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
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
DuSable Black History Museum
Upcoming Events
The Spirit of Nelson Mandela 2025: Embodying Ubuntu
Mark your calendars for The Spirit of Nelson Mandela 2025: Embodying Ubuntu—a celebration of community, connection, and collective well-being.
Join the Durban Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International for an inspiring and educational event centered around the philosophy of “ubuntu”—the belief that we thrive as individuals when we uplift those around us.
Family-Friendly Activities
Live Music & Entertainment
Community & Social Service Organizations
Come explore how we can embody the spirit of Nelson Mandela and create a more connected, compassionate world.
Click below for events calendar.
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
Field Family Night: Race Against Extinction!
Start your engines and come on down to the Field Museum for the Race Against Extinction! Our wildlife needs you to help them beat the extinction clock, so gather your pit crew and join us for an evening in the high-speed world of conservation. Choose your wild racer from the Conservation Cup Series lineup and pull into pit stops around the museum to prepare them for the race – then cheer them on when they take to the Stanley Field Speedway! Remember – you don’t need your racer to be the fastest – you just need to refuse to let them lose.
Hang out by the track with real scientists and conservationists, or purchase Tour tickets for a special look behind the scenes in Collections. Learn about wildlife conservation around the world, including here in Chicago, and gather the tools you need to make a difference at home! You’ll leave the Stanley Field Speedway prepared to be the Conservation Pit Crew for wildlife in your own community.
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 | 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 Summer – 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 summer – 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
See the Program Calendar.
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.
