Best Budget-Friendly Things to Do in Chicago
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Museums
The Art Institute of Chicago
24 042 reviews
"All the classical paints such as Francesco de Mura, Peter Paul Rubens, El Greco, Luca Cambiaso, Tintoretto, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne, Edvard Munch, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh are incredible.""The Art Institute hosts some of the most famous paintings in the world - Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (my personal favorite), Pablo Picasso’s The Old Guitarist, and Grant Wood’s American Gothic."
Museums
Museum of Science and Industry
10 965 reviews
"So many favorite things: Christmas around the World exhibit, the Omnimax theatre, the submarine tour, the chicks, the bicycle exhibit, the African American artwork, the circus exhibit, the Fairy Castle, the Mirror...""From a captured German U-boat in World War II, to space capsule, electric cars, trains, and lots of interactive exhibits, this is a great place to go by yourself or with family."
Sights & Landmarks
360 Chicago Observation Deck
10 822 reviews
"I visit the observation deck last week and I have to say it was incredible!, I was there when the sun goes down and the view everywhere you look at was simply amazing, and the tilt experience is also highly recomm...""... you pay a bit more if you want to experience “Tilt”..but it was worth it... the skyline and Lake Michigan are stunning!! Highly recommend It ran smoothly as well considering the number of tourists milking abou..."
Sights & Landmarks
Cloud Gate
18 005 reviews
"A visit to the Millennium Park at Christmas is a delight ... That magnificent silver Bean floats over the ice rink and at Christmas there is a fantastic tree all within an easy walk from the mile and central city.""Cloud Gate is a marvellous place, it’s design is perfect to take pictures and while walking below, you get tricked by your eyes - beautiful physical phenomenon :-) it is definitely worth visiting"
Nature & Parks
Millennium Park
24 621 reviews
"Enjoy great views of downtown (and the skating rink in winter) from its platform, stroll the area to view regularly-changing public art exhibits, the Pritzker Pavilion, Lurie Garden, and fabulous Frank Gehry desig...""Just off the lake, great for biking and walking amazing view of the city skyline, wonderful way to spend a day in Chicago during the summer exploring the Cloud Gate, the beautifully landscaped gardens..."
Museums
Field Museum
8 681 reviews
"Rivaling the Museum of Natural History in New York, this museum is replete with towering dinosaur skeletons, fossils, ancient artifacts from early humankind, all under a magnificently designed Romanesque-style bui...""The Field Museum also has other dinosaur skeletons, taxidermied animals, gems and minerals, and cultural artifacts from many places including ancient Egypt and the Pacific, and from indigenous cultures of North Am..."
Sights & Landmarks
Wrigley Field
9 796 reviews
"Go Cubs... love the Cubbies and Wrigley field, so much history and so much excitment watching a Cubs game at Wrigley, this is a must do place to go see when in Chicago especially during baseball season..""... in Fenway, Boston, I thought Fenway was small.But Wrigley was big.It was a Tuesday night after Labor day.I could see a lot of people.Windy City really love Cubs.If you are a baseball fan, Wrigley is a must-visit."
Sights & Landmarks
Chicago Riverwalk
2 930 reviews
"Enjoy the magic of the city, stunning architecture, while enjoying food, drink, and a stroll along the Chicago River, while pleasure boats float by.""Whether your enjoying a nice walk down the river or stopping at one of the many fine options for food and drink on a beautiful summer day or perhaps sitting in the heated outdoor "igloos" a City Winery during the..."
Zoos & Aquariums
Lincoln Park Zoo
5 852 reviews
"It houses about 1100 animals from 200 different species, from big cats, gorillas and monkeys to penguins and reptiles.""Besides the freedom to be a ‘kid’ again by riding the carousel and going through the corn maze, there were informative talks staggered throughout the night at various animal exhibits."
Museums
Chicago Cultural Center
2 991 reviews
"Aside from being a beautiful building filled with finely executed mosaic work, a lovely marble staircase and an always interesting array of changing exhibits; the Cultural Center also has a free weekly recital und...""I listened to a wonderful harp trio performing in Preston Bradley Hall; admired multiple exhibit halls (fantastic modern art from/about Puerto Rico!); also got many detailed, picturesque handouts and information b..."
Nature & Parks
Lakefront Trail
2 415 reviews
"Rent a divvy bike from one of the many stops (we picked up and dropped off from Ohio Street) and head north to Lincoln Park and beyond, or south towards Roosevelt to experience all that Millennium Park has to offer.""You'll see some of the city's iconic tourist attractions, including Navy Pier, Soldier Field, Lincoln Park Zoo, North Avenue Beach, Oak Street Beach, Grant Park, McCormick Place, Museum of Science and Industry, Ja..."
Other
The Loop
1 237 reviews
"... Chicago Board of Trade, Art Institute of Chicago, Buckingham Fountain, Chicago Cultural Center, Palmer House, Rookery Building, Grant Park, Millennium Park, Civic Opera House, City Hall and Chicago Riverwalk.""fMade famous by Sarah Paretsky’s detective, V. I. Varshawski, The Loop is the local railway that runs around downtown Chicago above ground at about 3rd floor level and has one line which goes directly to Midway Ai..."
Sights & Landmarks
Buckingham Fountain
3 360 reviews
"Located in the center of Grant Park, between Queen's Landing and Congress Parkway, near the intersection of Columbus Drive and Ida B. Wells Drive, off Lake Shore Drive, overlooking Lake Michigan, the Chicago Landm...""The Buckingham Fountain at night, with a light show is simply amazing and something that you just love to see, the kids are blown away by it and it leaves the whole family feeling like the trip was well worth the..."
Nature & Parks
Lincoln Park
854 reviews
"The park houses a wonderful nature walk surrounding a lagoon, the fantastic Cafe Brauer, the only free zoo left in the US, and much open public space that is used by visitors for everything from sports to bar-b-qu...""Unfortunately the zoo and lily pond were closed due to private event and wedding shower, so we went to the conservatory instead, which might have been better than spending time in the zoo since it's much cooler an..."
Sights & Landmarks
Chicago Skyline
685 reviews
"A few good spots to view the skyline include Navy Pier, Grant Park, the Nature Boardwalk in Lincoln Park, some of the skyscraper observation decks, and even from the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, if you want to...""The Chicago skyline featured in lots of tv shows and films, needs to be explored by going up one of the main two tall buildings, walking the streets and my favourite from the water, fabulous."
Museums
American Writers Museum
375 reviews
"Instead of manuscripts, artifacts and first editions, there are interactive touch screens and high-tech multimedia installations galore, a children's literature gallery, a Bob Dylan exhibit, an 85-foot-long intera...""Easily worth 2 hours, this very modern museum offers a broad range of exhibit types (from pictures to interactive video) on a wide variety of writers -- so it's good for all ages, and all levels of background."
Fun & Games
Maggie Daley Park
1 312 reviews
"This park is directly adjacent to Millenium Park and features trails, rock-climbing walls, a children's playground, stunning views of Lake Michigan, and a beautiful pedestrian bridge connecting to Millenium.""Lots of slides and swings of all kinds and shapes, mini golf courts, climbing, rollers, water pipes and lot of other things dedicated for children of all ages."
Water & Amusement Parks
Navy Pier
14 878 reviews
"It offers a ton of lovely shops, places to eat, a beautiful tropical house to explore with fun water features, merrigo round, ferris wheel, and a lovely Pier that showcases beautiful foliage, sights and sounds of...""From the Children's Museum (which is phenomenal by the way) to the IMAX and Shakespeare theaters, restaurants all ranges, pier, outdoor music to the rides, the big top adventures, outdoor Margaritas and boat rides..."
Sights & Landmarks
The Rookery Building
392 reviews
"It is quite close to the Sears Tower, so if you are headed that way, you can easily add a stop at this beautiful building.""The Rookery (on the corner of LaSalle and West Adams), by John Wellborn Root and Daniel Burnham, completed in 1888, is one of the finest buildings in Chicago and well worth a look."
Museums
Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank
510 reviews
"It was very informative and the best part about it ...... FREE!!!! Get your FREE printed photo at the end and also your FREE bag of shredded money .""If you love rare bill,then the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Money Museum, is an exciting place to visit.Did you know that, there are only three thousand dollar bills that exist today."
Sights & Landmarks
Crown Fountain
2 118 reviews
"It’s one of a kind and if it’s summer you’ll really love the kids running through the shallow pool waiting for the blast of water coming from between the lips of Chicago faces.""It is one of my most favorite attraction in Millennium park whenever those fountains work I love to see those faces (and facial expressions change and spit those fountains Children simply crazy about itrunning aro..."
Nature & Parks
Chicago River
1 950 reviews
"Plan an architectural tour that will share the history of the city as you go through, admiring the rich architectural genius, the City's expansion post Chicago Fire, and plans for it's future.""great option to be out on a sunny day, spend the time on the cafes on the shores of the river or try a ferry ride on the chicago river meandering through high rises including the imposing Trump tower"
Sights & Landmarks
University of Chicago
461 reviews
"Exploring the museums on campus, the Robie House by Frank Lloyd Wright, Site P-1 where the first atomic reactor was secretly built and miles of paths, trails and parkways through beautiful architecture...Makes for...""This world class University offers many special museums and a chance to walk the Midway and streets of Hyde Park as you bump shoulders with students and faculty."
Sights & Landmarks
Tribune Tower
625 reviews
"In addition, there are stones from the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, Hagia Sophia, Corregidor, Westminster, the Alamo, the Great Pyramid, Notre Dame de Paris, Abraham Lincoln's tomb, the Great Wall of China and Indepe...""The Tribune Tower is a beautiful historical neo-Gothic skyscraper located on North Michigan Avenue – another example of the wonderful Chicago architecture."