Free Things to Do Near You This Weekend (by Neighborhood)

TL;DR Some of the best things to do in Chicago cost nothing. The Lincoln Park Zoo and Millennium Park are free every day, Illinois residents get free museum days year-round, and summer brings free concerts, movies in the park, and festivals. Here is the free-fun map by area.

One of the best things about renting in Chicago is how much of the city is free. You can fill a whole weekend without spending a dollar, and a lot of it is right in your neighborhood. Here is the rundown.

The always-free anchors

These are free every single day, no ticket needed.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is the crown jewel, 49 acres and 170-plus species in the middle of the North Side, open daily. Millennium Park in the Loop gives you Cloud Gate (the Bean) and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, with Maggie Daley Park and its play gardens right next door — and Buckingham Fountain, one of the largest fountains in the world, a short walk south in Grant Park.

For a free day outside, the Lakefront Trail runs 18-plus miles along the water, the 606 is an elevated trail linking Wicker Park, Bucktown, and Logan Square, and the Chicago Riverwalk threads through downtown. The Chicago Cultural Center, with its famous Tiffany dome, is free to wander, and the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen is always free.

Free museum days

Illinois residents get free admission on rotating days at most of the big museums, which is one of the best perks of living here.

The Field Museum is free to Illinois residents on Wednesdays, the Museum of Contemporary Art is free Tuesday evenings, and the Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, and Museum of Science and Industry all have free-day windows throughout the year. Check each museum's calendar before you go, since the free dates shift by season.

Summer, the free season

From late spring through fall, the free calendar overflows.

The Grant Park Music Festival brings free classical concerts to Millennium Park all summer, with more free shows in the Millennium Park summer series. Movies in the Park screens films outdoors across the city, Chicago SummerDance offers free dance lessons in Grant Park, and farmers markets pop up in nearly every neighborhood.

Then there are the street festivals. Most are free to enter, from Do Division in West Town to Andersonville Midsommarfest, the Old Town Art Fair, and Pilsen's Tacos y Tamales. There is almost always one within walking distance on a summer weekend.

Free by neighborhood

Wherever you live, there is a free stroll nearby.

Neighborhood	Free thing to do
Loop	Millennium Park, the Riverwalk, the Cultural Center
Lincoln Park	The zoo, the conservatory, the lakefront
Pilsen	The 16th Street murals, the Mexican art museum
Wicker Park	First Fridays gallery walk, the 606
Chinatown	Ping Tom Memorial Park on the river
Gold Coast / Streeterville	Oak Street and Ohio Street beaches, the Mag Mile windows

How to make the most of it

Pick one anchor and one stroll. Spend the morning at the zoo or a free museum day, then walk it off on the Lakefront Trail or the 606. In summer, check the festival and free-concert calendars on Friday and you will rarely be short of plans.

Living somewhere walkable makes all of this easier, since the best free stuff is meant to be reached on foot. See our most walkable neighborhoods ranking and, if you are watching your budget, our guides for recent grads and the true cost of living by neighborhood. Then browse current openings near your favorite free spot and book a tour.

Hero image: Photo by Enrique Cortes on Pexels