \/>\nMore information is available here. <\/p>\n<h2>Shedd Aquarium<\/h2>\n<p>Illinois residents can visit the Shedd Aquarium, located at 120 South DuSable Lake Shore Drive, for free on specific days throughout the first half of the year.<br \/>\nHere&#8217;s a look at the free days:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>January 6-8, 13-20, 27-29<\/li>\n<li>February 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26<br \/>\nAnd the free nights (5 p.m. to 9 p.m.):<\/li>\n<li>March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31<\/li>\n<li>April 7, 14, 21, 28<\/li>\n<li>May 5, 12, 19, 26<\/li>\n<li>June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30<br \/>\nShedd recommends advance registration because of high demand for the free hours tickets.<br \/>\nMore information is available here. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Field Museum<\/h2>\n<p>Field Museum, located at 1400 South DuSable Lake Shore Drive, has free admission on Wednesdays for Illinois residents.<br \/>\nThe museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.<br \/>\nMore information is available here.<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Chicago&#8217;s museums offer a wide range of free admission days for Illinois residents, making it easy to explore the city&#8217;s rich cultural scene without breaking the bank. From the Art Institute of Chicago to the Field Museum, there&#8217;s something for everyone to enjoy. Be sure to check the individual museum websites for specific free admission days and plan your visit accordingly.<\/p>\n<h2>FAQs<\/h2>\n<p>Q: Which museums offer free admission for Illinois residents?<br \/>\nA: The Art Institute of Chicago, Adler Planetarium, DuSable Black History Museum, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago History Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Field Museum offer free admission for Illinois residents on specific days.<br \/>\nQ: How do I reserve free tickets?<br \/>\nA: Tickets can be reserved in advance on the individual museum websites or at the admissions desk on the day of your visit.<br \/>\nQ: What are the free admission days for each museum?<br \/>\nA: Free admission days vary by museum, but can be found on the individual museum websites or in the article above.<br \/>\nQ: Do I need to show proof of residency?<br \/>\nA: Yes, you may need to show proof of Illinois residency to receive free admission. Check with the individual museum for specific requirements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction to Chicago Museum Free Days If this year&#8217;s snowiest start to winter in almost half a century is any indication of what the rest of the season could look like, Chicago area residents are sure to have plenty of days best spent indoors throughout the start of the new year. The many museums and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34533","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-events"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/media.nbcchicago.com\/2023\/01\/field-museum-Getty-Images.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=1200%2C675&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34533"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34533"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34536,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34533\/revisions\/34536"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}