How to use transit to explore museums and cultural sites in the Chicago region
August 26, 2025
August 26, 2025
The Chicago region is home to countless accessible cultural and educational amenities including 150 museums across several counties. Many are part of the Museums for All program, which provides free or reduced admission to visitors who receive SNAP benefits. The most cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to get to many of these sites is by making use of the regional public transit system on CTA, Metra, and Pace.
A picturesque 57-acre park along Lake Michigan is home to three of the city’s leading cultural institutions: the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum, and the Shedd Aquarium. Easily accessible via public transit, all three sites often boast free and reduced rates and traveling exhibitions.
Where: Grant Park, 337 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
How to get there:
Named one of TripAdvisor's "Best of the Best" US attractions for five years in a row, the Art Institute of Chicago houses classic and contemporary masterpieces from across places, cultures, and time. The museum is dedicated to the investigation, innovation, education, and dialogue of more than 260,000 artworks and artifacts. Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the Art Institute is just a short walk away from multiple transit stops.
Where: 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60603
How to get there:
Operating for over three decades, the Chicago Children's Museum provides arts programs, STEM experiments, imaginative play, and more to over 11 million children and their caregivers. Located on Navy Pier, Chicago Children’s Museum is easily accessible via public transit or even water taxi.
Where: Navy Pier, 700 East Grand Avenue, Suite 127, Chicago, Illinois 60611
How to get there:
The nation's oldest independent African American museum, the DuSable Museum, is the first non-profit museum dedicated to the collection, documentation, preservation, study, and dissemination of the history and culture of Africans and African Americans. With more than 100,000 visitors a year, the museum continuously explores the African American experience that aims to educate the public and write a more inclusive history.
Every Wednesday, the museum is free. Every day, free admission is offered to K-12 Illinois Public School students, military personnel, first responders, (i.e., Police, Fire, EMTs) and more with a valid ID.
Where: 740 East 56th Place Chicago, IL 60637
How to get there:
Located in what is now the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago, the Pullman National Historical Park is a former planned industrial community. Formerly called the Pullman National Monument, this historic settlement is famed for its urban design and architecture, influence on railroad transportation, and role in the American labor and civil rights movements.
Where: 610 E 111th St, Chicago, IL 60628
How to get there:
The historic Jane Addams Homes, now home to the National Public Housing Museum, were Chicago’s first public housing site following the 1937 Housing Act. To support its mission of fostering a nuanced understanding of public housing’s impact, the museum features historic apartment tours, case studies, and an outdoor public art exhibition space called the “Invitation Wall.”
Where: 919 South Ada Street, Chicago, IL 60607
How to get there:
Free every day, the National Museum of Mexican Art represents the Mexican community from its own point of view and in its own voice. Home to one of the country’s largest Mexican art collections including more than 18,000 seminal pieces from ancient Mexico to the present, the museum offers curated collections, performing arts programs, high-quality arts education programs, and resources for students and the general public.
Where: 1852 W 19th Street Chicago, IL 60608
How to get there:
Vibrant murals created by street artists from Chicago and around the world line the railroad embankment along 16th Street in Pilsen. Growing out of a late-1960s movement to beautify the neighborhood and celebrate its predominantly Mexican American culture, the stretch of murals is now about 2 miles long and has been supported by a number of local organizations.
Where: W 16th St, Chicago, IL 60608 (between S Wolcott Ave and S. Canal St)
How to get there:
More than 100,000 Ukrainian Americans live in Chicagoland, including 10,000 Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans who live in Ukrainian Village alone. The Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago is the hub of the historical, cultural, and civic contributions Ukrainians have made to Chicago. Nearby in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood, visitors can also find restaurants, stores, and other businesses near the museum that speak to Ukrainian life and immigration over the past century.
Where: 2249 W. Superior St. Chicago, IL 60612
How to get there:
The Humboldt Park neighborhood has been a strong hub for Chicago’s Puerto Rican community since at least the 1970s. In 2000, the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture (NMPRAC) was established to celebrate artists from Puerto Rico and the diaspora. The museum offers rotating exhibits, events, and opportunities for engagement through its ongoing oral history project.
Where: 3015 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622
How to get there:
Formerly known as the "Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art,” the Intuit Art Museum (IAM) reopened in May 2025 in its newly renovated, ADA-compliant building. IAM features art by self-taught artists who often work outside the mainstream due to societal, economic, or geographic barriers that have prevented them from pursuing formal training in the arts.
Where: 756 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago IL, 60642
How to get there:
With a goal of connecting people to Chicago’s history and to each other, the Chicago History Museum hosts a variety of exhibits, tours, and special events that share stories of Chicago. The “Sensing Chicago” exhibit was specifically designed with younger visitors in mind.
Where: 1601 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
How to get there:
As North America’s only museum devoted to surgery, the International Museum of Surgical Science offers a unique, fascinating experience of medically themed exhibits and contemporary art pieces.
Where: 1524 N Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60610
How to get there: CTA bus #151 (Lake Shore & North Avenue stop)
Founded in 2012, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago aims to contribute to Chicago’s rich multicultural tapestry by promoting and preserving Haitian art, culture, history, and community. Among the museum’s offerings are spotlight programs for local artists and recorded oral histories available on the website.
Where: 4410 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
How to get there:
Featuring alternating exhibitions of art created by past and contemporary Illinois artists and artisans, this museum located along the Des Plaines River is one site of many art and history institutions in Lockport. Admission is free every day.
Where: 201 W 10th St, Lockport, IL 60441
How to get there:
As a nonprofit community science center, Homewood Science Center was founded to promote STEM education, exploration, and development for children, families, and schools. The center hosts daily programming as well as student internships, STEM Saturdays, guest speakers, and after-school classes.
Where: 18022 Dixie Hwy, Homewood, IL 60430
How to get there:
Located at one of the country’s largest rail intersections, the Park Forest Rail Fan Park is a notable train watching spot. The peaceful park is home to a caboose built in 1953, informational signs about trains and the area, and a walkway up to a train viewing platform.
Where: Metra commuter lot, North St, Matteson, IL 60443
How to get there:
Starting with the world-renowned Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, head to the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, which holds more Frank Lloyd Wright buildings than anywhere else in the world. His home and studio are a testament to his genre of American architecture, but you can also tour Unity Temple and the Prairie School Historic District to learn more about the evolution of Wright’s architectural design philosophy in the neighborhood where the architect lived and worked.
Where: 951 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302
How to get there:
Located just across the street from the Naperville Metra station, the DuPage Children’s Museum has been inspiring children and connecting families for 30 years. Through exhibits, programs, and special events, every experience is designed to help children develop a strong foundation of creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and confidence.
Where: 301 N Washington St. Naperville, IL 60540
How to get there:
Adjacent to the Elmhurst Public Library and one block south of the Union Pacific West Metra stop, the Elmhurst Art Museum is dedicated to the development of rotating contemporary art exhibitions by regional artists. The museum provides access to world-class exhibitions, the unique McCormick home by Mies van der Rohe, and an Education Center that serves the residents of Elmhurst and the surrounding communities with ongoing educational programs that are freely available to the public.
Where: 150 Cottage Hill Ave. Elmhurst, IL 60126
How to get there:
Just a few blocks from the Arlington Heights Metra station, the Arlington Heights Historical Museum seeks to collect, preserve, and celebrate the history of Arlington Heights. Visitors can explore a recreated 1870s carpentry shop and log cabin, a Victorian period house, and a new community display case for personal artifacts.
Where: 110 W. Fremont St, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
How to get there:
As one of eight Bahá'í temples in the world, the Bahá'í House of Worship is a sanctuary for visitors and residents alike. The site, also known as the Temple of Light, is open to the public and used as a devotional space for people of any faith or a place to unwind. It’s common to find visitors walking the campus in awe of the building’s intricate design and history as well as its prime location next to Wilmette Harbor.
Where: 100 Linden Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091
How to get there:
The Kohl Children’s Museum offers 17 interactive exhibits designed for children ages birth to 8. With live animals, water play, hands-on learning sets, and year-round exhibitions and programming, kids and families are sure to enjoy the special programs (all included with admission).
Where: 2100 Patriot Blvd, Glenview, IL 60026
How to get there:
Locally known as the Dunn Museum, this museum documents and tells the stories of Lake County from prehistoric times to now. In addition to its permanent and temporary exhibits, the museum hosts educational programming and ample volunteer opportunities for community members to get involved.
Where: 1899 W Winchester Rd, Libertyville, IL 60048
How to get there:
It’s always a good time to explore the museums and cultural sites the Chicago region has to offer. We encourage residents and visitors to take public transit—it adds to the experience of exploring a new place, saves money and traffic headaches, and supports the neighborhoods where we live, work, and play.
Did we miss any of your favorite transit-accessible spots? Tag us on social media at @/rta_chicago to share your adventures in the Chicago region.
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