This summer, visit the museum with your community, camp, or school group.
We’re excited to welcome youth groups during the summer for guided or self-guided experiences. Guided tours offer participants opportunities for close looking, conversation, and creative responses to works of art, and all tours can be paired with an hour-long studio-based experience.
Bilingual education staff are available and offer experiences in Spanish and English. Just select a bilingual experience when scheduling your visit.
Summer youth group visits are now open for registration.
Whether coming to the museum for a self-guided or guided tour, you can always access a range of resources for pre- and post-visit activities. Visit our Create and Learn page to find artmaking activities and other materials designed for educators’ use.
tour offerings
June 23–July 28, 2025 Weekdays (closed Tuesday), 10:30–12:00
Chaperone ratio:
1 adult per 5 students for ages 10 and under
1 adult per 10 students for ages 11 and older
Tour options include:
Who Makes Art (1 hour)
Explore works of art from across the museum’s diverse collection through a big question: who makes art? Through conversations and creative responses, young people will look at works of art to understand artists’ stories, identities, ways of making, and responses to the world before considering the impact that their own creativity can have on the world around them.
Who Makes Art + Studio (2 hours, 10:30 only)
This experience pairs the “Who Makes Art” tour with a one-hour art-making workshop in which young people can experiment with artistic practices inspired by their explorations of the collection.
Youth groups are welcome to continue their museum journey with a self-guided experience following any guided tour.
June 14–August 31, 2025 Daily (closed Tuesdays), 11:00–5:00
Lead your youth group through the museum galleries for a unique and participatory experience. The museum offers a vast array of resources to help you design your own exploration of artworks that connects to the interests of the young people in your group.
Take a look at our Tools for My Teaching page and reach out to our experienced educators via the Ask an Educator form for suggestions on how to design your visit, including recommendations on artworks, exhibitions, and resources.
Self-guided groups should plan to subdivide into smaller chaperone-led groups in the museum’s galleries.
Logistical Information
Student Experiences are free for:
Chicago and Illinois pre-K–12th grade student groups
All pre-K–8th grade student groups, regardless of residence
All requisite adult chaperones receive free admission Rate for additional chaperones: $27 each
Rates for non-Illinois high school groups through July 28, 2025
1–30 students: $250 31–60 students: $500 61–90 students: $750 91–120 students: $1000 121–150 students: $1250 All requisite adult chaperones receive free admission Rate for additional chaperones: $20 for Chicago residents; $27 for Illinois residents; $32 for out of state residents
All student groups should enter at the designated Student Group Entrance at 230 S. Columbus Drive, one block east of Michigan Avenue. Buses may drop off and pick up students at the Student Group Entrance.
We are able to store bags, lunches, and coats for students participating in On-Site Tours and Self-Guided Tours. If you can, please limit the personal belongings brought into the museum and leave items on the bus.
The following items are not permitted in the museum galleries:
Backpacks
Purses larger than 11” x 17”
Food or drink (including gum)
Pens (students are welcome to use pencils)
Wheeled shoes
We are not able to accommodate school lunches for summer tours. We recommend that groups enjoy their lunches in nearby Millennium Park whenever weather allows.
In accordance with City of Chicago guidelines, masks and proof of vaccination are no longer required to visit the museum. Any visitor who prefers to wear a mask is welcome to do so. Anyone feeling unwell should postpone their visit for another time.
