# Free museum and zoo days in Chicago, 2027

> Free and nearly free ways into Chicago museums and zoos in 2027, each one checked on the venue’s or program’s own page: three regular free days, five Bank of America Museums on Us partners and two Museums for All or EBT discounts. Every row says who gets in, so you know before you go.

- Last checked: 2026-10-26
- 3 regular free days; 5 Museums on Us partners; 2 Museums for All or EBT discounts; 0 library passes
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## Regular free days

- **Lincoln Park Zoo**: Free every day of the year. Official page: https://www.lpzoo.org/
- **Field Museum**: Free for Illinois residents every Wednesday, 9am–5pm. Reserve online and bring Illinois ID. Official page: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/our-events/free-wednesdays/illinois-free-wednesday-2026-11-25
- **Adler Planetarium**: Illinois resident discount days Nov. 9, 10, 16, 17 and 18 and Dec. 7, 8 and 9. Use your ZIP code as the promo code and bring proof of residency. Official page: https://www.adlerplanetarium.org/tickets/

## Bank of America Museums on Us

Active Bank of America, Merrill and Private Bank credit or debit cardholders get one free general admission on the first full weekend of each month, with the card and a photo ID. Bank of America posts each weekend on its partner page: https://about.bankofamerica.com/en/making-an-impact/museums-on-us-partners

- **Adler Planetarium**. https://www.adlerplanetarium.org/
- **Art Institute of Chicago**. https://www.artic.edu/
- **Griffin Museum of Science and Industry** (Sundays only). https://www.griffinmsi.org/
- **Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago**. https://mcachicago.org/
- **The Morton Arboretum**. https://mortonarb.org/

## Museums for All and EBT discounts

Museums for All gives families receiving SNAP benefits free or reduced admission when they show an EBT card and photo ID (https://museums4all.org). Each venue sets its own price.

- **Chicago Children’s Museum**: $5 admission through Museums for All. Official page: https://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/hours-tickets-and-faq
- **Kohl Children’s Museum**: $5 admission through Museums for All. Official page: https://www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org/

## Free days coming up before 2027

- **Chicago Children’s Museum Kids Free Day** at Chicago Children’s Museum: 2026-11-01. Who gets in: Free for kids 17 and under; no advance tickets needed. https://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/kids-free-days
- **Nature Museum Illinois resident free days** at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum: 2026-11-02, 2026-11-03, 2026-11-04. Who gets in: Free for Illinois residents; the Butterfly Haven isn’t included. https://naturemuseum.org/

## About this list
- Published by Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/). Free weekly lists for kids ages 0–6, city by city.
- How we choose and check listings, and how to send a correction: https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/ (corrections: hello@littlesweekly.com).
- Sponsored spots are labeled on the HTML pages and are not part of this editorial list.
- How to cite: “According to Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/…), …” and link the page you quote.

## FAQ

### When are the free museum days in Chicago in 2027?
Lincoln Park Zoo: Free every day of the year. Field Museum: Free for Illinois residents every Wednesday, 9am–5pm. Reserve online and bring Illinois ID. Adler Planetarium: Illinois resident discount days Nov. 9, 10, 16, 17 and 18 and Dec. 7, 8 and 9. Use your ZIP code as the promo code and bring proof of residency. Each one is from the venue’s own page.

### Which Chicago museums are free with a Bank of America card?
Adler Planetarium, Art Institute of Chicago, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Morton Arboretum are Bank of America Museums on Us partners. Active Bank of America, Merrill and Private Bank credit or debit cardholders get one free general admission on the first full weekend of each month; bring the card and a photo ID. Bank of America posts each weekend on its partner page.

### Can you get into museums free or cheap with EBT in Chicago?
Yes. Chicago Children’s Museum, Kohl Children’s Museum offer free or reduced admission to families with SNAP (EBT) benefits, most through Museums for All. Bring your EBT card and a photo ID; each listing below has the venue’s own price and limits.

### How do you check these free museum days?
Each free day and discount comes from the museum’s, zoo’s or program’s own page and links to it. If a page doesn’t say who gets in, we leave it out. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 26, 2026, and we recheck them every month. [How we choose and check](https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/).