Family Programming and Events
Upcoming Family Programs Spring 2025
Explore programming and events from our partner museums.
Adler Planetarium
Adler Planetarium
Adler at Night
Wednesdays 4:00pm-10:00pm
Join us after work, after school, or for date night at the Adler Planetarium. You’ll find hands-on, minds-on activities, experiences, and shows about the universe that will blow your mind! Free museum admission with proof of Illinois Residency.
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago
Ryan Learning Center
Daily | 11:00am-3:00pm (Closed Tuesdays)
Free, family-friendly activities are always on offer in the Ryan Learning Center Art Exchange.
Create your own one-of-a-kind museum tour using the award-winning digital interactive, JourneyMaker. Find books, blocks, and other resources to spark your curiosity. Art Exchange activities are designed with children in mind and are open to all visitors to the museum.
Family Day
Saturday, May 17, 11:00am–3:00pm
Family Day welcomes family and friends to the museum for creative making, performance, and play. All
activities in the Ryan Learning Center are free for all, and registration is not required.
Drop In Programs
Family Studio
Saturday, April 19, 11:00am–3:00pm
Drop by the Ryan Learning Center, Studio A on select Saturdays for free workshops created just for families. Inspired by our latest exhibitions, Family Studio is hosted in collaboration with Chicago teaching artists.
The Artist’s Studio
Daily | 11:00am–3:00pm (Closed Tuesdays)
Take part in a free studio project inspired by a work of art in the museum’s collection or a special
exhibition. Designed by museum educators and artists, these activities are accessible to children but just as satisfying to adults.
Chicago History Museum
Chicago History Museum
Programming
Explore the city with our expert guides, delve into our exhibitions through thematic programs, or discover Chicago history through family-friendly activities.
Upcoming Events
Click below for events calendar.
DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
Field Museum
The Field Museum
Crown Family PlayLab
Monday – Sunday 10:00am-3:30pm
Designed for children between two and six years old, the Crown Family PlayLab is an interactive, hands-on space that makes learning an adventure. Early learners are invited to explore world cultures through music, experience everyday life in a recreated pueblo, create artwork in a Discovery Studio, or play paleontologist with dinosaur bones—and that’s just the beginning. With so many opportunities for discovery, this exhibition presents a new adventure every time you visit.
PlayLab PlayDate Series
The Crown Family PlayLab offers families with 2-6 year olds a weekly PlayLab PlayDate on Wednesdays. PlayLab PlayDates are free, drop-in activities featuring storytime sessions, music and movement circles, science experiments and more.
PlayLab PlayDates are free to museum guests, don’t require pre-registration, and take place on IL Resident Free Days.
Upcoming Events
Dozin’ with the Dinos
Multiple Dates, 5:30pm-9:00am
See the Field Museum in a whole new light! Families and groups with kids ages 6 to 12 can spend the night at the museum during Dozin’ with the Dinos.
Stay up late with scientists as the Field Museum comes to life in games, challenges, and stories throughout the night. Will you dissect owl pellets and identify animal tracks to become the next great wildlife detective? Or, will you embark on a paleontologist’s expedition to uncover and identify fossils? Take on these adventures and more with one of the Field Museum’s dinosaurs as your guide. Then, grab your flashlight and explore the halls as the lights go out. This is a night at the museum you won’t forget!
Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum of Contemporary Art
Family Days at the MCA
Every second Saturday of the month, October through May, enjoy free admission and interactive events that redefine the way that children and families explore and create art together.
Designed for children under 12 and their grown-ups, MCA Family Days invite our youngest visitors to be the museum’s artists, thinkers, and collaborators. Witness an artist’s first creation. Experience inspiration spark from play and wonder. Do something nearly unheard of in a contemporary art museum—sit on comfy pillows and eat free snacks. Every second Saturday, joyfully disregard the boundaries between adult and child, artist and visitor, museum and studio, teacher and learner.
Admission is free to Family Day attendees. ASL interpretation is provided.
Upcoming Family Days
Family Day | It’s Alive!
Saturday, April 12th 11:00am-3:00pm
Wait . . . did that sculpture just move? Celebrate spring as Chicago’s natural world comes to life again.
Family Day | Playoffs
Saturday, May 10th 11:00am-3:00pm
Play to win on the final Family Day of the season while catching the opening day of Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom.
National Museum of Mexican Art
National Museum of Mexican Art
Upcoming Programming
Other events coming up this spring – registration and more information can be found on our website closer to the dates. Click below for events calendar.
National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture
National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture
Hours of Operation
Tuesday – Thursday: 10:00am-5:00pm
Friday: 10:00am-4:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am-2:00pm
Admission is FREE.
Click below for events calendar.
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Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Upcoming Events
See Calendar for Upcoming Events
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Daily Programming
Free Daily programming included with admission. Click the Events Calendar button below for more information.
Upcoming Events
Other events coming up this spring – registration and more information can be found on our website closer to the dates. Click below for events calendar.
Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium
Daily Programming
Free Daily programming included with admission. Click the Program Calendar button below for more information.
Animal Spotlight
Times vary throughout the day
Animal Spotlights introduce you to select animals that call Shedd home. Stop by the Abbott Oceanarium and join us as our animal care experts highlight amazing animal adaptations.
Upcoming Events
Calm Waters
Sunday, February 23rd / Sunday, April 6th 2025 9:00am-11:00am
Calm Waters is an exclusive event for guests with disabilities and Veterans to explore Shedd Aquarium’s exhibits and experiences in a comfortable and accepting environment. Modifications for this event will include limited capacity and streamlined entry with advance registration.
Modifications for Calm Waters Include:
- Limited capacity and streamlined entry with advance registration
- A low-sensory animal spotlight with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation
- An animal encounter opportunity
- Complimentary 4D Experiences during the event
Family members and companions are welcome.
Shedd Aquarium Action Days
Multiple Dates and Sites
Looking to make a difference in your own backyard? Shedd Aquarium Action Days provide hands-on opportunities to restore and protect nearby beaches, waterways and forest preserves. Litter cleanups, river planting and coastal and woodland habitat restoration ensure that our natural spaces are thriving while also safeguarding the wildlife that call them home.
