Budget Chicago Travel

Chicago, Land of the Free

Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park

Chicago, IL–The Windy City could be called the Land of the Free this summer. Free music, free museum and attractions admissions, free dance shows, free festivals. OK, no free lunch, but with all the other free things happening in Chicago this summer, you can spring for food.

Here are my five top tips for finding and seeing free stuff to see and do in Chicago this summer:

1. Go to ExploreChicago.org. The city’s official tourism site offers information on all the top events in the city, plus loads of other information. The insightful neighborhood information was written by former Chicago Tribune travel writer Alan Solomon. Sign up for the city’s Twitter feed at www.Twitter/ExploreChicago, which promotes daily events and deals.

2. Visit the Chicago Cultural Center at the corner of Randolph and Michigan Ave. Get a gander at the world’s largest Tiffany glass dome, plus Chicago artwork and photos on display. The city’s visitor center is here, and you can sign up for a free Chicago Greeter Tour.

3. Take advantage of free admission to the Art Institute of Chicago on first and second Wednesdays of each month, June through December. With the new Modern Wing and old favorites, what’s not to like here? Don’t overlook the miniature rooms in the lower level, or the incredible collection of impressionist paintings.

4. Enjoy free fun at Millennium Park, Lincoln Park, and Garfield Park. Millennium Park, on Michigan Ave. offers free concerts in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, splashing in the Crown Fountain, sniffing flowers of Lurie Garden, family festivals, and other free events all summer long. Lincoln Park beckons with the free admission Lincoln Park Zoo, and Garfield Park Conservatory boasts a beautiful palm room designed by famed landscape architect Jens Jensen, among other treasures.

5. Check out some of the 6,000 objects in one of the largest collections of Mexican art in the U.S. at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Admission is free and the museum features performing as well as visual arts. A great opportunity to see this vibrant Mexican neighborhood, too.

Now go and be free!