Discounts At The Field Museum:
*Teachers from throughout Illinois receive free Basic admission.
*Families who qualify for state food assistance. Show an EBT or WIC card to receive $3-per-person admission for up to six people.
*Illinois residents receive free admission during a specific month of the year. See dates here.
*Residents who live within Chicago city limits can save $5 or more on the price of their ticket.
*Basic admission is complimentary for active military personnel.
What Chicago Citypass Includes
- Covers places like Adler Planetarium where tourists get to witness innumerable varieties of aquatic animals.
- Discover the various art forms at Art Institute of Chicago, which is one of the most popular destinations for art lovers.
- Transportation facilities to and from the location are available, but there are no provisions for food or drinks on this tour.
More Chicago Attractions To Visit With Kids
Use our guides to experience more Chicago Attractions for a great family vacation or Chicago Staycation. Theyll tell you everything you need to know before you go!
- Everything to do in Chicagoland with Kids All the fun in the City and Suburbs
I hope these tips will help you have a fun filled family day at the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History. It is one of the great Chicago Attractions and you will be so glad your family visited.
Do you have any questions or tips of your own? Please share with us in the comments.
If your looking for more family travel tips or fun things to do in Chicago make sure to join my newsletter and never miss a new destination. Bonus get my Ultimate Family Travel Checklist when you sign up.
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Looking for more Family Travel Ideas? Check out these articles below.
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Museum Of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art is always free for visitors under age 18, visitors with disabilities and their caregivers receive free admission, members of the military and police and fire departments and veterans, and Illinois elementary and high school teachers.
- Illinois residents receive free admission every Tuesday
To encourage more people to visit and visit often, the MCA has a pay-what-you-can policy no one will be turned away. They also offer suggested admission of $3 each for up to six individuals when visitors present their LINK Card as part of the Museums for All program.
Art Institute Of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago offers select free admission days for Illinois residents throughout the year.
Upcoming free museum days for Illinois residents at the Art Institute of Chicago:
- Weekdays
- Weekdays from
To receive free admission tickets, Illinois residents must reserve them online in advance.
The museum is always free for Chicago teens under the age of 18, all children under age 14, Link and WIC cardholders, active-duty military, and Illinois educators.
The public can enjoy the following public museum areas free of charge:
- The Ryan Learning Center in the Modern Wing
- The North and South Gardens
- The Nichols Bridgeway connecting the museum to Millennium Park
- The Bluhm Family Terrace on the 3rd floor of the west pavilion of the Modern Wing
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Chicago Views And Cruises
Views and Cruise . Experience Chicago from above and on the lake with a visit to the Skydeck Chicago and a voyage on a Mystic Blue cruise. From elementary school students to seniors, everyone will enjoy this unbeatable combination.
Your package will include admission to the Skydeck Chicago and a two-hour luncheon cruise on Lake Michigan along Chicagos beautiful lakefront. The all-you-can eat buffet includes skyline views from every table.Call 321-7600 for information and reservations.
Note: Views and Cruises Multi-attraction packages are available Monday through Friday only, not on weekends.
Griffin Halls Of Evolving Planets
In Griffin Halls, you get to know about each organismthat has ever walked on Earth.
See a variety of fossils, animated videos, etc., to learn about evolution from scratch.
Experience the educational journey from asingle-celled organism to humans.
In this section, you will see the fossil skeleton ofTyrannosaurus rex called Sue, Megatherium, a giant ground sloth, the TullyMonster, and Lucy, a 3.2-million-year-old hominid.
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Field Museum Highlights Tour
This one-hour tour starts at 11 am daily, excepton Thursdays when it begins at 2 pm.
On this guided tour you will be taken through the highlights of this Museum including but not limited to Sue the T-Rex, man-eating lions of Tsavo, Egyptian mummies, etc.
You also get to learn about the Museums history and the ongoing science and research.
Some of the other free tours at Field Museum include
1. Tour of the Dinosaurs2. Evolving Planet7. Plants of the World8. All About SUE9. Gemstones, Gems, and Jewels10. Travel Through Africa
On the day of your visit, get the list of free tours of the day and their schedule from the Information desk at the main level.
Visiting The Field Museum
We approached the Field Museum at the North Entrance, entering through the majestic column. Inside we quickly queued and were through in a matter of minutes. A coat and bag check is available near the museum store at the South Entrance. The museum is large and the small per item charge is well worth the cost.
The best plan of attack is to decide what you really want to see. In my family we each chose our number one must see everything else just happens as we come across it. It is probably best to realize that you won’t be able to see everything the museum has to offer in one visit.
Doug chose Inside Ancient Egypt. Entering the pyramid on the main level, you make your way through its chambers down to ground level. Filled with mummies, sarcophagus, and treasures it is an intriguing introduction to Egypt.
I chose the Hall of Gems, a magnificent room filled with brilliant, priceless jewels. It was interesting to see how gems are created and how even the smallest variable will create something different. Of course the cut stones and dramatic jewelry were beyond belief.
Brenna and Caelan, quite unanimously, chose the Play Lab. The Play Lab is hands on science and pure fun.
We probably saw half of what the Field Museum had to offer in the 4 hours we were there. We explored a deserted island in the Pacific, saw the Lions of Tsavo, toured China and learned about our evolving planet.
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Does The Aquarium Have Any Whales
The aquarium has an abundance of wildlife including whales, sharks, dolphins, stingrays, penguins and octopus. As of the time of this writing, the aquarium has 9 beluga whales, each one of them having a completely different personality, different ages, and sizes. The beluga whales can be found in the Abbott Oceanarium habitat and are a must see when visiting the aquarium.
You can also visit the sharks, which can be seen in abundance at the aquarium. Several different species of sharks can be seen including: sandbar sharks, bonnethead sharks, zebra sharks, blacktip reef sharks, chain dogfish, leopard shark, Japanese wobbegong, swell shark, whitespotted bamboo shark, and the horn shark.
Museums That Require A Vaccine Card
Starting January 3, 2022 , many museums are requiring vaccine cards for entry for adults and children 5+ years old. This list has been updated on December 24, 2021. Check directly with the institution for the latest information. Please note that some of the museums and attractions require a vaccine card and/or negative covid test for events only and not general admission. Those are not listed here.
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Shedd Aquarium Free Parking
- Wednesday, Dec 29, 2021
Shedd aquarium free parking
Shedd aquarium free parking. Arrive anytime, and your space will be. From lake shore drive, exit at 18th street. Millennium park, millennium lakeside, grant park north & grant park south. Coupon shedd aquarium discount tickets december 2020.
Convenient parking is available near shedd aquarium at the parking.com locations listed above. Arrive anytime, and your space will be. Reserve shedd aquarium parking through spothero. Shedd aquarium, or make a stop by mccormick place, located 1.1 mi away. Hilton garden inn chicago downtown south loop Follow museum campus drive around soldier field.
Chicago Museum Memberships For Families
Enjoy your favorite museums all year long!
A museum membership changes everything. Want to go look at just the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute, sip hot cocoa in the member lounge and then head home? The membership allows for you to not feel guilty about abandoning the rest of the museum, because the rest of the entire museum is available to you all year.
Plus, youll have the motivation and place to go when you just need to get out the house but need an indoor activity. Even if the person youre shopping for already has a membership to a museum, your gift can go to a renewal for next year.
Here are a few of the great Chicago museums to choose from for your gifting/gift-asking pleasure.
- Address: 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago
- Cost: Family memberships start at $165, includes two adults and up to four children
Americas first planetarium never fails to disappoint. In addition to a 15% discount at the store and complimentary coat check, members receive discounts to Adler After Dark tickets, and unlimited sky show tickets. An upgrade to the Family and Friends membership offers $25 off summer camp registration . And, as the folks at Adler often say, Space is freaking awesome.
Adler is scheduled to fully reopen in March 2022.
- Address: 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
- Cost: Membership packages start at $105
- Address: Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago
- Cost: Household membership for families starts at $190 and are tax deductible
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Best Time To Visit The Field Museum
It is best to visit Field Museum in Chicago is as soon as they open at 9 am.
When you start early, you avoid the crowd and catch the museum staff conducting free guided tours when they are most energetic.
Since the Ancient Egypt exhibit gets the maximum crowd, it is better to explore it as soon as you enter the Museum.
If you are not a local, try avoiding the free days as the Museum is exceptionally crowded.
Discounts At The Shedd Aquarium:
*Educators from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin can receive a complimentary Shedd ticket by registering online. This offer is not valid during special events or for admission to the 4-D Experience. Teachers, please register here.
*Other teachers, if youre outside the four-state area you can receive a $3 on-site discount on your Shedd ticket by showing a valid school ID or current pay stub.
*Chicago residents save 50% when visiting Shedd!
*Active-duty U.S. military personnel receive free general admission with proper ID. 4-D Experience tickets can be added on site. Please note that dependents and family are not included in this offer.
*U.S. military veterans receive free general admission on Monday Nov, 12 in honor of Veterans Day. On all other days veterans receive a $3 on-site discount on their general admission every day. This offer is only for veterans or retired U.S. military and is not applicable to dependents. Cannot be combined with other discounts.
*Illinois residents enjoy FREE admission to Shedd Aquarium on select free days throughout the year!
*Chicago police officers and firefighters receive free on-site general admission with proper ID. This offer is not valid during special events or for admission to the 4-D Experience.
*Daily discounted admission to eligible low-income families . Participants can present their electronic benefits transfer card to redeem this special offer.
*Students and Senior Citizens receive $3 off with ID.
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A Sample Chicago Itinerary With Citypass
Even though you don’t have to do everything in one or two days with a CityPASS , you really can pack all the highlights into a long weekend in Chicago.
A sample itinerary could look like this:
Day 1
Visit the Skydeck in the late morning, and then spend the afternoon at either the Art Institute of Chicago or Adler Planetarium.
Day 2
Spend your day at Museum Campus. Start out at the Shedd Aquarium, and then allow at least a few hours to explore the Field Museum.
Day 3
If you opt for 360 Chicago, you’ll only need an hour or so for the experience since you won’t have to stand in any lines. OR you could spend half a day at the Museum of Science and Industry.
So, conclusion? A Chicago CityPASS is definitely worth it in Chicago if you’re already planning to visit at least 3 of these attractions. Plus, the fast pass/VIP entry is an added bonus that can save you quite a bit of time, on top of money.
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Have you ever used an attraction pass like this in a city?
*Note: Thanks to CityPASS for providing Elliot and I with two booklets for our recent trip to Chicago. As always, opinions are 100% my own .
Free Museum Days In Chicago
Experience Chicagos award-winning museums, without spending a dime. Check out our ever-growing list of Chicago free museum days in 2021 and 2022, plus some of our museums that are free all year long.
Looking for other ways to save? Check out the Chicago CityPASS or Go Chicago Card, which offers admission to several Chicago museums and attractions for one discounted price.
Heres a list of upcoming free Chicago museum days. Keep in mind that some museums may be operating with different hours and new ticketing procedures contact the museum to learn more.
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When Is The Best Time To Visit
- Weekdays: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Weekends: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Extended Summer Hours : 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Shedd Aquariums hours vary by season. Last ticket purchases occur 45 minutes prior to closing each day. Check the calendar before you visit.
The museums most popular times are weekends and afternoons.
We suggest visiting Monday – Thursday or Sunday morning for the most space to freely move about the aquarium.
If you visit on Saturday, we suggest arriving right at 9:00 am.
If you visit on Sunday, we suggest arriving at 9:00 am or after 5:00 pm.
Field Museum Free Days
The Field Museum announces free days in advance, during which all Illinois residents can walk into the Museum for free.
As an Illinois resident, you can benefit from these free days throughout the year.
Just show your Illinois residency proof like drivers license, State ID, or Chicago CityKey.
This free entry includes access to all general admission exhibitions, such as Evolving Planet, The Ancient Americas, and Inside Ancient Egypt.
To access other ticketed exhibits, you can buy discounted passes that are available at the venue .
There are many ways to get a discount at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago.
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Tourist Attraction Discount Passes
Admission to Shedd Aquarium is included in Chicagos tourist passes, which work by bundling discounts for purchasing tickets in bulk.
Depending on the type of card purchased, you could save up to 55% on retail prices at various museums, attractions, and tours around Chicago.
Here are just a few of the additional activities you can enjoy with a tourist pass at no extra cost:
- LEGOLAND
Make sure to check coupon sites like Groupon and LivingSocial for ticket deals.
Field Museum Tickets & Membership
Tickets
The musuems offers three levels of field museum tickets to visitors. Rates are based on the age and residency of individuals. The tickets are cheaper for Illinois Residents and seniors & kids.
Here are the types of admission
Check to see current ticket prices.
Membership
The question of whether to get a membership depends on how often you plan to visit this museum. If you plan to go multiple times a year, it might be worth purchasing a membership. If not, then just a day ticket would work.
With the memberhship you will get free or discounted tickets to 3D movies and ticketed exhibitions. Learn more about membership.
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You Get Fast Pass / Vip Entry
The cool thing about the Chicago CityPASS is that it includes Fast Pass or VIP entry to nearly every attraction listed. This is HUGE, especially when this can often mean skipping 2+ hours of standing in line to buy tickets at places like the Skydeck.
At the Shedd Aquarium you get All-Access admission, which includes access to special exhibits and the Stingray Touch experience, as well as a 4-D experience. At the Field Museum, you get VIP Entry and an All-Access Pass, including admission to all permanent and ticketed exhibitions, plus your choice of one digital 3D film.
You also get skip-the-line Express Entry at 360 Chicago , and Fast Pass Admission at the Art Institute of Chicago, too.
At the Museum of Science and Industry, you get regular admission plus your choice of one timed-entry experience. And at the Adler Planetarium your CityPASS gets you admission and access to two sky shows.
