Use the smartest card - your library card - to receive admission or a special discount at participating Chicago area cultural destinations!
Stop by the Youth or Adult Services Desk with your library card to check out a pass to one of the following museums: (click red button for more info!)
Admission Half Price.
Buy one, get one free of equal or lesser value. Valid for General Admission only. Not valid for special events, group tours or programs, and cannot be combined with other offers.
Admits 2 (General Admission Tickets).
Admits 2 (Buy one, get one free. Limit is two admissions per family).
Admits 2 (Passes are valid for Brookfield Zoo only and does not include parking or admission to any internal exhibits or attractions, such as Dolphin Show, Butterflies!, Children's Zoo, Temporary exhibits, Motor Safari, etc.).
Admits 1 vehicle - Limited to one car per use.
Purchase one planetarium ticket, get one adult or two children/senior planetarium tickets free.
Admits 1 car at 50% off per pass.
This pass is a buy one/get one free pass. Pay for one adult and the child gets in free. If additional people are with you, each of them pay the regular admission price.
Admits 4 people per pass.
10% Discount on all museum store purchases.
Pass valid for up to five (5) youth ages 6-17, plus two (2) adults. Not valid for Holiday Tours or Holiday Event Weekend.
Two for one. One adult pays and the second adult is free. Kids under 18 Free Admission.
General Admission- Buy One Get One free entry is from 10 AM until one hour before the Museum closes (Last entry is 4 PM each day except 7 PM on Thurs). The Museum reserves the right to request identification upon entry to verify ticket purchase type.
2 free passes with the purchase of 2, or 1 free pass with the purchase of 1.
Buy one admission, get one free.
1/2 off admission passes for General Museum Admission Only - Discount not available on Fridays.
Admits 2 free for regular museum admission.
1. Pass is valid on days general admission to Naper Settlement is offered.
2. Pass allows a maximum of two people to receive free admission when purchasing 1 or more admission tickets.
3. Pass is not valid for special events admittance or events sponsored on museum grounds by others with entry fee.
One free Museum Explorer's Guide per pass. General admission is free (donation suggested).
Buy 1, get 1 free Tour Admission.
15% discount on visitors entire gift shop purchase with some exclusions.
Half-price admission per pass, for up to six persons of any age.
Explore More Illinois
Explore More Illinois allows cardholders from participating RAILS and IHLS public libraries to reserve free and discounted admission, parking, and gift store purchases from cultural attractions in Illinois, including museums, cultural centers, zoos, aquariums, gardens, historical societies, park districts, and more.
List of Current Attractions
- Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum / Springfield
- American Writers Museum / Chicago
- Annoyance Theatre / Chicago
- Bistro Verde / Springfield
- Buffalo Grove Park District Community Arts Center / Buffalo Grove
- Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House / Moline
- Chicago Children's Museum / Chicago
- Chicago History Museum / Chicago
- Chicago Maritime Museum / Chicago
- Civil War Museum / Kenosha, WI
- Dillon Home Museum / Sterling
- Dinosaur Discovery Museum / Kenosha, WI
- Discovery Center Museum / Rockford
- DuPage Symphony Orchestra / Naperville
- Edwards Place / Springfield
- Elgin Symphony Orchestra / Elgin
- Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park / Oak Park
- Exploration Station...a children's museum Bourbonnais Park District / Bourbonnais
- Fox River Grove Memorial Public Library / Fox River Grove
- German American Heritage Center & Museum / Davenport, IA
- Governor John Wood Mansion from the Historical Society of Quincy & Adams County / Quincy
- Hegeler Carus Mansion / LaSalle
- Illinois Holocaust Museum / Skokie
- Kankakee County Museum / Kankakee
- Kenosha Public Museum / Kenosha, WI
- Kidzeum of Health and Science / Springfield
- Lansing Historical Society Museum / Lansing
- Lincoln Heritage Museum / Lincoln
- Lincoln Land Community College Athletic Department / Springfield
- Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art / Oak Brook
- Love's Sweet Arrow / Tinley Park
- Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art / Evanston
- Metropolis Performing Arts Center / Arlington Heights
- Museum of Broadcast Communications / Chicago
- Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College / Chicago
- Museum of Science and Industry / Chicago
- Museum of the Grand Prairie / Mahomet
- North Suburban Library District / Loves Park and Roscoe
- Peoria Riverfront Museum / Peoria
- Pritzker Military Museum & Library / Chicago
- Raupp Museum / Buffalo Grove
- Rockford Art Museum / Rockford
- Soulside Healing Arts / Peoria
- Springfield Art Association / Springfield
- Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum & Gardens / Rockford
- Vermilion County Museum / Danville
How do I access Explore More Illinois?
CLICK HERE to go to the website. Then enter your library barcode and password or PIN.
I cannot log into Explore More Illinois. What should I do?
Please call or visit your library. You may have an issue with your account, such as an expired card or fines. Your library will assist you in solving the problem.
Have more questions?
Check out their F. A.Q. HERE.