Art Institute of Chicago: Free admission and discounts
June 4, 2025
See the free Chicago museum day post for the latest.
The Art Institute of Chicago is my favorite museum in this city. I enjoy picking a new-to-me gallery, inspecting it thoroughly, and then heading off to visit my favorite artworks. Since the price of admission is rather high, I can’t do this very often. But I have been paying attention to their admission fees and here are the things I’ve noticed:
- Admission is free Thursday evenings, June 5–September 25, 2025, 5–8 pm.
- There is free access for children under 14, Chicago teens under 18, Link and WIC cardholders, and Illinois educators every day, as well as to Illinois residents on certain days throughout the year.
- This one isn’t posted on their website. I have noticed that a few times I’ve received an additional discount after 4 pm.
- City residents can obtain free museum passes (for a lot of museums, not just this one) through their local library. Since each library only has one pass to circulate, it is first-come, first-serve. It is also rare to see the Art Institute pass available–it is very popular.
