Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events in Chicago with kids

Make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day more than just a Monday off from school by taking advantage of the city's educational and cultural opportunities.

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Gage Park High School project brings Chicago's civil rights, King history to residents' fingertips

Open Mic Night: I Have a Dream, Dr. King!FREE

Chicago Children's Museum | Chicago
January 12, 5-8 p.m.

Express your dreams for freedom and fairness through poetry and freedom songs, and read excerpts of Dr. King's famous speech, then write a letter to Dr. King.

Chicago Blues Audio Tour

Most of Chicago's famous (or infamous!) blues clubs are strictly 21+ but you can walk your way through a PG history of the Chicago blues scene with an audio walking tour from the city's tourism bureau. Narrated by blues legend Buddy Guy, this free podcast explores ten historic blues sites including Maxwell Street, Record Row, and the former home of Muddy Waters.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration concertFREE

Nichols Concert Hall, Music Institute of Chicago | Evanston
January 15, 5 p.m.

Music Institute of Chicago's annual concert features 100-plus voices of the Brother Chorale of the Apostolic Church of God, performing traditional and contemporary gospel and jazz arrangements.

Free admission to Skydeck for anyone named Martin

Skydeck Chicago | Chicago
Event date: January 17, 2010
Times: Open 10 a.m.-8 p.m

Any Martins out there? Middle and last names count. If so, then you're in luck this weekend. The Willis Tower Skydeck is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day by offering free admission to anyone whose first, middle or last name is Martin.

"What Does It Mean, Dr. King?" brings holiday to life at Chicago Children's Museum

Chicago Children's Museum | Chicago
Event date: January 17, 2010
Times: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.

An interactive play at the museum this Monday helps kids understand why they have the day off from school. Read our review and learn what one 8-year-old Chicagoan in the play hopes kids take away.

I Have a Dream

Theatre at the Center | Munster
January 18, 7 p.m.

This production is a dramatization of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A surprise guest speaker will follow the public performance.

Follow the Drinking Gourd

Pilcher Park Nature Center | Joliet
January 28, 2 and 6 p.m.

This program offers a glimpse into what fugitive slaves endured on their trip to freedom. Participants will become passengers on the Underground Railroad, and learn about looking for signs of danger, the importance of quilts, why spirituals were sung, and other secret codes. Register by Jan. 22.