The Field Museum in Chicago makes General Admission free for teachers, but only Illinois teachers. On its Tickets & Pricing page, the museum says General Admission is free for Illinois teachers (pre-K through 12th grade).
If you teach in Illinois and have been buying your own ticket, you can stop. If you teach in another state, the page doesn’t list a teacher offer for you. It does list two resident offers, covered below, which matter if you live in Illinois or Chicago.
How To Get The Field Museum Teacher Discount
The page gives one instruction: show your employee ID when purchasing tickets at the museum. It lists the offer under the heading Illinois Teachers, alongside the museum’s other admission offers.
Because the step happens when you buy tickets at the museum, plan to take your ID with you instead of counting on a way to claim the offer ahead of time. The page doesn’t say what counts as an employee ID, so check with the museum if you’re unsure which of your cards qualifies.
Who Counts As A Teacher
The page says Illinois teachers, pre-K through 12th grade. It doesn’t mention private school teachers, homeschool teachers, substitutes or charter schools, so we can’t tell you whether any of them qualify. It also doesn’t say whether Illinois refers to where you teach or where you live. If you’re in one of those groups, or you teach in Illinois but live elsewhere, ask the museum before you count on a free ticket.
What The Free Admission Covers
The offer is written for General Admission. The page describes General Admission as access to the museum’s exhibitions, with opportunities to upgrade for special experiences. It doesn’t say whether the teacher offer reaches those upgrades, so treat the free ticket as covering General Admission and check the price of anything extra before you buy it.
Resident Offers On The Same Page
The same page lists two offers that aren’t teacher offers. The first is Free Wednesdays: it says Free Day tickets are available for Illinois residents every Wednesday, and that advance online reservations are strongly recommended. The second is for Chicago residents, who the page says can save on General Admission. If you live in Illinois but teach across the state line, those are the ones to look at.
More For Teachers At The Museum
The museum’s For Educators page covers the rest of what it offers teachers. It says the museum partners with educators and schools, from opportunities to bring its collection into the classroom to professional development programs for teachers pre-K through high school, and that it invites thousands of students for field trips every year.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
The page doesn’t say what counts as an employee ID, so we can’t tell you whether a school badge, a pay stub or a letter works. It doesn’t say whether the free ticket can be reserved online ahead of time, whether a guest or your family comes in free with you, or whether the offer covers special experiences beyond General Admission. It gives no end date for the offer, and it says nothing about public versus private schools.
Q&A
Do teachers get into the Field Museum free?
Illinois teachers, pre-K through 12th grade, do for General Admission, according to the museum’s Tickets & Pricing page.
Do teachers from other states get anything?
The page lists no teacher offer for other states. It does list resident offers for Illinois and Chicago, covered in the section above.
What do I bring?
Your employee ID, to show when you purchase tickets at the museum.
Does the free ticket cover my family?
The page doesn’t say. Ask the museum before you bring anyone.
Are there free days for Illinois residents?
The page says Free Day tickets are available for Illinois residents every Wednesday, with advance online reservations strongly recommended.
More Information:
The details above come from the Field Museum’s own Tickets & Pricing and For Educators pages as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
