Courtney GI went back to Chicago with my sister last week and showed her my stomping grounds for college. But before we get into the trip, I want to share some things to do.
Being a broke college student in a new city, I wanted to explore things to do that I could afford. Lucky for me, there were a few things I could do for free in Chicago.
Anyone who knows me well knows I love Chicago. I’m ashamed to say I know more places to go to in Chicago – a city I lived in for only four years while going to college – than I do in Atlanta – a city I’ve lived nearby my entire life. What can I say? I’m a suburb girl who hates driving, especially on the interstate.
Navigating Around
I will say that the transportation and/or parking at the places mentioned won’t be free (unless you’re a Chicago college student with a Ventra U-Pass). The first four of these are walking distance from each other. You can save money using the CTA to get to the other places.
This list is formatted to be a somewhat smooth path. There’s only one place you’d have to turn back around for. If you are coming from the Midway Airport via the Orange Line and got off at the Roosevelt or Harold Washington stop, you can walk to the first destination from there.
While O’Hare is the more popular airport, I prefer to fly into Midway, a slightly smaller airport in the city but a shorter distance to get downtown.
I suggest getting a 1-Day Pass (or however many days you’ll be there) Ventra card either through the ventra app or at the airport’s station to save money. The Ventra app can also be used to look at the different bus and train routes for when they arrive.
If you don’t want to walk in the cold and snow, stick with a ride share or taxi (sometimes it’s too cold and windy to walk some of these distances).
If you took the orange line, you can get off at the Roosevelt or Harold Washington stop. If you took the blue line, you can get off at the Jackson or LaSalle stop. You’ll need to walk east towards Lake Michigan from all stops to get to our first place.
But enough of the navigation, let’s get to the list.
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Grant Park
Grant Park, Chicago, IL
The walk to and through Grant Park can be a little long but the view of the lake is so peaceful. Sometimes there are events happening in the park like Taste of Chicago or Lollapalooza so be aware of that when visiting. It looks completely different during those times.
You could have a picnic, take a leisurely walk, read, or look at the various sculptures and art pieces throughout the park.
At the end of each school year, I’d always take a walk through Grant Park and take in the city behind me. I was usually closer to the Museum Campus – an area where the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Alder Planetarium all reside.
One of my favorite memories is when I stayed in Chicago for a summer and my co-workers and I went to catch the last set of fireworks for the summer by the lake at Grant Park. The fireworks were coming from Navy Pier but the park gave such a good view.
While walking around Grant Park, you’ve probably already come across the next stop. -
The Buckingham Fountain
301 S Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL 60605
The Buckingham Fountain is such a great spot for a photo op. The water feature has beautiful architecture and detailing. If you aren’t visiting Chicago in the warm months (typically April – October) you’ll miss the water part of this water feature but you can still admire the artistry.
The fountain is great during the day but try visiting at night to witness it among the lights. You’ll have until about 11PM to see it with the accompanying lighting before the fountain turns off. That means if you go bar hopping and decide to take a stroll to see the Buckingham Fountain at 1AM, you’ll be out of luck.
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The Chicago Bean (AKA the Cloud Gate) and Millennium Park
201 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60602
This stop is next Grant Park. I hadn’t I realized the famous Chicago Bean is not actually called “The Chicago Bean” but “Cloud Gate”. When I was searching for the exact address, that came up and I was so confused. However, this bean shaped sculpture is a usual tourist stop that’s great to admire and take pictures under.
More than likely, you will not have the whole Bean to yourself but it’s still good to visit as a classic Chicago stop.
When my sister and I went, there was construction going on around so we couldn’t even see it. It looks like the construction will be there until 2024.While visiting the Bean you’ll be in Millennium Park where you can check out other art installations like the video display and fountain feature called “Crown Fountain”. Even though the fountain portion may be turned off certain parts of the year, the video display is on all year around.
I remember walking by the video display and playing in the snow with my friend after leaving the Art Institute of Chicago.
We’ve been in one park after the other, it’s time to head back to the city to your next stop.
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Chicago Cultural Center
78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602
The Chicago Cultural Center is a 4-minute walk from the Bean. I remember I went here with my mom when she came to visit and I was working on a class project. I couldn’t tell you which class but I remember asking my mom to come with me while I did a class assignment. This is a historic building that has various and exhibits on Chicago architecture, art, and history.
I didn’t know what to expect when we walked in but I was pleasantly surprised at the art installations. Even the building itself was beautiful with its stain-glass domes. I had gone into an exhibit about skyscrapers where the artists made replicas in a large hall to walk around and view. I also saw an exhibit that was nearly the opposite: it held multiple miniature cities in their own glass domes.
I enjoyed myself here and the fact that it was free shocked me. My mom kept asking me, “Are you sure this is free?” as we walked through.
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Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
My absolute favorite free thing I discovered was the Lincoln Park Zoo. It’s a decent-sized zoo that you can go to see different animal in their exhibits. It’s not a big zoo but it’s just enough to entertain kids and adults alike.
I had to go there for one of my science classes which is how I found out it was free. I visited about three more times before graduating. They also have holiday lights in the winter time which is so fun to walk around among the sleeping animals.
If you’re driving there in your own car (or rented), parking can be $20-$35 depending on the day. If you’re taking public transportation, you can take the 22 or a combination of the red line and the 36 bus.
They do accept donations if you’d like to contribute something for your experience. It’s to helps them take care of the animals and keep the zoo going!
On top of seeing animals for free, it also gives a different view of the city that looks really great during a sunset.
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Lincoln Park Conservatory
2430 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614
Right next to the Lincoln Park Zoo is the Lincoln Park Conservatory. This is a place to see a variety of flowers, plants, and gardens.
I found the conservatory when I was looking for nice places to take my graduation photos. If I’m being honest, it just turned into a photo shoot for myself because there was not a graduation cap in sight.
While this is free, they do require making a reservation. Walk-up reservations are fine as long as they have the space available. They also accept donations if you’d like to contribute something.
7. Maggie Daley Park
337 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
Maggie Daley Park is right next to Grant Park and behind the Bean. I will be honest, I didn’t go to this park in all my four years but I’ve heard from friends and classmates how fun it was. They described it as a playground for adults. I’m not sure how accurate that is since the site says their Play Garden is only for 12 year-olds and younger.
Besides the Play Garden they have other attractions as well like the Cancer Survivor’s Garden or the Picnic Groove. Other attractions you’d have to pay for include Mini Golf, the Climbing Wall, ice skating (if it’s in season) and if you need to rent a scooter or roller blades for the skate park, that will cost extra as well.
I didn’t put it in the main list at first because most of the attractions you do have to pay for. When I originally made this list, I hadn’t visited this park but since going on my recent trip, I did walk through it’s bridge.
Honorable Mention: Chinatown
Chinatown, Chicago, IL 60616
This last stop is all the way back the other way and past Grant Park but I think it’s worth a visit. Chinatown was definitely a favorite place of mine to visit throughout college. I have a lot of good memories there. Some of my first nights in Chicago involved going to Chinatown.
To do things like eating at a restaurant or buying from the K-Pop store will cost money but just walking around and looking at the architecture was enough for me. It has such character and the energy feels different from the South Loop which is just one red line stop away.
I’ve done karaoke and visited the K-Pop store but most of time is spent eating. I’ve eaten at Joy Yee, Daebak K-BBQ, Ahjooma’s Apron, and Triple Crown to name a few. My first time at Triple Crown was with my Tai Chi instructor (yes, I took Tai Chi in college). She was treating her students to dim sum to celebrate the end of the course. I’d never had dim sum so I thought this would be a great way to experience it. I really liked what I tried so I took a couple of my friends back there and we made a thing of it. Whenever we’re all back in Chicago at the time, we make sure to get dim sum.
There are more things to do than just eat, I promise. You can check out the different events and activities in the Chinatown area here.
That’s the list; all the free things to do in Chicago that I’ve done. There are other opportunities for free days a museums if you’re an Illinois resident and if you’re a Chicago-based college student you can go to the Art Institute of Chicago for free (something I did often). A YouTube video will be up on Tuesday if you want to watch!
There could be more I haven’t come across so if you have free (or not-so free) activity to do in Chicago, comment down below!
