Visiting Chicago's Obama Presidential Center: Everything you need to know including hours, how to get there

The long-awaited Obama Presidential Center opens to the public in Chicago on June 19, 2026. Here's everything you need to know to plan your visit.

Where is the Obama Presidential Center and what is there?

The Obama Presidential Center campus is located at 6001 S. Stony Island Ave., nestled in Chicago's Jackson Park.

The center is more than just a presidential library or museum. The campus houses the towering Obama Presidential Museum, community and civic space The Forum, the Home Court NBA regulation-sized basketball court and athletic facility and a brand new branch of the Chicago Public Library.

There are also outdoor attractions around the campus, including the John Lewis Plaza, the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden, a playground and a great lawn, all open to the public.

Campus grounds are open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., but access to specific buildings and areas varies by time and requirement.

How do I get to the Obama Presidential Center?

The Obama Presidential Center is accessible by CTA, Metra car, bike, taxi and rideshare.

Taxi and rideshares can pick up and drop off passengers at a designated curb in front of the campus on Stony Island Avenue. Use the address 6001 S. Stoney Island Ave. to be directed by GPS to the correct area.

CTA has the most options for getting to the Obama Presidential Center. Four CTA bus lines serve the campus directly, with stops outside the entrance: the #6 Jackson Park Express, the #10 Obama presidential Center/Museum of Science and Industry Express, the #15 Jeffrey Local and the #28 Stony Island.

No CTA L trains provide direct service to the campus, but there are several stops with connections to the bus routes that serve the campus directly.

If you're coming from the south, you can get off at the Red Line 63rd Street stop or the Green Line Cottage Grove stop to catch a bus directly to the Obama Presidential Center. If you're coming from the North, you can take both the Red and Green lines to the Garfield Blvd. stop to take one of the buses directly to the campus.

CTA accepts payment from Ventra cards and tap-to-pay credit cards and digital wallets. CTA buses accept cash, but do not give change.

The closest Metra stops to the Obama Presidential Center are on the Metra Electric Line, which also makes stops at McCormick Place and Millennium Park. The University of Chicago & 59th Street station is a three-minute walk from the campus, while the 63rd Street station is an eight-minute walk to Home Court.

However, neither of those Metra stops has elevator access. The closest Metra stop with elevator access is 55th – 56th – 57th Street Station, which is a 12-minute walk from the campus.

If you want to bike, there are Divvy rideshare stations and bike racks on Stony Island Avenue at 56th and 64th streets. The Obama Center itself does not have dedicated bike racks. Cyclists can take the Lakefront Trail to Jackson Park and cross DuSable Lake Shore Drive using the underpasses at 57th St., 59th St. or Hayes Drive, which is just north of the 63rd St. beach house, to safely get to the campus.

If you would like to drive, there is on-campus paid parking daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The garage entrance is located off Stony Island Ave. between the Forum and Home Court.

The garage has limited capacity and uses a ticketless system that requires a smartphone. Instructions on how to pay by phone using the Metropolis: Remarkable Parking are posted in the garage. Cash is not accepted, and anyone who parks must pay to exit.

Parking costs $22 for 0-4 hours, $34 for 4-24 hours, and $50 or more for special events. A special evening rate for cars in after 5 p.m. is $15.

There are nine EV charging stations in the garage that are available first-come, first-served, and while motorcycles are welcome, there are no dedicated motorcycle parking spots. Oversized vehicles and RVs cannot be accommodated in the garage, which has a clearance of 8 ft. 2 in.

The garage also has accessible parking spots, which are subject to the same parking rates.

Do I need tickets to visit the Obama Presidential Center?

Only the Obama Presidential Center Museum requires tickets to visit.

The museum is open Mondays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. CT, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday. All tickets are timed entry and visitors must reserve a timeslot when purchasing their tickets.

Tickets cost $30 for adults aged 12 and over and $23 for children aged 3 to 11. Children aged 2 and under can visit for free.

Illinois residents get a discount with proof of residency, such as a valid photo ID, Illinois driver's license, state ID or city-issued ID, and guardians must provide proof of residency for children. Tickets cost $26 for Illinois residents aged 12 and above, and $15 for Illinois children aged 3 to 11.

Like other Chicago museums, the Obama Presidential Center Museum also has free days on Tuesdays for Illinois residents. You still must buy a ticket online and select a timeslot for entry. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to the Obama Presidential Center Museum. 

What else is at the Obama Presidential Center?

Other than the museum, the center's sprawling campus is home to other facilities, a library, outdoor spaces, a playground and more.

The Forum

The Forum is a community and civic space designed to host free programs, performances and events. It includes the Hadiya Pendleton Atrium, a gift shop, a café and a restaurant helmed by Chicago Chef Cliff Rome.

It also houses the Elie Wiesel Auditorium, which will host talks and performances, and the Democracy in Action Lab, program rooms designed to host workshops to build democratic knowledge and skills, as well as offer training on social responsibility and leadership.

The Forum is open Mondays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Click here to see upcoming programs and performances. 

Home Court

Home Court is a 60,000-square-foot athletic and events facility with a full NBA regulation-sized basketball court and more.

Its address is 6121 S. Stony Island Avenue and it will be open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. There is no cost to use the facility or a ticket required.

Chicago Public Library Obama Presidential Center Branch

This newest branch of the Chicago Public Library is open to the public and operates like a normal public library, with a collection curated to include the Obamas' favorite books, which will be housed in the Presidential Reading Room.

The library's hours are:

• Monday and Wednesday: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  
• Tuesday and Thursday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  
• Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  
• Sunday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  

Outdoor spaces: John Lewis Plaza, Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden, Great Lawn, Playground

All of the Obama Presidential Center's outdoor spaces are free and open to the public seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden will host special program days for people who want to participate in gardening, and contains dozens of garden beds for local plants and native vegetables.

The playground features two levels of equipment, an ADA accessible swing set and more.

Other attractions on campus

The campus also features more than 25 brand new art installations, the vast majority of which the Obama Foundation says are free and publicly accessible; the Women's Garden, created in tribute to the work of female leaders in Chicago; the Ann Dunham Water Terrace, named for and dedicated to Pres. Obama's mother and featuring a sculpture by artist Maya Lin; and the Wetland Walk.

Is the Obama Presidential Center ADA accessible?

The Obama Foundation said it designed the center to be fully ADA accessible and welcoming for all people.

The museum and Forum both have a limited number of wheelchairs available to be borrowed during your visit; they are available first-come, first-served. Visitors should ask about them at the coat check counters in each building.

Assistive-listening devices and hearing loops are available for deaf or hard-of-hearing visitors, and closed captioning and on-screen American Sign Language interpretations for digital media exhibits and films are included in the museum's galleries.

For visitors who are blind or low vision, there are tactile wayfinding maps on each level of the museum, recorded audio descriptions for films and audio-based navigation for digital media displays, braille signs and tactile stations at some museum exhibits, tactile replicas and reliefs of key artifacts in the museum and more.

If a visitor requires help from a personal care attendant or aide, that person can accompany them free of charge. A free ticket for timed entrance is required and visitors can request it in advance or on the day of their visit by contacting tickets@obama.org.

Accessible parking is available in the campus garage and accessible stalls and changing tables are available in all restrooms. There are also adult changing tables in the family restrooms in the Lower Level of the museum and in Home Court.

The center's restaurants and café have vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items marked on their menus, and food allergies and special dietary needs will be accommodated as much as possible.

There are also wellness rooms for visitors to nurse, conduct prayers or otherwise use in private, quiet areas on the lower level of the museum and the lower level of Home Court.

For more information on accessibility, a FAQ and contact information for accommodation, visit the Obama Presidential Center website.