Get Out of the House: Cheap and Free Chicago Museum Visits

Which reminds me that there are so many museums to visit for free in the gloomy, tourist-free month of February!

Art Institute: All day, every day of February

Science and Industry: Monday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 14

The Adler Planetarium: All next week (Feb. 8-12), plus Feb. 16 and Feb. 23

The Field Museum: Feb. 8

Chicago Children's Museum: First Sunday of every month, and Thursday evenings 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Also remember the Kraft Kids Museum Passes are available at libraries to get you in free when it's not a free day.

Personally, I might be able to visit most of those museums free anytime because I hold a family membership to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio. This museum belongs to a reciprocal program with the Chicago Children's Museum, the Dupage Children's Museum, Wonderworks in Oak Park and the Kohl in Glenview (a favorite).

My Boonshoft membership includes a passport to members of the Association of Science-Technology Centers, which includes the Adler, the Field, Science and Industry and the Notabaert. But technically this pass won't work if you live within 90 miles of those museums, so who knows.

Photo by David Paul Ohmer, used via Creative Commons license.