Things to Do Alone in Chicago: Good Afternoons on Your Own

A museum hour

Art Institute of Chicago

Neighborhood: the Loop (111 S. Michigan Ave.) · Cost: $32 adults, $20 for Chicago residents with proof of address · When: 11am–5pm, until 8pm on Thursdays; closed Tuesdays

You don't need a whole day here. Choose one wing, or even one room, and give it an hour. It's the kind of place where going solo is a plus: you can sit on a bench in front of one painting for twenty minutes and nobody minds. Tip: Illinois residents can visit without charge on third-Thursday evenings from 5pm to 8pm; check the museum's site for the current schedule before you go.

Newberry Library

Neighborhood: Near North Side (60 W. Walton St.) · Cost: exhibition galleries never charge admission · When: galleries Tuesday–Thursday 10am–7pm, Friday–Saturday 10am–5pm

A research library with exhibitions drawn from its collections. It's quiet, unhurried and a lovely place to spend an hour. Tip: the reading rooms are open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, if you'd like to look at something from the collection itself; check the library's site for how to register as a reader.

Chicago Cultural Center

Neighborhood: the Loop (78 E. Washington St.) · Cost: no admission · When: daily, 10am–5pm

Come for the Tiffany glass dome, then wander whatever exhibitions are on. It's an easy place to drop into between other things, and the city's fall and winter season includes free exhibitions, film screenings and workshops.

A walk on your own

The Chicago Riverwalk

Neighborhood: the Loop · Cost: no admission · When: daily, 6am–11pm

The path along the main branch of the river is a good walk for clearing your head: water on one side, architecture on the other. Go in the morning when it's quiet, or at dusk when the towers light up. Tip: bring headphones for a podcast, or leave them at home and listen to the boats.

Lincoln Park Zoo

Neighborhood: Lincoln Park (2400 N. Cannon Dr.) · Cost: no admission (parking $35–45 a day) · When: gates 8am–5pm daily, buildings 10am–4:30pm

A slow loop of the zoo on a weekday morning is a calm, easy plan, and it's open every day of the year. Tip: come by bus or bike, since parking is the only real cost, and check the zoo's site for holiday hours.

A film and a good seat

Music Box Theatre

Neighborhood: Lakeview (3733 N. Southport Ave.) · Cost: tickets vary by show · When: see the calendar; weekend matinees

A 1929 movie palace with a star-covered ceiling and about 700 seats, showing independent, foreign, cult and classic films. A matinee on your own here is a small luxury. Tip: the theatre organ is usually played on Friday evenings and before the first couple of shows on Saturdays and Sundays in the main theater, so go early.

Gene Siskel Film Center

Neighborhood: the Loop (164 N. State St.) · Cost: tickets vary by film · When: see the calendar

The Film Center programs new releases, film series and festivals, from the Black Harvest Film Festival to the Chicago European Union Film Festival. It's an easy after-work plan: one film, then home.

Lou Mitchell's

Neighborhood: West Loop (565 W. Jackson Blvd.) · Cost: menu prices · When: Wednesday–Friday 6am–2pm, Saturday–Sunday 7am–2pm; closed Monday and Tuesday

A family diner since 1923, serving breakfast and lunch, and handing out donut holes to breakfast diners since 1958. It sits near the start of Route 66, a short walk from Union Station. A table for one with coffee and the paper is a classic solo morning. Tip: weekend mornings get busy, so a weekday breakfast is easier.

A few things to plan around

• Check the closed days. The Art Institute is closed Tuesdays, and Lou Mitchell's is closed Monday and Tuesday.
• Bring proof of address. Chicago and Illinois resident prices at the Art Institute need an ID, lease or bill.
• Arrive early for the organ. At the Music Box, it's played before the first shows on weekends.
• Go at off-peak times. Weekday mornings at the zoo and the Riverwalk are at their quietest.

Three easy plans to suggest

Each one is a complete afternoon on your own:

1. One wing, then a walk. An hour in the Art Institute, then fifteen minutes north to the Riverwalk.
2. A matinee and an early dinner. A Saturday film at the Music Box, then dinner in Lakeview on the way home.
3. Breakfast and the library. Donut holes at Lou Mitchell's on a weekday morning, then an hour with the Newberry's exhibitions.

Fancy something more active? A climbing session at Movement Lincoln Park works solo too: a day pass is $28, and the gym opens at 6am on weekdays. For more ideas, see our guides to the best things to do in Chicago and indoor activities in Chicago.

Make it a plan with someone nearby

Solo time is its own kind of good, and the places you love on your own are often the best ones to share. Lighthouse is a social app for meeting people nearby who share your interests. You can see who's around and what you have in common, start an activity, say a matinee or a museum hour, or join one someone in your neighborhood has posted. Each activity has its own group chat, so you can say hi and agree on the details before you meet.

Good to know

• Check before you go: hours change around holidays, and exhibitions rotate. That goes for anything in this post, too. Each listing links to its official source below.
• Getting there: the Loop spots are a short walk from most 'L' lines; the Music Box is three blocks north of the Southport Brown Line stop.
• Prices are set by each venue and can change.