When I first visited the Obama Presidential Center in early August, we had museum tickets and made a full day of it.
We walked the grounds, visited the Chicago Public Library branch, had lunch, took our picture with the bronze sculpture of Barack and Michelle Obama, toured the museum, and ended the day wandering through the vegetable garden.
A few weeks later, I went back with an out-of-town visitor who really wanted to see the Center.
There was just one problem: We didn’t have museum tickets.
We went anyway.
And I discovered that you can have a pretty terrific visit to the Obama Presidential Center without ever setting foot inside the museum galleries.
In fact, most of the 19-acre campus is free and open to the public. So, if museum tickets are sold out—or you simply don’t want to spend several hours inside—don’t let that stop you from going.
Having now done it both ways, here’s how I’d plan a visit.
If You Can Get Museum Tickets, Choose an Afternoon Time
If you want to see the museum, I’d try to get a timed-entry ticket sometime after 1 p.m. That gives you the morning to explore the rest of the campus without feeling rushed.
And there’s a lot to explore.
Arrive Early
I’d get there around 10 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday. (The museum and some other buildings don’t open until 1 p.m. on Mondays, so adjust accordingly.)
If you drive, the onsite parking garage is easy and convenient. Just be prepared to use the Metropolis app to pay for parking.
Then head for the John Lewis Courtyard.
No Museum Ticket? Try for the Sky Room
This should be your first stop if you don’t have museum tickets.
The Nelson Mandela Sky Room is at the top of the museum building and offers spectacular views of Jackson Park, Lake Michigan, the Museum of Science and Industry, the University of Chicago, and the surrounding South Side.
Sky Room admission is included with a regular museum ticket. But the Center also releases a limited number of free Sky Room-only tickets on a first-come, first-served basis in the morning.
On our second visit, we were among the early groups, and it was wonderfully uncrowded.
If you already have museum tickets, you don’t need to do this—the Sky Room is included in your museum visit.
Say Hello to Barack and Michelle
Back in the John Lewis Courtyard, get your picture taken with the bronze sculpture of Barack and Michelle Obama.
If you have museum tickets, I’d do this early before the line gets longer. If you’ve gone straight for Sky Room tickets, do it afterward.
Walk the Campus
Don’t just walk from building to building. The campus itself is part of the experience.
Take the path around the museum building and look for the art along the way, including Maya Lin’s Seeing Through the Universe and Alison Saar’s Torch Song. For more about the art collection, go here.
This is one reason I think a warm-weather visit is especially worthwhile without museum tickets. The grounds, gardens, art, and walking paths become a significant part of the experience.
Visit the Chicago Public Library
The Chicago Public Library’s Obama Presidential Center branch is worth going inside even if you don’t need a book.
Check out the art and spend some time wandering through the building. It’s a lovely space and gives you another reason not to think of the Center as simply a museum.
Have an Early Lunch
By now, you’ll probably be hungry.
We headed to Tafari’s around 11:30 a.m., which I’d recommend if you want to beat the lunch crowd.
And if the turkey chili is on the menu, give it a try—it’s Barak’s favorite.
One other thing we discovered: The friendly staff aren’t allowed to accept tips.
Museum Time—or Garden Time
If you have afternoon museum tickets, now you’re ready to head inside. Give yourself at least two hours; there’s a lot to take in.
And, if you’re like me, your brain starts exploding after more than two hours in a museum, so pace yourself and remember that you don’t have to see everything.
If you have time before your entry slot, check out the fruit and vegetable garden.
No museum tickets?
Make the garden your next stop and enjoy the fact that you haven’t spent the day feeling as though you’re settling for the consolation prize.
Because you aren’t.
Bringing Kids?
Add the playground to your itinerary. The Home Court building, with its regulation-size basketball court, is also on that end of the campus.
My Biggest Tip
Don’t think of the Obama Presidential Center as just a museum.
That’s what surprised me most on my second visit.
Without museum tickets, we still experienced the architecture, public art, library, gardens, food, Sky Room, and the campus itself. And because we weren’t trying to fit everything around a long museum visit, we experienced some of those things more leisurely than I had the first time.
Would I recommend visiting without museum tickets in January? Probably not. Much of what makes a ticketless visit enjoyable is being outside.
But on a beautiful spring, summer, or fall day?
Absolutely.
So, if you have visitors coming to Chicago and the museum tickets are gone, don’t cross the Obama Presidential Center off your list.
Go anyway.
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What’s my story? I’m a healthcare and senior living design knowledge expert who writes and speaks frequently about trends and issues affecting these two industries. I’m also a strategic marketing consultant and content creator, working with companies and organizations who want to improve the quality of healthcare and senior living through the design of the physical environment. You can reach me at [email protected].