Chicago Botanic Garden
2012 attendance: 954,727
2012 student visits: 21,762
Free every day

National Museum of Mexican Art
2012 attendance: 150,318
2012 student visits: 36,028
Free every day

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2012 attendance: 277,410
2012 student visits: 47,798
2011 free days: 52

The Field Museum
2012 attendance: 1,247,708
2012 student visits: 159,615
2011 free days: 52

Museum of Science and Industry
2012 attendance: 1,456,985
2012 student visits: 346,546
2011 free days: 52

Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo
2012 attendance: 2,339,312
2012 student visits: 187,275
2011 free days: 27

Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
2012 attendance: 14,949
2012 student visits: 4,485
Free every day

Adler Planetarium
2012 attendance: 479,463
2012 student visits: 66,631
2011 free days: 52

Museum of Contemporary Art
2012 attendance: 232,637
2012 student visits: 13,445
2011 free days: 52

DuSable Museum of African American History
2012 attendance: 102,603
2012 student visits: 15,365
2011 free days: 52

John G. Shedd Aquarium
2012 attendance: 2,169,333
2012 student visits: 302,669
2011 free days: 52

The Art Institute of Chicago
2012 attendance: 1,461,420
2012 student visits: 95,116
2011 free days: 68

Chicago Children’s Museum
2012 attendance: 459,958
2012 student visits: 51,791
2011 free days: 12

Lincoln Park Zoo
2012 attendance: 3,505,823
2012 student visits: 140,000
Free every day

Chicago History Museum
2012 attendance: 224,536
2012 student visits: 52,915
2011 free days: 52