Thirty-Eight Illinois Museums Celebrate 'Museum Day Live!' This Year

The Smithsonian Museums – which has museums all over the country, in addition to their most famous ones in Washington D.C. – are free every single day, which allows patrons to experience a world-class museum no matter their budget. Once a year, however, the Smithsonian hosts ‘Museum Day Live!’, in which participating museums across the country open their doors for free to anyone who has registered for a Museum Day Ticket online. This year's 'Museum Day Live!' is Saturday, Sept. 29. Please note that each ticket is for two people, with one ticket allowed per household. Many museums regularly give free admission to children, so call ahead if you want to bring the whole family.

Register online for your free Museum Day Ticket here.

While there aren’t any participating museums directly in Grayslake, Museum Day Live! provides a great excuse to hit the pavement for one last family road trip before winter hits. There are over thirty-eight museums participating in Illinois alone, with many more in surrounding states. (You can search for more participating museums here.)

Which one of these museums do you recommend? See any missing that you’d like to see participate in the free day next year? Let us know in the comments!

A full list of Illinois museums participating in Museum Day Live!

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum – Springfield

Adler Planetarium – Chicago

Aurora Regional Fire Museum – Aurora

Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture – Chicago

Barrington History Museum – Barrington

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site – Collinsville

Clarke House Museum – Chicago

DuSable Museum of African American History – Chicago

French Heritage Museum – Kankakee

Glessner House Museum – Chicago

Graue Mill and Museum – Oak Brook

Great Lakes Naval Museum – Great Lakes

Hinsdale History Museum – Hinsdale

Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center – Skokie

Illinois State Museum – Springfield

Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery – Chicago

International Museum of Surgical Science – Chicago

Intuit The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art – Chicago

Joliet Area Historical Museum – Joliet

Kankakee County Museum – Kankakee

Klehm Aboretum and Botanic Garden – Rockford

Kline Creek Farm – West Chicago

Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion – Champaign

Lincoln Heritage Museum – Lincoln

Lizzardo Museum of Lapidary Art – Elmhurst

Loyola University Museum of Art – Chicago

Mayslake Peabody Estate – Oak Brook

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago – Chicago

National Great Rivers Museum – East Alton

National Hellenic Museum – Chicago

National Veterans Art Museum – Chicago

Parkland Art Gallery – Champaign

Smart Museum of Art – Chicago

Spurlock Museum – Urbana

Swedish American Museum – Chicago

Wabash County Museum – Mt. Carmel

William M. Staerkel Planetarium – Champaign

Willowbrook Wildlife Center – Glen Ellyn