Chicago Museum Free Days 2012 – Updated January 9, 2012
All known information is listed on this page. If there are no dates for specific month, then that means that museum has not notified the public of any free days for that month.

Adler Planetarium Free Days
The Adler Planetarium is open 10am – 6pm during the summer; 10am – 4:30pm otherwise;

Free Days 2012:
January: 9-12, 17, 18, 23-26, 31
February: 1, 6-9, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29
March: 6, 7

Art Institute of Chicago Free Days
Admission to the Art Institute of Chicago is free to Illinois residents every weekday, January 2–February 10, 2012.
January: 3-6, 9-13, 16-20, 23-27, 30-31
February: 1-3, 6-10

Brookfield Zoo Free Days
The Brookfield Zoo offers free admission to all U.S. Armed Forces active military and reservist personnel.

Free Days 2012:
Zoo admission is free on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Jan. 1 through Feb. 28.
January: 10, 12, 14-15, 17, 19, 21-22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31
February: 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28

Chicago Children’s Museum Free Days
The Chicago Children’s Museum is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Location: 700 East Grand Ave at Navy Pier

Hours:
Daily 10am-5pm
Thursday evenings 5-8pm

Free Days 2011:
Free for everyone – Every Thursday evening, 5-8pm
Free for ages 15 and under – First Sunday of every month

Chicago History Museum Free Days
Location: 1601 North Clark Street. (Clark & North Ave)

Free Days 2011
November: None
December: None

DuSable Museum of African American History
Admission is FREE to all on each Sunday of the year. They also offer free admission rates (on school days) to all Chicago Public School students.

Location: 740 East 56th Place, Chicago

Free Days 2011: Every Sunday

Field Museum Free Days
The Field Museum is Free (basic admission) on the following dates.

Free Days 2012:
January: 11-13, 19-20, 24, 26-27, 31

Lincoln Park Zoo Free Days
The Lincoln Park Zoo is free and open to the public 365 days per year. Generally open 10am-5pm.

Location: Lincoln Park Zoo is located off Lake Shore Drive at the Fullerton Parkway exit.

Free Days 2012: Free to the public 365 days per year.

MCA Free Tuesdays
The Museum of Contemporary Art has Free Days every Tuesday. Special events every week. The museum is open 10am – 8pm on these free days.

Free Days 2012: Every Tuesday of 2012, 10am – 8pm.

Museum of Contemporary Photography
The MoCP is CLOSED when Columbia College Chicago is closed, including: Thanksgiving Weekend: Thursday- Sunday; Holiday Break and other holidays.

Location: Columbia College Chicago, 600 S. Michigan Ave

Hours:
Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm
Thursday, 10am-8pm
Sunday, 12-5pm

Free Days 2012: The Museum of Contemporary Photography is Free every non-holiday day of 2012

Museum of Science and Industry
The Museum of Science and Industry is free (basic entry) to the public on various dates throughout the year. The museum is open Mon–Sat: 9:30am-4pm; Sun: 11am-4pm; Omnimax-only tickets on Free Days are $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and $7 for children. Normal prices apply for other features;

Free Days 2012:
January: 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31
February: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
March: 5

National Museum of Mexican Art
The National Museum of Mexican Art is free every day. Closed Mondays.

Location: 1852 W. 19th Street, Chicago

Free Days 2011: Every Tuesday-Sunday.

Nature Museum Free Days
The Chicago Nature Museum has “Suggested Donation Days” every Thursday.

Location: 2430 N. Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park, just north of the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Free Days 2011: Free Admission Every Thursday, 9am-4:30pm;

Shedd Aquarium Free Days
During Shedd Aquarium Free Days, general admission is free. Wild Reef admission is sold at a reduced rate. The aquarium is open Weekdays 9am–5pm and Weekends 9am–6pm.

Free Days 2012
January: 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31
February: 6, 7, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28

Swedish American Museum
The Swedish American Museum is free on the second Tuesday of every month. 10am-4pm.

Location: 5211 N Clark St, Chicago

Free Days 2011:
November 8
December 13

The train generally operates from about 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on select weekdays (schedules for each rail line will vary), and will make stops at all stations along the respective routes.

CTA Holiday Train 2011 Schedule
Green Line – November 25, 26 & 30
Orange & Brown Lines – December 1, 2 & 3
Pink Line – December 7
Blue Line – December 8, 9 & 10
Red Line- December 14, 16, 17 & 20
Purple Line – December 15, 17 & 21
Yellow Line – December 22

The 2011 CTA Holiday Train will begin its rounds through Chicago in late November, starting off with a stint on the Green, Orange and Brown Lines.

As the 2011 CTA Holiday Train follows its route, Santa and his elves travel from car to car passing out candy canes to passengers and spreading some holiday cheer. The interior and exterior of the train is decorated with oversized garland, seasonal ornaments, and thousands of lights.

The 2011 CTA Holiday Train will travel all CTA rail lines in November and December as part of regular rail service. Normal CTA fares apply.

Chicago Ice Skating 2011

Chicago’s 9 public ice skating rinks will be open November 26th, 2011 thru February 26th, 2012 – weather permitting.

Skate rentals are available at all Chicago ice skating rinks, as well as food and drinks at most locations. McFetridge Skating Rink in California Park is the only indoor ice skating location in Chicago, remaining open all year except for the month of August.

Two special skating opportunities are the Millenium Park Ice Rink and the Wrigley Field Ice Rink.

Checkout all the Chicago Winter Events.

Below is a list of Chicago ice skating rinks as provided by the Chicago Park District. Prices and times are subject to change so please contact the Chicago Park District to confirm. You can contact the Chicago Park District at 312-742-PLAY or at their website.

Millenium Park Ice Skating Rink, 100 N. Michigan Ave – Chicago
312-742-5222
Open 11/18/2011 – 3/11/2012
Mon-Thur: Noon-8pm; Fri: Noon-10pm; Sat: 10am-10pm; Sun: 10am-9pm;
The rink is free and open to the public and skate rentals are available for $10.
Thur, November 26: 10am-4pm
Thur, December 24: 10am-6pm
Fri, December 25: 10am-4pm
Thur, December 31: 10am-8pm
Fri, January 1: 12pm-10pm

Wrigley Field Ice Skating Rink – Chicago
NOT YET UPDATED FOR 2011-2012
Mon – Thurs: 2pm-9pm
Fri: 2pm-11pm
Sat: 10am-11pm
Sun: 10am-8pm
$10 – Adult Entry; $6 – Children Entry; $50 – Season Pass; $10 – Skate Rental;

Daley Bicentennial Park Ice Skating, Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St. – Chicago
312-742-7650
Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri: 11:30am-5pm and 7:30-9pm
Tues: 2-5pm and 7:30-9pm
Sat: 11:30am-1:30pm and 5-9 pm
Sun: 11:30am-1:30pm and 8-9 pm
$6 skate rental; admission free.
There is no concession stand, but hot chocolate is offered in a vending machine.

McFetridge Sports Center Ice Skating, California Park, 3843 N. California Ave. – Chicago
773-478-2609
Indoor Rink, Open all year except August
All ages: Wed and Fri, 3:30-5pm; Sat and Sun, 4:30-6pm
Adults: Wed 9:15-10:30pm
Teens & Adults: Fri 9:15-10:45pm
$3 skate rental; admission is $4 for children 12 and younger, $5 for ages 13 and older, and $2 for seniors 60 and older.
Food concessions are available.

McKinley Park Ice Skating, 2210 W. Pershing Road – Chicago
312-747-5992
Wed – Sun 12:30-7:30pm
$5 skate rental; admission free.
No food concessions are available.

Midway Plaisance Park Ice Skating, 1130 Midway Plaisance North – Chicago
(East 59th Street at Woodlawn)
312-745-2470
Mon-Thur, Noon-7pm; Fri: Noon-4:30pm, 5-7pm; Sat 1-9pm; Sun Noon-7pm;
$5 skate rental; admission free
Food concessions are available.

Mt. Greenwood Park Ice Skating, 3721 W. 111 St. – Chicago
312-747-3690
Wed–Sun, 12:30–7:30pm;
$5 skate rental; admission free. No food concessions are available.

Riis Park Ice Skating, 6100 W. Fullerton Ave. – Chicago
312-746-5735
Wed–Sun, 12:30–7:30pm;
Open Christmas and New Year’s Day from 12-4 p.m.
$5 skate rental; admission free. No food concessions are available.

Rowan Park Ice Skating, 11546 S. Avenue L – Chicago
773-646-1967
Wed–Sun, 12:30–7:30pm;
$5 skate rental; admission free. Food concessions are available.

Warren Park Ice Skating, 6601 N. Western Ave. – Chicago
773-761-8663
Wed–Fri: 3–5pm, 5:30–7:30pm;
Sat–Sun: 12:30–2:30pm, 3–5pm, 5:30–7:30pm;
$5 skate rental; admission is free. No food concessions are available.

West Lawn Park Ice Skating, 4233 W. 65th St. – Chicago
773-284-6078
Wed–Sun, 12:30–7:30pm
$5 skate rental; admission free.
No food concessions are available.

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Southern Illinois Wine Country and the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail require a 5-6 hour drive from Chicago, but it is a trip worth taking. No matter what your level of experience, there is a lot to do, learn and taste in Southern Illinois Wine Country.

My favorite wineries seemed to have several characteristics in common. I enjoyed wineries that had a welcoming and knowledgeable staff, did not force you to make specific wine tasting selections, and had a relaxed atmosphere. I hope you find this information about Southern Illinois Wine Country to be informative.

Southern Illinois Wine Country – Favorites
Pomona Winery
Owl Creek Vineyard
Hogg Hollow Winery
Southern Illinois Bed & Breakfast

For more information about Southern Illinois Wine Country, visit the official Shawnee Hills Wine Trail website.

With many different tours to choose from, the 2009 Chicago Neighborhood Tours offers something for every section of Chicago. You can choose to do a single neighborhood tour such as Bronzeville or Devon Avenue – or try a Summertime Sampler, which will take you on a tour of several Chicago neighborhoods in one afternoon, such as Greek Town, Chinatown & Little Italy. Most tours begin at 10am on their respective dates.

For a full list of tours, dates and availability, be sure to check the official 2009 Chicago Neighborhood Tours website.

Chicago Neighborhood Tours

Mine the city’s hidden gems, its neighborhoods. From South Side neighborhood Beverly on the new Beautiful Beverly tour to historic parks on the new Garfield Park & Beyond tour, Neighborhood Tours showcase the arts, culture, history and people of Chicago.

Chicago Summer Events
Kooza Chicago
Merchandise Mart Artropolis 200
Looptopia 2009
2009 Chicago Air Show
MCA First Friday

The Shawnee Hills Bed & Breakfast is located on a sprawling property that features 3 ponds, hiking trails and a cave where Daniel Boone etched his name into the stone. For breakfast you can choose to have a stomach pleasing full-service breakfast in the main house or you may request a smaller but equally filling tray for you to bring back to your room. The innkeepers also provided ample drinks and snacks available at all hours of the day.

One thing that I particularly appreciated about the Shawnee Hill Bed & Breakfast was that the rooms are fully detached from the main house and each room has a private bathroom.

For more information about Shawnee Hill Bed & Breakfast, visit their Southern Illinois Bed & Breakfast website.

Shawnee Hill Bed & Breakfast
Phone: 618-893-2211
290 Water Valley Road
Cobden, Illinois 62920

Note: The location as displayed on Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, etc, is incorrect.

Hogg Hollow is a family owned business that was started by two friends. After learning to brew wine in their basement, the tandem decided to go big and open their own winery. A few years later, they have assembled one of the tastiest lists of wine in Southern Illinois Wine Country.

The staff at Hogg Hollow Winery is all family and everyone seemed to love what they were doing. The Hogg’s were even gracious enough to give us a quick tour of their facility so that we could learn a bit more about the wine making process.

If you’re staying at one of the Bed & Breakfasts along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, you’ll need to make a small trip to get to Hogg Hollow, but it will be a trip well rewarded.

For more information visit the official Hogg Hollow Winery website.

When we arrived at Owl Creek Vineyard we were greeted by happy puppy who dropped a ball at my feet. I tossed the ball into the grape vines and he happily ran off to retrieve his toy. After a few more games of fetch, we headed inside and upstairs to the tasting room.

After tasting their entire menu of wines and their specially made sangria, we bought a bottle and took a seat outside on their deck. There is currently a deck expansion underway, but there was no construction going on while we were there. The deck provides a great place to sit and relax after a long day of wine tasting.

For more information visit the official Owl Creek Vineyard website.

The staff at Pomona Winery was very informative and they led us through their entire wine list. As they poured, they would teach us a bit, talking a lot about the types of food that would complement each wine. All of the wines at Pomona were delicious and it was a great way to start our day on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.

With their unique variety of fruit and desert wines, knowledgeable staff and friendly atmosphere, Pomona Winery is one of the sure-fire stops on your trip to Southern Illinois Wine Country.

For more information visit the official Pomona Winery website.