By now we have all seen the forecast for the next few days and know that it is going to be COLD! So here is my list of favorite FREE places in Chicago to visit when you need a break from being at home, but playing outside is just not an option.
The Library - Libraries are the original "Free Family Fun" in my opinion and Chicago has some of the best I have ever visited! Chicago Public Libraries offer a fairly robust calendar of FREE events for all ages, but especially for kids from birth to teens. One year my son, around 3 at the time, would just hop on the train or bus and explore different branches around the city. Our personal favorite branches of CPL are Harold Washington, Sulzer Regional, Albany Park, Lincoln Belmont, and Chinatown because they all offer a great space for exploring, playing and reading with the family. They are all very accessible by "L" too! This weekend we will be checking out the new West Loop branch, which will be celebrating their recent opening with a Family & Community Day celebration this Saturday. Also deserving of a mention is the Main Branch of the Oak Park Library which is very accessible on the Green line and offers a great space for kids to explore and the Poetry Foundation, which hosts "Poemtime" on Wednesdays.
Museums - Chicago is known for their museums and most offer FREE MUSEUM DAYS for Illinois residents! There are also some smaller museums which are free all of the time and offer a great place to explore on a cold day.
- The Money Museum is definitely designed to educate elementary age and older, but it is a small museum and even our toddler enjoyed our visit there. As an added bonus each visitor gets to leave with their own free bag of shredded money as a souvenir! (This definitely won't fill several hours of the day, but it is very close to the Harold Washington Library which has an amazing children's library)
- The Smart Museum of Art is the fine arts museum of UIC and displays Asian, European, Modern and Contemporary art collections. Please check their website before planning your visit - at the time of publication (January 2019) the galleries were closed for reinstallation, which means if you have been before, going in February will be a new experience!
- Renaissance Society is also located on the campus of UIC, but don't let the name fool you! This museum is a showcase for contemporary art from around the world.
- Museum of Contemporary Photography is housed at Columbia College and is home to 15,000 photographs from all over. Check their website to see a list of current exhibits and events!
Indoor Gardens - Missing the beautiful flowers and trees that decorate our city in warmer months? No worries - we have a few indoor gardens to visit when winter comes to town!
- Garfield Park Conservatory - located a short walk from the Green line is fun to visit all year long, but it will definitely warm you up in the colder months. They offer a calendar of events for kids of all ages including the popular Juicebox series of concerts for the stroller set.
- Lincoln Park Conservatory - is located on the edge of the Lincoln Park Zoo and has a fun little scavenger hunt you can pick up by the entrance. It is easily accessible by bus too!
- Crystal Gardens is an acre of indoor garden space at Navy Pier. Kids love to try and catch the streams of water that shoot from the fountains and is the location of many fun events (public and private) like Stroller Grooves on Tuesdays.
Chicago Cultural Center - I suppose I could have included this one with the museums because it is home to exhibits of all kinds, but my love for this building is so strong I keep it in a category of its own. Located across from the edge of Millenium Park, I first discovered this building about six years ago when exploring Chicago with our (almost) 1-year-old and needed a place to cool down from the summer heat. First of all, it is a beautiful building with (the world's largest) Tiffany stained-glass dome on the south side of the building. It is spacious and filled with art exhibits of all kinds and also hosts concerts, plays, lectures, weddings and more! With two kids I have been going there regularly for the City of Chicago's free Juicebox series for years. Another thing I love about this building is that you can easily access the Chicago Cultural Center from the city's pedway system, which means in extreme weather you can get there from the Blue or Red lines with little exposure to the elements.
 Harold Washington Children's Library |  |  Garfield Park Conservatory |  |
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