Chicago has an event for pretty much everything these days. Shopping, improv, and even hot sauce have been celebrated over the past couple weeks – but for some strange reason – we’ve never celebrated our exceptional museums. That is, until now.
Chicago’s first ever Museum Week will take place from October 1-7th. 12 of the city’s top museums are participating by offering special events, free days, discounts, and extended hours. Here’s what you can expect at each location.
- Free Admission – Oct. 1st from 5-8pm.
- $10 off new memberships
- Free drop-in art making for families at The Artist’s Studio from 11am-2pm on Oct. 3-4
- Free Admission – Oct. 5, 6 and 7
- $10 off new memberships
- Exclusive Museum Week Sky Show
- Collection items from the Adler’s vault (not typically seen by the public) will be on display
- Exclusive Space Oddities lecture
- Family science activities available throughout the week
- Story time with Curious George on Oct. 5th
- Free Admission – Oct. 4
- Meet The Field Museum Discover Squad to learn more about the collections “behind the scenes” – Oct. 2 from 10am-2pm
- Admission is always free
- 10% off new memberships
- Lincoln Park Zoo Fall Fest kicks off on Oct. 2nd, featuring a Ferris wheel, burlap sack ride, inflatable rides, hay rides, corn maze, pumpkin patch, and educational activities. The event runs from 10am-5pm and goes through Oct. 4th
- Rides cost $3 for one, $27 for 10 and $51 for 20
- Free Admission – Oct. 5-6th
- Animal chats about sharks (9:45 am, 11:15 am and 3:45 pm daily at the Wild Reef)
- Animal chats about Belugas and sea lions (11 am, 1:30 pm and 3 pm daily at Abbot Oceanarium)
- Animal chats about penguins (9:45 am, 12:45 pm, and 4 pm at the Polar Play Zone)
Museum of Science & Industry
- Free Admission – Oct. 5-6th
- $20 off any membership
- New Robot Revolution exhibit featuring the latest robots from around the globe and a chance to interact with them
Museum of Contemporary Art
- Free Admission – Oct. 6th
- Bring a receipt from a Museum Week visit of another museum and get half-off admission throughout the week
- $10 off new memberships
- MCA Prime Time, a culmination of electropop music, an immersive hallucinatory experience from LuftWek, interactive environments of light and design from The Post Family and a new film, Fresh Dressed, by Sasha Jenkins
Chicago History Museum
- $4 off admission
- 20% off memberships
- 20% off café and store
- After-hours event featuring a unique Flash Tour and chat with museum curators (Oct. 6, 5-8pm)
- 30-minute highlight tours of “Chicago: Crossroads of America”
- Excursion tours to Old Town, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Union Station, and the CTA Brown and Blue lines
DuSable Museum of African American History
- Free Admission – Oct 4th
- 2-for-1 admission all week long
- 10% off store
- Half-off individual memberships
- Special guided tours available
National Museum of Mexican Art
- Admission is always free
- 15% discount at the shop
- Chance to win family membership
- See the largest Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) exhibit in the country
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
- Free Admission – Oct. 1
- Bring a receipt from a Museum Week visit of another museum and get $5 off adult admission throughout the week
- Chance to win lifetime membership
- 10% off gift shop
- $15 off 1-year membership
- $25 off 2-year membership
- Grand openings of “City Creatures: Animal Encounters in the Chicago Wilderness” and “Peanuts… Naturally.”
- Extended hours on Oct. 6th (until 8 pm)
National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
- Admission is always free
- Las Caras Lindas: Intervenciones Actuales will feature vejigante masks from Puerto Rico with contemporary artistic input
- Grand opening of the “Metamorphosis of Divine Entanglements” from Chicago artist Oscar Luis Martinez
Chicago’s first ever Museum Week will take place from October 1-7th
Photo Credit: Chicago Museum Week media kit