In day to days life, traveling has become not only an obvious part but also a crucial part, through traveling we try to liberate ourselves from stressful and busy life.
Chicago, popularly known for its iconic neighbourhoods, renowned architecture and delicious foods, is a bucket list destination for visitors from all around the world. Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States, just after New York City and Los Angeles. This vast tourist spot provides lots of free things to do in Chicago for visitors with a range of varieties. Here on top 12 free things to do in Chicago, which you must visit and explore.
1. Chicago Cultural Center
Chicago Cultural Center is one of the most popular attractions in the US. It’s a free municipal cultural centre where different kinds of explorations are waiting for you! Just take a guided tour and enjoy the legacy.
Established in 1897, it was Chicago’s first central public library and later in 1991 the construction was converted into the Chicago Cultural Center by that Department of Cultural Affairs. Visitors get stunned by its architectonics, because of the massively used precious materials such as coloured stones, imported marbles, fine hardwood and many other excellent metals. And the glass rotundas are exquisite in this building. Here free and fun things to do involves exploring the Vista, watching art exhibitions, visiting free music concerts, attending dance and theater events, films and family events. If you are willing to learn more and more about Chicago’s history, then this is the must-going place for you.
Address: 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602.
2. National Museum of Mexican Art
National Museum of Mexican Art stands out the country’s largest collection of Mexican art and culture from ancient to modern time. The museum was founded in 1982 and opened in 1987.It is a free and beautiful educational center. The Mexican history and culture have been very simply discussed here. Beautiful works of art include a variety of handmade items, crafts, bright paintings, potteries, glass mosaics with their antique touches. Other featuring arts of this museum are Latino and Chicano.
It’s a relatively small museum with world class arts, culture and history. This edifice organises 2 world famous festivals- Del Corazon (The Mexican Performing Art Festival) and the Sor Juana Festival, dedicated to a Mexican scholar.
Address: 1852 W 19th St, Chicago, IL 60608.
3. Garfield Park Conservatory
Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest botanical conservatories in the USA. Reservations are free and advanced reservations are strongly recommended. This historical icon’s mission is to make nature more purified and to provide a better life for everyone.
Often referred to as landscape art under glass, the Conservatory gives you free access to explore thousands of plants from all over the globe, and the collection is constantly increasing. Other excellent things are Water Lily Pond, various natural educational programmes. The Conservatory is also available in rent for some occasions including wedding ceremonies. It’s a great place if you are willing to learn more and more about the flora or simply want to enjoy the aesthetics. The 10 acres of outdoor garden features Demonstration Garden, Sensory Garden, Artist’s Garden, the City Garden and many more.
The conservatory showcases so many mind-blowing things that you can’t get yourself free from its allurement. The most visited cantons are Show House, Aroid House, Horticultural Hall, Children’s Garden, Fern Room and Palm House.
Address: 300 N Central Park Ave, Chicago, IL 60624.
You May Also Like: Free Things To Do in Houston.
4. Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Located downtown in Chicago‘s Financial district, the Money Museum is free for the public. And no reservation is required. But a valid and government issued photo ID is must for adults (18 years and older) to enter the museum. If you are in a group of 15 people or more then group reservation is must.
It’s a free place where you get to know about currency’s development over time. Various exhibitions keep happening quite frequently. Fun loving and educational activities are detecting counterfeit notes, sighting rare currencies and old coins, and other currency related explorations. The museum is open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, except bank holidays.
The museum restricts some dangerous and illegal tools such as pepper spray, illegal drugs and many other destructive items. You can get a picture taken with a million dollar and can take shredded banknotes as souvenir.
Security is very strict here as the museum plays a very important role in US economy. And the best part is all these above activities are totally free. So, go, learn and enjoy the museum with your fullest excitement.
Address: 230 S La Salle St, Chicago, IL 60604.
5. Water Tower Place
Water Tower Place was built in 1975 by the modernist architect Edward Dart. And now it’s Chicago’s premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination. The mall inside Water Tower Place is one of the first vertical indoor malls in the world. Water Tower Place is a 74 Storey skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois.
Visitors would come in Chicago and wouldn’t explore the mall inside Water Tower Place is hard to believe. The 8-level mall provides over 100 shops including American Girl store, Lego, Akira, Eileen Fisher. A live theatre and various restaurants and eateries, including the Harey Carey Seventh Inning Stretch and Chicago Sports Museum on the 8th floor are also available. This is a perfect family friendly destination. And don’t forget to release the “Harry Potter: Magic at play”.
Address: 835 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611.
6. Lincoln Park Zoo
This 35-acre Lincoln Park Zoo connects visitors with wild creatures from all around the world. First opened in 1868, Lincoln Park Zoo is free and open to the public the year round. And this zoo is one of the most established zoos in the United States.
Lincoln Park Zoo is home to about 200 species totalling about 1100 animals including big cats, Penguins, polar bears, gorillas, African lions, snow leopards, chimpanzees and many more. The zoo operates various programmes like youth focused programmes (for promoting green space in Chicago). And many other programmes keep happening in digital format.
Talking about the exhibits, you can’t remember all the names at a single time, they’re just countless. A few of them are Water Family Arctic Tundra (exhibit with polar bears); Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo (opened in 2004, this exhibit features native eastern American wild animals); Kovler Seat Pool (it’s one of the most popular exhibits. And visitors can watch the seals from a close distance. You can also learn how to instruct the seals, in this exhibit); Regenstein Birds of Prey Exhibit (you can watch birds’ preying from a close distance) and many more. Two famous former exhibits are “Bear Lion” and “Penguin-Seabird Exhibit”.
Address: Chicago, IL 60614.
7. The Empty Bottle
Strangely named, The Empty Bottle is a bar and music venue sitting at 1035 North Western Avenue in Chicago. Opened in 1992 by Bruce Finkelman, Empty Bottle boasts performances every night and it’s open seven days a week. Popular performances are hip hop, punk, metal, electronic, jazz and rock‘n’roll shows. Some regional music are also performed. It’s a pretty crowded and warm place, especially for music lovers. And the venue offers limited sitting capacity for visitors. And it’s not totally free, but you can easily access it with a decent price.
Address: 1035 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622.
8. Smart Museum of Art
The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art is a fabulous Art Museum located inside the campus of the University of Chicago in Chicago. This museum is also free of cost and open to the public.
There are around 15,000 objects under the museum’s collection which features modern art, contemporary Asian art, European art and a variety of architecture. Modern art collections are the paintings done by Paul Delvaux, Arthur Dove, Norman Lewis and many more. While Asian art collection includes paintings from Japan, China and Korea. There is also a large contemporary Chinese photography collection.
So, during and after visiting this museum you will get to know the art, culture, architecture to a greater extent. And the best part is all this knowledge you can have at free of cost. So, when you are in Chicago, don’t miss this opportunity to make yourself wiser by visiting this free of cost spot.
Address: 5550 S Greenwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60637.
9. Harold Washington Library Center
Harold Washington Library Center depicts the history and culture of Chicago. In 1987, Mayor Harold Washington instructed to build the Central Library in the South Loop. For being the largest Public Library in the world, Harold Washington Library Center has been appeared in the Guinness World Book of Records. The library tour is free of cost, and you only need to do free registration.
The building is approximately 9,72,000 square ft. This center is surely going to amuse you for its 2 characteristics. First one is, its astonishing architecture, both interior and exterior, that makes people flabbergasted. And the second surprising thing is the library Itself. It’s so huge and vast, that the library easily holds nearly two million of books. I am sure a book lover will never ignore this free thing to do in Chicago.
The Winter Garden on the 9th floor is a special attraction here. The centre also holds various free programmes, visual arts and workshops. The building is so huge that you may get lost or can’t explore all the fantastic things by Your own. So guided tour is a better option for you.
Address: 400 S State St, Chicago, IL 60605.
10. Millennium Park
Established in 2004, Millennium Park is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Chicago. The entrance is absolutely free for all. This 319-acre large public space is in downtown Chicago‘s Grant Park, also known as Front Lawn. Millennium Park is on the east side of downtown. And open from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily.
Once you are inside this park, you can’t get yourself out before four to five hours at least. Here are so many explorable free things that you can’t access each even if you give this trip an entire day. Most popular spots explored by visitors are getting wet at Crown Fountain, exploring Maggie Daley Park, a family friendly as well as kids loving park. This park features a huge playground, a play ship, a mirror maze, the skyline views, a skating ribbon and a huge rock-climbing wall. Another famous free activity is watching performance at the Harris Theatre. It’s an underground theatre built in 1929. You can enjoy your different types of performances.
Visiting the Iconic Cloud Gate is another free opportunity for you. Its local name is “The Bean” which is built using stainless steel plates. Discussing about the geometer, it’s 66 feet long, 33 feet high, and more than 110 tonnes in weight. It’s a famous selfie taking spot too. If biking is your passion, you definitely visit McDonald’s Cycle Centre. Just rent a bike and take a ride all around the park.
There are also many hotels, restaurants, eateries, galleries and botanical garden inside the Millennium Park.
Address: 201 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60602.
11. Grant Park
Grant Park is a park that is mounted with enormous top attractions of Chicago with an area of 319 acres. The park’s best attractions are Buckingham Fountain, Shedd Aquarium, the Museum Campus, the Field Museum and the Millennium Park (which is just mentioned above). Though the space is overflowing with not-ending inclination-filled other top-rated attractions.
The year-round different types of free civic events make this park visit on of the free things to do in Chicago. The large food and music festival which is known as The Taste of Chicago is also held in this park each year. If you visit Chicago in summer, must have a teste of this unique festival. Though this urban park can be enjoyed anytime of the year.
Earlier the park was named as Lake Park, and later it was renamed as Grant Park in 1901. Many outdoor concerts, activities and events make it a perfect space for relaxation among both locals and foreigners. Chicagoans get special fair to enjoy this park as they can easily make the serenity of the park their own just by coming here and relaxing with own-self or with friends, the choice is theirs! After spending a hectic office day, the charm and freshness of this grove make them instantly afresh!
So, it’s for sure the place will offer you as much sublimation to your both body and soul that you rarely can get from any other place as a visitor.
Address: Chicago, IL.
12. Chicago Riverwalk
Chicago Riverwalk is known as a treasured trove for offering so much delightfulness in the visitors’ mind. Here you can get a close proximity to waterway. The award-winning Chicago Riverwalk has been expanded with long 1-25 miles from Lake Michigan to Lake Street. The entire river-side is draped over with fine cafes, bars and wineries.
People would come here and wouldn’t explore the below mentioned fun-filled activities, is next to impossible! The most explored thrilling activities done by each visitor are- taking an amazing architecture boat tour, kayaking on the river, enjoying floating tiki bars, cherishing the pedestrian walk along with the public art that are on the river-sided walls and exploring the luxurious bars and cafes. So, what more are you looking for?
Believe me, when you reach the place, lots of other rambunctious activities will present in front of you according to your own taste and interest. Though the above-mentioned activities are enjoyed full-heartedly by all age groups.
If you are a person who loves spending hours and hours on bird-watching, this is a perfect place for you to visit in Chicago. Among all the free things to do in Chicago, watching different species of birds along the river-side is a good start for you.
