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Homeschool Discounts in Illinois

Big-ticket Illinois museums and attractions with homeschool discount days — typically 30–50% off for kids, sometimes free.

Updated June 2026 · 11 confirmed programs · 2 call-to-confirm

Illinois may be the single best homeschool field-trip state in the country, because its flagship Chicago institutions write homeschoolers into their free-admission policies by name. The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry admits Illinois homeschool groups AND individual families free against a $25.95 gate price, the Field Museum runs free pre-registered Illinois field trips every day of the week, the Shedd Aquarium gives Illinois homeschool groups free group admission, and the Adler Planetarium treats any 15-plus homeschool co-op as a school group — free museum entry, chaperones included.

The suburbs and downstate keep pace: Brookfield Zoo waives admission for homeschool groups of ten or more, the Chicago Botanic Garden runs $11-per-child Homeschool Learning Days on winter Fridays, and Naper Settlement's $8 Homeschool Days sell out. In Rockford, both the Discovery Center and Burpee Museum run per-session homeschool classes you can join one class at a time. Book group visits two-plus weeks ahead, and bring homeschool verification (ISBE registration, HSLDA card, or co-op membership) for the free-admission programs.

Confirmed homeschool pricing

Published price on the venue's own homeschool page — most under $20 per child.

Year-round
Daily
Reserve 24+ hours ahead
Free
per kid · adult Free

Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

Chicago · Online form or (773) 684-1414, 24+ hours ahead

The largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere — U-505 submarine, walk-through heart, Coal Mine — and Illinois homeschool families walk in free with a simple advance reservation. NGSS-aligned Home School Labs add hands-on small-group learning on select dates.

Regular admission: $25.95 adults / $14.95 kids 3–11 — 100% off the gate for IL homeschoolers
Homeschool page at griffinmsi.org →
Year-round
Daily
Register 14 days ahead
Free
per kid · adult Free

Field Museum

Chicago · Online registration at least 14 days ahead

SUE the T. rex, ancient Egypt, and 40 million specimens — free for registered Illinois homeschool field trips any day of the week. Hands-on field trip classes for pre-K through 12th grade can be added; Illinois homeschool parents also qualify for free educator admission year-round.

Regular admission: $30 adults (Chicago residents $21) — 100% off with pre-registration
Homeschool page at fieldmuseum.org →
Year-round
School days
Book ~30 days ahead
Free
per kid · adult Free

Shedd Aquarium

Chicago · School-group booking form, about 30 days out

Belugas, sea otters, sharks, and the Caribbean Reef — Illinois homeschool groups get the same free admission as any certified school, one of the most valuable homeschool tickets in the country given Shedd's $40-plus walk-up prices. A 4-D Experience can be added for a small fee.

Regular admission: ~$40–50 adults (date-based pricing) — Free vs a $40+ gate — the state's biggest homeschool saving
Homeschool page at sheddaquarium.org →
Recurring
Tue + Thu
Field Trip Days, Oct–May; summer all days but Wed
Free
per kid · adult Free

Adler Planetarium

Chicago · Request form 3+ weeks ahead

America's first planetarium gives 15-plus homeschool co-ops the full school-group treatment — exclusive 9–11 am access on Field Trip Days, school-group-only sky shows, and free chaperones. Smaller families can use the Illinois-resident free Wednesday evenings instead.

Regular admission: $32 adults / $20 kids (entry + 1 sky show) — Free entry; sky shows at half the public price
Homeschool page at adlerplanetarium.org →
Recurring
Weekdays
Labor Day – Memorial Day
Free
per kid · adult Free

Brookfield Zoo Chicago

Brookfield · Online, 10+ business days ahead

One of the nation's great zoos — 2,300 animals across 216 acres — free for verified homeschool groups of ten or more on school-year weekdays. Chaperones are free too; only parking and optional attractions cost money. Field trip slots are limited, so book early in the school year.

Regular admission: $32.95 adults / $23.95 kids 3–11 (peak) — Free admission vs a $33 adult gate
Homeschool page at brookfieldzoo.org →
Recurring
Select Fridays
November – March, 1–3 pm
$11
per kid

Chicago Botanic Garden

Glencoe · Registrar: (847) 835-6801 or registrar@chicagobotanic.org

Winter Friday afternoons turn the 385-acre garden into a homeschool science classroom — guided, plant-based station activities with other homeschool families, outdoor time included when weather allows. Past themes include Ecosystems and Adaptations and Food Science.

Regular admission: Date-based, up to ~$26 adults + $8 parking — Guided programming for less than half a peak gate ticket
Homeschool page at chicagobotanic.org →
When
Sep 3, 2026
1–4 pm; recurring Homeschool Days
$8
per kid · adult $8

Naper Settlement

Naperville · Register online; (630) 420-6010

The 13-acre living-history village runs dedicated Homeschool Day afternoons — fall 2026's Pioneer Chores has kids washing clothes on washboards, grinding corn, and hauling water like 1840s settlers. These sell out; the spring escape-room-style History Heist filled completely.

Regular admission: $12 adults / $8 youth 4–12 — Adults at the kid price, with exclusive hands-on programming
Homeschool page at napersettlement.org →
Recurring
Monthly Tue
10 am – noon
$16
per kid

Discovery Center Museum

Rockford · Advance registration required; closes Friday prior

One of America's top-ranked children's museums runs a monthly hands-on homeschool STEM class for 7-to-11-year-olds in its own classroom — interactive experiments designed to deepen a homeschool science curriculum. Tot Spot classes (ages 2–6) cover younger siblings on other weekdays.

Regular admission: $12 general admission — Two-hour facilitated STEM class for the price of admission plus $4
Homeschool page at discoverycentermuseum.org →
Recurring
Twice monthly
Wed 2–4 pm, Jan–Apr season
$16
per kid

Burpee Museum of Natural History

Rockford · Eventbrite or (815) 965-3433, by 5 pm Friday prior

Home of Jane the juvenile T. rex, Burpee teaches a themed homeschool science series — meteorology, chemistry, zoology, botany — that explicitly welcomes single-session drop-ins. A $90 homeschool/cohort membership adds free general admission for up to 10 people, six visits a year.

Regular admission: $15 adults / $13 kids 4–12 — Museum-educator science classes at walk-in admission prices
Homeschool page at burpee.org →
Recurring
Class days
9:30–11:30 am, two age sections
$21
per kid

Children's Discovery Museum

Normal · Education Director: (309) 433-3449

Uptown Normal's three-story museum runs drop-off Home School Programs where 5-to-13-year-olds get hands-on STEAM experiments, building challenges, and play-based learning in two age-split sections — then the rest of the museum afterward.

Regular admission: $12 general admission — Two-hour facilitated STEAM program plus museum time
Homeschool page at childrensdiscoverymuseum.net →
Recurring
Monthly
2026 dates posted through Oct; off May–Jul break
$16
per kid · adult $16

Peoria Zoo

Peoria · Advance registration required; (309) 681-3559

Monthly themed homeschool classes with up-close animal encounters — 2026 topics run from Everyday Conservationists to Zoo Careers — each designed to meet state standards. August through October dates are already posted with online registration open.

Regular admission: $12.50 adults / $9 kids 2–12 — Animal-encounter classes for barely more than gate admission
Homeschool page at peoriazoo.org →

Worth calling about

These venues run homeschool programs but don't publish pricing online. Call before you go.

When
Homeschool Fridays
Call
no public price

Peoria Riverfront Museum

Peoria

The combined art-science-history museum serves homeschool co-ops across 20 Central Illinois counties with a named Homeschool Fridays program — classes, planetarium time, and supplies included. Dates post seasonally; call to catch the next session.

Regular admission: $10 adults / $8 youth 3–17
How to reach them: Seasonal Homeschool Fridays classes — current page says 'check back soon for more dates.' Register at the ticket desk or call 309.686.7000.
Homeschool page at peoriariverfrontmuseum.org →
When
Year-round classes
Call
no public price

Forest Park Nature Center

Peoria Heights

A 540-acre Illinois Nature Preserve with seven miles of bluff trails and an interpretive center that runs homeschool classes alongside its guided hikes and workshops — at a venue that costs nothing to visit. Call for the current class calendar.

Regular admission: Free admission
How to reach them: Homeschool classes are part of the center's year-round programming, but schedules and fees aren't posted online. Call (309) 686-3360.
Homeschool page at peoriaparks.org →

Plus more free and cheap educational outings in Illinois

Already on DiscoverCheapUS — free and low-cost Illinois attractions homeschool families plan whole field-trip days around.

Springfield

12 free or cheap
  • Lincoln Home National Historic SiteFree
  • Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum$15 adults / $12 seniors 62+ / $6 kids 5–15 / free under 5
  • Dana-Thomas HouseFree (donations appreciated)
  • Lincoln Tomb State Historic SiteFree (donations welcome)
  • Old State Capitol State Historic SiteFree (donations welcome)
  • Illinois State CapitolFree
  • Lincoln's New Salem State Historic SiteFree (donations suggested)
  • Illinois Governor's MansionFree (advance reservations required via Eventbrite)
  • Illinois State MuseumFree
  • Lincoln Memorial Garden & Nature CenterFree (donations welcome)
  • Henson Robinson Zoo$7.50 adults / $5.50 kids 3–12 / Free under 3
  • Washington Park Botanical GardenFree
See all Springfield attractions →

Peoria

7 free or cheap
  • Peoria Zoo$12.50 adults / $11.50 seniors 65+ / $9 kids 2–12 / free under 2
  • Luthy Botanical GardenFree (donations appreciated)
  • Wildlife Prairie Park$17 adults 13+ / $15 seniors 65+ / $12 kids 3–12 / free under 2
  • Peoria Riverfront Museum$10 adults / $9 seniors 60+ / $8 youth 3-17 / Free second Sundays (Access for All)
  • Forest Park Nature CenterFree
  • Caterpillar Visitors Center$7 adults / $6 seniors 55+, military / Free children 12 & under
  • Peoria PlayHouse Children's Museum$10.50 ages 1–64 / Free under 1 / $4 with WIC or Link card
See all Peoria attractions →

Galena

8 free or cheap
  • Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic SiteFree (donations suggested)
  • Old Market House State Historic SiteFree (donations welcome)
  • Historic Main Street (Self-Guided Walking Tour)Free
  • Casper Bluff Land & Water ReserveFree
  • DeSoto House Hotel (Self-Guided Historic Walking Tour)Free
  • Grant Park & Grant StatueFree
  • Galena & U.S. Grant Museum$15 adults / $12 youth 11–17
  • Old Blacksmith Shop$5 adults / $15 families / Free under 10
See all Galena attractions →

Chicago

5 free or cheap
  • Lincoln Park ZooFree
  • Chicago Cultural CenterFree
  • Garfield Park Conservatory$10 adults / $5 kids 7–17 / Free for Chicago residents
  • National Museum of Mexican ArtFree
  • Money Museum at the Chicago FedFree
See all Chicago attractions →

Rockford

7 free or cheap
  • Anderson Japanese Gardens$13 adults weekdays / $15 weekends / Free 5 and under
  • Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden$12 adults / $10 kids 4–18 / Free 3 and under
  • Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens$10 adults / $8 kids 5–17 / $5 Tropical Tuesdays
  • Discovery Center Museum$12 / Free under 1
  • Burpee Museum of Natural History$15 adults / $13 kids 4–12 / Free 3 and under
  • Midway Village Museum$12 adults / $10 kids 5–12 (village + museum) / Free under 5
  • Rockford Art MuseumFree
See all Rockford attractions →

Naperville

3 free or cheap
  • Naper Settlement$12 adults / $8 youth 4–12 / Free for Naperville residents
  • DuPage Children's Museum$22 ($21 online) / Free under 1
  • Knoch Knolls Nature CenterFree
See all Naperville attractions →

Bloomington-Normal

6 free or cheap
  • Miller Park Zoo$9 adults / $7 kids 3–12 / Free under 3
  • Children's Discovery Museum$12 / Free under 2
  • David Davis Mansion State Historic SiteSuggested donation $10 adults / $5 children
  • McLean County Museum of History$10 adults / Free kids & students / Free Tuesdays
  • Ewing Manor & Genevieve Green GardensGardens free / Manor tours $5
  • Prairie Aviation Museum$5 adults / $3 kids 6–11 / Free 5 and under
See all Bloomington-Normal attractions →

See all 71 Illinois attractions on the directory →