Free things to do in Chicago

Free parks, trails and beaches

Open daily and free: the Bean, the river, an elevated trail on an old rail line, and the lakefront from the North Side down to the 1893 World's Fair grounds.

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   Millennium Park

   LoopPark & Cloud GateEssentials list

   Free and open daily from 6 a.m.: walk under Cloud Gate (the Bean), wade into Crown Fountain in summer, and catch free concerts at Frank Gehry's Pritzker Pavilion.

   (312) 742-1168chicago.gov

   Map
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   Chicago Riverwalk

   LoopRiverside promenadeEssentials list

   A mile and a quarter of riverside path below street level, lined with wine bars, kayak rentals and boat docks. Duck into the McCormick Bridgehouse museum to see a bridge's gears up close.

   (312) 315-4469chicago.gov

   Map
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   Maggie Daley Park

   LoopPlay & climbing parkLocal Favorites list

   Next to Millennium Park: climbing walls, a play garden with a ship and a lighthouse, and a looping skate path that's iced over in winter. Free to wander.

   (312) 742-3918chicagoparkdistrict.com

   Map
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   The 606 (Bloomingdale Trail)

   Wicker ParkElevated rail trailEssentials list

   An old elevated rail line turned 2.7-mile trail linking Bucktown, Wicker Park, Humboldt Park and Logan Square. Ramps sit at most cross streets; walk or bike it late afternoon in fall.

   (773) 661-9172the606.org

   Map
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   North Avenue Beach

   Lincoln ParkCity beachLocal Favorites list

   The city's busiest beach: volleyball, the ship-shaped beach house and the skyline at your back. Lifeguards are on from late May through Labor Day; bike in on the Lakefront Trail.

   (312) 742-3224chicagoparkdistrict.com

   Map
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   Montrose Point & Beach

   UptownBeach & bird sanctuaryLocal Favorites list

   A wide North Side beach with a dog beach, and the Magic Hedge out on the point, where migrating birds stack up each spring and fall. Open sunrise to sunset.

   (312) 742-7726chicagoparkdistrict.com

   Map
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   Jackson Park

   Hyde ParkLakefront park & Japanese gardenLocal Favorites list

   Olmsted and Vaux's lakefront park, home of the 1893 World's Fair, with the Garden of the Phoenix and Yoko Ono's SKYLANDING on Wooded Island. The Museum of Science and Industry anchors its north end.

   (773) 256-0903chicagoparkdistrict.com

   Map

Free museums, a free zoo and a free glasshouse

Free to get in. Garfield Park Conservatory asks for a timed reservation; the rest you can walk into.

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   Lincoln Park Zoo

   Lincoln ParkFree zooEssentials list

   Free, open all 365 days and running since 1868. Gates open at 8 a.m. and the animal houses at 10; families head for the Farm-in-the-Zoo. Parking costs, so bike or bus in. In winter, ZooLights dates sell out.

   (312) 742-2000lpzoo.org

   Map
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   Garfield Park Conservatory

   East Garfield ParkConservatoryEssentials list

   A huge Victorian-style glasshouse of palms, ferns and desert plants on the West Side, plus outdoor gardens in summer. Free with a timed-entry reservation; the Green Line stops a block away. It's a warm escape in winter.

   (773) 638-1766chicagoparkdistrict.com

   Map
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   National Museum of Mexican Art

   PilsenMexican art museumEssentials list

   Free admission, and a permanent collection reaching back 3,600 years, with a big Day of the Dead show each fall. Closed Mondays; walk the murals along 18th Street afterward. The first Wednesday of each month it stays open until 8.

   (312) 738-1503nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org

   Map
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   Chicago Cultural Center

   LoopFree arts centerLocal Favorites list

   The old central library, crowned by two stained-glass domes, one of them the world's largest Tiffany dome, with free concerts, films and exhibitions through the week. Admission is free; start in Preston Bradley Hall.

   (312) 744-5000chicago.gov

   Map
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   Museum of Contemporary Photography

   South LoopPhotography museumLocal Favorites list

   Columbia College's free photography museum on Michigan Avenue, with a deep permanent collection (Dorothea Lange's work among it) and rotating shows. Closed Sundays.

   (312) 663-5554mocp.org

   Map

Free to walk

Two neighborhood main streets, Chinatown's riverfront park, and Navy Pier, where you only pay for the rides and the food.

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   Chinatown (Wentworth Ave)

   Armour SquareChinatown districtLocal Favorites list

   Walk Wentworth from the Chinatown Gate past bakeries, dim sum halls and the Nine Dragon Wall, then cut over to Chinatown Square for noodles and bubble tea. The Red Line stops right there.

   Map
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   Ping Tom Memorial Park

   ChinatownRiverfront parkLocal Favorites list

   Chinatown's riverfront park on a former rail yard: a pavilion under a pagoda roof, river paths and summer kayak rentals at the boathouse. Arrive by water taxi in summer.

   (312) 225-3121chicagoparkdistrict.com

   Map
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   Devon Avenue

   West RidgeSouth Asian districtLocal Favorites list

   The city's South Asian main street, roughly Western to California: sari and jewelry shops, Indian and Pakistani sweets, and biryani and kebabs late into the night.

   Map
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   Navy Pier

   StreetervilleLakefront pierEssentials list

   Ride the Centennial Wheel, board a lake or architecture cruise from the docks and stay for summer fireworks. It's tourist-heavy; walk out to the end of the pier for the best views. Check the calendar for free fireworks through the year.

   (800) 595-7437navypier.org

   Map

Free this weekend

Chicago's free festivals, concerts and markets change every week. For the dates you're here: free things to do in Chicago this weekend, updated daily.

Free in winter

The museums above, the warm glasshouse at Garfield Park Conservatory and the Tiffany dome at the Chicago Cultural Center are all free in the cold months, and from late November the city's Christmas tree stands in Millennium Park.

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