Immerse yourself in art, history, culture during Chicago Museum Week

It might be fitting for Chicago to change its famous “Windy City” nickname to “Museum City” during the inaugural Chicago Museum Week, running Thursday through Wednesday, Oct. 1-7.

Eleven museums and Lincoln Park Zoo, each located on Chicago Park District property, will offer special discounts and programming for visitors during the event.

“We are very pleased to launch Chicago Museum Week,” said David Deyhle, vice president of external relations for the Chicago History Museum and co-chair of the marketing and communications committee for Museums in the Park, which initiated and is hosting the weeklong celebration.

“Chicago is a museum town. We have these jewels on park district property — 12 distinguished institutions. We really believe that we have the best in the world.”

Deyhle said that members of Museums in the Park began pondering how to showcase Chicago's museums when they saw that several other industries had their own special weeks.

“There was Restaurant Week, and there was Theater Week. So we thought, 'Why not Museum Week?' The whole purpose behind it is to celebrate the best we have,” Deyhle said.

“We live in a city that has such amazing cultural offerings,” said Emily Waldren, interim public relations director at The Field Museum, one of Museum Weeks's participating venues. “We tend to forget sometimes, because we can get so busy. But Museum Week is an opportunity to really make a concerted effort to find something new, or to go and see that favorite exhibit that you have not seen in a while.”

The following organizations will take part in Chicago Museum Week. Included are some of the discounts and special programs being offered. For a full schedule for each museum, visit chicagomuseumweek.com.

Adler Planetarium

1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (312) 922-7827 or adlerplanetarium.org

• $10 off any level of membership

• Free admission Oct. 5-7 for Illinois residents

• Space Oddities discussion on Saturday, Oct. 3

• Stories Under the Stars With Curious George on Monday, Oct. 5

Art Institute

111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, (312) 443-3600 or artic.edu

• Free admission for Illinois residents from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1

• Save $10 on new memberships

Chicago History Museum

1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, (312) 642-4600 or chicagohistory.org

• $4 off admission

• 20 percent off purchases at North & Clark Café and at the Museum Store

• 20 percent off membership

• After-hours at the Chicago History Museum from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6. Explore exhibitions with museum curators and staff

The DuSable Museum of African-American History

740 E. 56th Place, Chicago, (773) 947-0600 or dusablemuseum.org

• Two-for-one admission

• 10 percent off in the museum store

• Half off individual membership

• Special guided tours of the museum

The Field Museum

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (312) 922-9410 or fieldmuseum.org

• Meet The Field Museum Discovery Squad and learn about the museum's collections from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2

• Free general admission for Illinois residents on Sunday, Oct. 4

• “SUE” talk at noon daily. Learn all about the largest T. rex ever found

• “Vikings” exhibit closes Sunday, Oct. 4

Lincoln Park Zoo

2400 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, (312) 742-2000 or lpzoo.org

• Fall Fest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Oct. 2-4. Activities include rides, hay mountain, a corn maze, educational activities and more.

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, (312) 280-2660 or mcachicago.org

• Free admission to Illinois residents Tuesday, Oct. 6

• Bring a receipt from another museum visited during Museum Week and receive 50 percent off one paid adult admission ticket

• 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6: Musician David Grubbs, John McEntire and Rob Mazurek talk about their inspiration for avant-garde free jazz, followed by a short concert

Museum of Science and Industry

5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (773) 684-1414 or msichicago.org

• Free museum entry for Illinois residents on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 5-6

• $20 off any MSI membership between Thursday and Wednesday, Oct. 1-7. May be purchased on-site, at (773) 684-1414 or online using the code mweek.

National Museum of Mexican Art

1859 W. 19th St., Chicago, (312) 738-1503 or nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org

• 15 percent discount at the museum shop

• Enter a drawing for a chance to win a family membership

• See “La Muerte Niña: Day of the Dead,” the largest Día de los Muertos exhibition in the country.

National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture

3015 W. Division St., Chicago, (773) 486-8345 or nmprac.org

• Free admission

• See the solo exhibition “Metamorfosis of Divine Entanglements” with paintings by Puerto Rican artist Oscar Luis Martinez, who is now based in Chicago

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

2430 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, (773) 755-5100 or naturemuseum.org

• Free admission for Illinois residents (suggested donation day) on Thursday, Oct. 1

• From Friday through Wednesday, Oct. 2-7, bring a receipt from your visit to another museum during Chicago Museum Week and get $5 off one paid adult admission ticket

• Chance to win a lifetime membership to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

• 10 percent off items in the gift shop

• Grand opening of “City Creatures: Animal Encounters in the Chicago Wilderness” on Friday, Oct. 2

• Grand opening of “Peanuts … Naturally” exhibit on Saturday, Oct. 3

• Museum open until 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6. Explore the museum after hours, including the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven

Shedd Aquarium

1200 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (312) 939-2438 or sheddaquarium.org

• Illinois resident community discount days Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 5-6 (See Shedd website for details.)

• Special animal chats about sharks, belugas, penguins and sea lions (See Shedd website for the daily schedule.)