Classes are out for the summer, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy time off school.
Spending time at a park, catching a movie and going swimming are just a few options.
For Illinois residents looking for something different, there’s an easy way to gain free or discounted admission to dozens of attractions from museums to zoos and more.
You’ll just need one thing: a library card.
The Explore More Illinois program allows cardholders from Illinois public libraries to access discounts at museums, park districts, historical societies, zoos, arts centers and more, according to the program website.
More than a dozen Chicago sites are on the list, including the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Chicago Children’s Museum and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. To find out if your local library participates, you can visit the program website and choose your home library from the drop down menu. Then enter your library barcode and password or PIN to access the dozens of discounts.
A number of libraries also have a link to the Explore More Illinois Program on their websites.
Curious about which attractions are participating?
Here’s an updated list as of June 24:
The asterisk indicates not all attractions will be available to all libraries.