Chicago, fortunately, has quite a few -- if you know where to look. Summer is the best time with dozens of free films and concerts on offer, but fall also offers a lot to choose from, including:
Tours
The Chicago Greeter offers five different free neighbourhood tours with knowledgeable local guides.
I did the excellent "Downtown" tour, which departs year-round from the Chicago Cultural Center at 77 Randolph St. Others include the multicultural Pilsen neighbourhood, where the National Museum of Mexican Art is located; Old Town, with its popular restaurants and boutiques; Millennium Park -- an award winning centre for art, music, architecture and landscape design; and Hyde Park, U.S. President Barack Obama's former neighbourhood and home to Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House.
Tours are on a first come, first served basis. Some are seasonal. Check ChicagoGreeter.com.
Lincoln Park Zoo
One of the most popular free attractions is the Lincoln Park Zoo, home to more than 1,200 animals including bears, polar bears, zebras, sea lions, rhinos, and elephants. Some new arrivals include a Hoffman's two-toed sloth and a white-cheeked Gibbon, both born this year. Kids will love the Farm-in-the-Zoo, where they can get close to cows and other farm animals. Don't miss the Kovler Lion House and the Regenstein Center for African Apes.
Views
Insiders recommend the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center. You'll pay for a drink or a bite to eat but the great view is free.
Otherwise it'll cost you $15 (all prices in U.S. dollars) to visit the Hancock Observatory on the 94th floor (though that includes a good self-guided narrated audio history tour); or $17 to get a bird's eye view of the city from the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), and its new Skydeck Ledge on the 103rd floor.
Museums
Perhaps the best freebie is the National Museum of Mexican Art. The largest Latino museum in the U.S., it houses one of the best collections of Mexican art in the country, including contemporary, traditional and meso-American art from both sides of the border. The museum also functions as a cultural centre with educational programs, performing arts and other events including the largest annual Day of the Dead exhibition in the U.S.
Worth noting: Local residents may tell you of various museums and galleries with free admission days (such as at the Art Institute of Chicago) but many of these apply to city residents only.
Art
You don't have to pay admission to an art gallery to see works by Picasso and other renowned masters. In Chicago, great art can be found on city streets! For starters, there's Picasso's Untitled sculpture at 50 W. Washington St; Joan Miro's work Chicago at 69 W Washington St.; and Marc Chagall's Four Seasons at the plaza at Dearborn and Monroe Streets.
Another venue for free art exhibits, as well as concerts and lectures is the Chicago Cultural Center, in an historic building that dates to 1887 (make sure to see the two Tiffany domes).
Festivals & Events
The Chicago Jazz Festival in late summer and the St. Patrick's Day Parade in March, when the Chicago River is dyed green, are just two of many big free events taking place throughout the year. Coming up is Openhousechicago Oct. 14-16 with access to more than 100 places normally off limits to the public, and the North Halsted St. Halloween Parade Oct 31.
Millennium Park
The city's 10-hectare centerpiece park is an absolute must. Offbeat entertainment ranges from walking around and through the 100 (metric) ton silver Cloud Gate sculpture by Anish Kapoor, to gazing at Jaume Plensa's 15-metre high Crown Fountain with its ever changing array of locals' faces spewing water every five minutes (in the summer). The park is also home to Canadian architect Frank Gehry's spectacular Jay Pritzker Pavilion, where many free concerts are held.
Check e-mail
Surf the internet for free at the Harold Washington Library Center. Visitors can get a temporary guest card to use one of 78 workstations for one hour or 18 express (15 minutes) terminals. While there, check out the $1 million worth of public art throughout the building and the gorgeous light-filled Winter Garden on the 9th floor. Located at 400 S. State St., the library has a free "self guided tour" brochure if you want to explore in more detail.
Treat yourself
You can save at least $70 by taking advantage of a some of the freebies mentioned (neighbourhood walking tours typically run between $25-$50; a trip to the zoo would set you back $23 in Toronto; checking e-mail -- $8 an hour at some hotels; visit to an observation deck, at least $15).
Use the savings to splurge on a nice meal at a swanky eatery such as the Shanghai Terrace at the highly rated Peninsula Chicago Hotel. The cuisine and service are superb and the views from the fashionable terrace look out onto several architectural landmarks ,including the Historic Water Tower and the John Hancock Center. Check peninsula.com
If you go to Chicago
A trip to the Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center at 77 E. Randolph St. will yield more freebie possibilities, such as family scavenger hunts and guided photo walks (which depart from the Apple Store). I discovered several deals in the free This Week in Chicago brochure that advertised free Wednesday night comedy at Comedysportz; two for one tickets for a variety of sightseeing cruises and other attractions; complimentary admission for two at Excalibur -- Chicago's largest dance floor, half price sushi at Simply Thalia on Saturday and more.
For general tourism information, check explorechicago.org.
