You are here

Visit > Visiting with Your Family

Visiting with Your Family

With free admission always for kids under 14, the Art Institute is a perfect family outing! Enjoy our family-friendly art-making activities, exhibitions, self-guides, games, and more.

Visit the Family Programs calendar for more information about upcoming programs and events.

Lions Trail Family Tour

$7 ($5 for members)

This special family audio guide, designed for children ages 5 to 10, offers an informative, dramatic, and fun way to tour the museum and is available in English or Spanish. With 32 stops, it's the perfect length for kids and a great way to inspire them to explore the museum. Audio guides can be purchased with admission tickets or separately at the audio guide counter in the Michigan Avenue or Modern Wing lobbies.

Download our latest Family Programs brochure and stay up-to-date on all the Art Institute's offerings for kids and their families by signing up for our Family Programs
e-newsletter.

The Ryan Education Center is the perfect place to start your family’s museum visit. Prominently located on the first level of the Modern Wing, this state-of-the-art facility includes our family exhibition spaces and the Vitale Family Room. What's more—admission to the Ryan Education Center is always free!

Family Room Hours

Daily 10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Introduce your child to the museum’s encyclopedic collection with a variety of hands-on activities. Assemble puzzles based on masterpieces you’ll see in the galleries, build architectural wonders with colorful blocks, and learn about art through interactive stories and games at Curious Corner.

Look at original works of art in the family exhibitions on display across the hall in the Picture Book Gallery; then sit at the reading table and find the displayed artworks in copies of the picture books in which they appear. Return to the Family Room to find over 1,300 other picture books to browse. With art, poetry, and storybooks, as well as a selection of books in foreign languages, there's something for everyone to enjoy!

Pick up the museum’s Visitor Guide to plan your journey through the galleries. Not sure where to go? Grab a family self-guide or gallery game at the information desk or ask one of our volunteers.

The Family Room is closed on the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day.

The Family Room will be closed December 24, 26, and 31.

Related Videos 
`