Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

One of the world's largest contemporary art museums, steps off the Mag Mile, bold exhibitions, free for under-18s.

220 E Chicago Ave · Chicago, IL

About Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

A block off Michigan Avenue, the MCA is one of the world's largest contemporary art museums, known for headline-making exhibitions, its 2017 Takashi Murakami show drew record crowds, alongside a collection spanning surrealism, minimalism, and conceptual art from 1945 onward. The grand staircase and terraced sculpture garden are destinations in themselves, and Marisol restaurant handles lunch. Adults pay $21, visitors under 18 enter free, and Illinois residents get in free on Tuesdays.

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Shopping
Iconic
Water Tower Place
No admission fee
Shop on Chicago's Magnificent Mile in a 758,000-square-foot mall at the base of a 74-story tower with a Ritz-Carlton hotel.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awaySwitch it up: Shopping
Tours
Quirky Fun
Chicago Crime Tours
$25–$50
Guided bus tours through Chicago's Prohibition-era mob history and notorious crime landmarks.
Transit: reachable by public transit
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Sightseeing
Date Night
360 CHICAGO Observation Deck
$25–$50
Lake-and-skyline views from 1,000 feet up, plus TILT, the glass ledge that leans you over Michigan Avenue.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Museums
Chicago Architecture Center
Under $25
A nonprofit in downtown Chicago that uses design to present the city and ideas from other cities.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.6 mi awayMore like this
Museums
History Buff
International Museum of Surgical Science
$25–$50
The only North American museum devoted to the history of surgery, set in a Gold Coast mansion on Lake Shore Drive.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.9 mi awayMore like this
Museums
History Buff
Chicago History Museum
Under $25
You trace Chicago's story through restored dioramas, a vintage L car and hands-on galleries at Clark Street and North Avenue in Lincoln Park.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.1 mi awayMore like this