Free Museums in Franklin Park

"The MCA is one of the city’s museums that’s in a near constant state of transition. With its relatively small permanent collection, it relies on special shows—from large scale installations to video, fashion, music, photography, and more—that showcase just as many rising local talents and underground, avant-garde renegades as recognizable names. Past exhibits include David Bowie Is, Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg, and Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech."

"PilsenImmerse yourself in Mexican culture The Pilsen neighborhood in itself is rich with Mexican murals and culture, but the National Museum of Mexican Art holds a 10,000-piece permanent collection by artists from both Mexico and America, offering a 3,000-year overview of works that often go overlooked in the American art world. Enjoy folk art, photography, sculpture, paintings and more, and make a visit here a priority during October for the museum’s Día de los Muertos exhibit, which features altars and other Day of the Dead art. What to know before you go: The museum is open 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Sunday, and admission is always free."

"National Museum of Mexican Art is a museum that is ideal for your toddlers and preteens. Located in the Pilsen neighborhood, the museum has a permanent collection of 10,000 pieces. These pieces are a vibrant curation of Mexican history and culture."

"Daily story times and Critter Connections that let kids touch and feel animals keep families coming back to Peggy Notebaert. Those, and the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, where butterflies of all kinds, colors and sizes fly around and even land on visitors. Hands-on exhibits let kids learn about water, rivers, the environment and a climbing structure keeps them active."

"As buildings continually go up, nature gets pinched, so a visit to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is an ideal respite from the concrete landscape. Explore the region's only year-round butterfly sanctuary where as many as 40 species of native and exotic butterflies flutter. Get the news about the ooze at Mysteries of the Marsh."

"2430 N Cannon DrHours: Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-5pm (Thursdays are suggested donation days for Illinois residents year-round.)Suggested donation: $9, $7 for students and seniors, $6 for children (3-12), free for children under 3"

"Located in West Town, Rhine Hall was founded by a father and daughter, and it gets its name from the Austrian ice arena where the father played hockey in the 1970s. Rhine Hall specializes in Apple Brandy, using 7,000 to 10,000 pounds of apples brought in fresh from Bixby orchards in nearby Michigan. The apples are chopped and mashed in traditional style using a vintage exercise bike."

"Rhine Hall Distillery is owned by Charlie and Jenny, a father-daughter team. Their exceptional recipe and process were developed by Charlie and Stan the Man with help from experts on both sides of the Atlantic. Rheinhalle was the name of the ice rink in Austria where co-founder Charlie played professional hockey and inspired the name for Rhine Hall Distillery."

"Tours: Thursdays, 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 3, 4:30 p.m., $10/person. Private Tour for 10 with full tasting of 10+ products, $375. Owned and operated by father-daughter team Charlie and Jennifer Solberg, Rhine Hall is making beautiful handcrafted fruit brandies in a light and airy space down in the West Loop."

"1043 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611 One of Chicago’s most sophisticated Italian eateries, Carmine’s Chicago has a downtown address to complete the luxurious scenery. Head to the terrace to people watch or for a quiet romantic meal with your partner. Carmine’s Chicago serves huge portions of food."

"Carmine’s is a classy restaurant with romantic terrace seating that is in a prime area for people-watching. It serves enormous portions, making it ideal for diners who like to shar..."

"Nobel Peace Prize-winner Jane Addams was the leader of the settlement housing reform movement, which encouraged middle-class people to move into poor urban areas in order to share their knowledge and skills, contribute essential services and encourage economic integration. Addams founded Hull-House in 1889 with the goal of providing everything from childcare for working mothers to acculturation classes for immigrants. Now a museum, Hull-House displays pictures, furniture and a collection of artwork by individuals who lived in the house, offering historical insight into what life was like during the turn of the 20th century."

"Near West SideCelebrate social change and activism Jane Addams was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and the Hull-House Museum celebrates the social change she and her colleagues made in this very space in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Addams founded the Hull House as a social settlement for changemakers. The work that came out of the house includes initiatives for immigrants and juveniles."

"Hull House was the birthplace of social work. Social welfare pioneers and peace advocates Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr started the…"

"Baptiste and Bottle, located on the 20th floor of the Conrad in River North, is one of the top spots in the city to check out for upscale Contemporary American food and cocktails g..."