Join my community

Subscribe to my newsletter to get updates!

Close

Subscribe to my newsletter
logo
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Cuba
      • United States
    • South America
      • Brazil
      • Mexico
    • Asia
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • Russia
      • Singapore
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • South Africa
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • Tips
  • About
    • About me
    • Work with me
  • Shop my presets

Home > United States > 9 Free Things To Do in Chicago, Illinois

9 Free Things To Do in Chicago, Illinois

By Dymphe / November 7, 2022

In this article, you'll find 9 free things to do in Chicago, United States. These are the things you can do while you are in Chicago and on a budget!

Table of Contents

  • 1. Enjoy a free concert
  • 2. Do a free walking tour
  • 3. See diverse artworks
  • 4. Relax in the Millennium Park
  • 5. Go to the free zoo
  • 6. Visit Garfield Park Conservatory
  • 7. See a free jazz festival
  • 8. See some contemporary art
  • 9. See the Chicago Botanic Garden

1. Enjoy a free concert

Looking for a free concert in Chicago? Then go to the Millennium Park Summer Music Series. For those that love music, this is one of the most amazing activities.

The festival is there every summer for several weeks.

The concerts are at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion and cover a variety of music genres.

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

Een bericht gedeeld door HostlyBnb | Airbnb Chicago (@hostlybnb) op 13 Jun 2019 om 5:48 (PDT)

2. Do a free walking tour

How to discover the city more thoroughly? With a local guide of course! That's why you really should do a free walking tour.

I recommend this company, as they offer a variety of free walking tours with which you can learn about all parts of the city and its culture.

People in Chicago

3. See diverse artworks

Go to the Smart Museum of Art for a variety of artworks.

From modern art to European art to Asian art, you can find a lot here! Best of all, you can visit the museum for free!

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

Een bericht gedeeld door Smart Museum of Art (@smartmuseum) op 28 Feb 2020 om 2:37 (PST)

4. Relax in the Millennium Park

Millennium Park is the place to go when you want to relax in a park while in Chicago.

But that's not all there is to do here, you can find here all kinds of activities.

One of these I already told about above is the free concerts that are held at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion.

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

Een bericht gedeeld door Millennium Park (@millennium_park) op 19 Jul 2019 om 1:54 (PDT)

5. Go to the free zoo

Another one of the free activities in Chicago is the zoo!

The Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in North America (founded in 1868) and you can visit it for free!

Also, you find here all kinds of animals, such as gorillas, bears, monkeys, lions, and many more! This is one of the best activities in Chicago.

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

Een bericht gedeeld door Lincoln Park Zoo (@lincolnparkzoo) op 31 Mrt 2020 om 8:38 (PDT)

6. Visit Garfield Park Conservatory

For a great botanical garden, you should definitely go to Garfield Park Conservatory.

You find here all kinds of plants from all over the world spread over an area of approximately 4.5 acres or 18,000 square meters.

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

Een bericht gedeeld door Garfield Park Conservatory (@gpconservatory) op 27 Apr 2020 om 11:12 (PDT)

7. See a free jazz festival

During the Chicago Jazz Festival, you can listen to jazz for 4 days.

The festival is held every year at Millenium Park. And best of all, it is free for all to enjoy!

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

Een bericht gedeeld door Chicago Jazz Festival (@chicagojazzfestival) op 16 Nov 2017 om 7:18 (PST)

8. See some contemporary art

Another free museum in Chicago is the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

If you want to see contemporary art while you are in Chicago and at the same time you are on a budget, you should definitely go to this museum.

Furthermore, some notable artists whose art is on display here include Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, and many more famous artists.

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

Een bericht gedeeld door Artforum (@artforum) op 2 Apr 2020 om 1:00 (PDT)

9. See the Chicago Botanic Garden

Another great garden to visit is the Chicago Botanic Garden.

The garden is open every day of the year and you can visit it for free! You find here all kinds of plants and the garden is located on nine islands.

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

Een bericht gedeeld door Chicago Botanic Garden (@chicagobotanic) op 30 Apr 2020 om 9:37 (PDT)

Save this post to Pinterest if you like it!

Blog comments (0)

Write a comment

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Categories:
  • North America
  • United States
Tags: ChicagoThings To Do
  • Hi there! I’m Dymphe, a travel blogger and content creator with a passion for exploring beautiful destinations and travel photography. I’ve been traveling for years and I decided to start this blog to help you do the same in Europe, the United States, and beyond. More about me.

  • Join my community

    Subscribe to my newsletter to get updates!

  • Related posts

    Join my community

    Subscribe to my newsletter to get updates!



    Destinations
    Tips
    About
    Work with me

    Privacy Policy
    © 2024 Dymabroad

    Contact

    hello@dymabroad.com