Another five star review. There are three museums to tour here: the house; the rock and gem museum;…read moreand apparently the farm tools. Figure an hour per museum; I only had time for two. The docent lives on-site and is passionate about the Funk family; there was almost too much information about the family (perhaps as I was touring the house with two Funk family members in town for a reunion). I've toured a lot of Victorian houses, but one of the things that's interesting about this one is the amount of innovation you'll see highlighted here. This starts in the garden, where there is a small power plant (the farm had electricity in the early 1900s, before parts of Chicago), and is continued as you learn to know the family, whether they be inventors of hybrid seeds, or rock afficianados. Unlike many houses, here you can get close to things; there are no velvet ropes or plastic barriers, except one to keep you out of the servants' stairs. So you can look close up at the hat pins or beaded bags on the dressers. Ask questions - you can't stump this docent. (We had a discussion about concrete and its use in the fence and the caretaker's building which was really quite interesting. If you have engineer friends, they will love this tour.) The rock museum features some truly impressive fossils, some of which you might be allowed to touch! There's a dragonfly fossilized in ash; coprolite (look it up), and dinosaur bone (apparently fairly common?). There's a whole wall of different types of calcite; giant gorgeous blue and purple fluorite specimens; lit-from-the-back beautiful agates and rubies in zoisite; and in the NEXT room (!) two or three cabinets of beautiful Chinese carved soapstone, and a collection of sleighs. The finale is a cabinet full of fluorescing rocks, including melted glass from a nuclear reactor. Made me wish this museum had a gift shop, though the docent will be happy to give you recommendations for good local rock shops. This is a really great museum hidden in the cornfields. Worth a trip - I drove two hours to get here, thinking I was coming for the rocks, but the house was almost/ just as good.

Totally recommended - A wonderfully preserved house and grounds and our guide was able to bring the…read morewhole place to life with his insight and knowledge of the Funk family and their incredible history - and then in the Gem Museum we saw further dimensions to him as he walked us through this small fragment ( 20% ) of the massive and impressive collection gathered from all corners of the World.

The Route 66 Museum is great and close to the other attractions in Atlanta. There is a pride in…read moretheir history that shows. Every one we spoke with at every stop in town was kind and knowledgeable.

It has been celebrated in song, story, poem, and yes, even a Route 66 TV show (1960-1964); historic…read moreU.S. Route 66 was established in 1926 and ran east-west across the central United States. According to the popular song "Route 66" by John Mayer "...it winds from Chicago to LA, more than two thousand miles all the way". 2448 miles or 3,940 KM to be precise. Tourist attractions designed to get a motorist to take a break from their journey (and spend some cash) along "the mother road" or the "main street of America" are scattered here and there among the small towns that are found along Route 66. One of these attractions is the Route 66 Arcade Museum located in the prototypical small town of Atlanta, IL. At the Route 66 Arcade Museum it is possible to misspend your youth all over again; one quarter at a time! The Museum is chock full of vintage pinball and video games from the 1930's-1970's. The Route 66 Arcade Museum is only open during the tourist season April through September. The museum is opened and closed by a third party but is usually open from 9am 4pm in season. Hours are currently impacted by IL state COVID-19 regulations for entertainment businesses so please check before your visit.

A must see in Springfield, Ill The Abraham Lincoln…read morePresidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in American history, the United States President or Abraham Lincoln. It is located in downtown Springfield, and consists of two main structures: the Museum and the Library. We parked in the multi-story parking garage just to the north and west of the museum. The museum and the library was a short, easy walk away. I think the museum is the star of the visit since it contains far more to see and experience. From the moment we entered, we were warmly greeted by a friendly volunteer at the front desk. The entire facility serves as a wonderful tribute to one of America's greatest presidents, many would argue the greatest. The exhibits are thoughtfully designed and take visitors through the various eras of Lincoln's life, from his early years through his presidency and legacy. I think one of the highlights is the excellent short film presentation in the Archives area. It is located to the right as you enter. It's a well-produced show that beautifully explains the importance of preserving historical documents and artifacts. And that is just one of the exhibits. There is simply so much to explore here that you could easily spend an entire day (or multiple days) just trying to see and absorb everything. Overall, the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was wonderful and well worth the visit. Whether you're a history buff or just passing through Springfield, this is a great educational experience that brings Lincoln's story to life in a meaningful way. I definitely recommend this to anyone in the area.

Well worth the time (give yourself at least 90 minutes) and the price of admission. The displays…read moreare well done and informative. The docents/volunteers are excellent, everyone that we talked to was warm, informed and clearly enjoyed their time with us patrons. The day we were there two musicians were playing period music. They were very good, and while it did get a little personally annoying, it did really put you in time and place for the subjects. Both of the relatively short theater presentations are worthwhile, so plan accordingly so you can watch both. There was one display depicting the slavery auction block. It is a gut punch to anyone with a human heart, regardless of your outer wrapping.

Awesome museum with 9 permanent exhibits and a rotating special exhibit in the Campbell Gallery…read more Admission is free which is incredible given the quality of the museum. This museum is both larger and nicer than many museums that have paid admission around Illinois, and also feature some interactive components as well. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Champaign area as a fun place to spend an afternoon learning. This is also a great spot to visit if you're looking for something to do while dining nearby, or to spend inside on a hot summer day.

My husband and I visited The William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum while at the University of…read moreIllinois. There are six permanent galleries, each one features the history and art of a different continent. There is also a temporary exhibit space. When we were there the temporary exhibit was on the first Farm Aid, held at Memorial Stadium. The museum was very enjoyable. I loved how many different things I could see in a hour. The best partwas that admission free!

I highly recommend this place. The most that games cost is 75 cents. A majority of them cost 50…read morecents. They have the Starwars Trilogy Arcade from the 90's, Ferrari F355 Challenge that uses a lifelike gear box and a clutch pedal, and many more. My kids and I had a blast.

Always a fun time. We love playing all the old school arcade games, bring back so many 80's…read more memories.

Adorable little shopping location for the kiddos! The staff help me pick out a gift for the kid I…read moream babysitting. Shoutout to employees for going above and beyond!

My daughter LOVES it here. It's most definitely worth the drive and fun in the summer time to stay…read morecool!

Honestly, this museum is so well done! I was so excited and impressed! There are multiple floors of…read moreexhibits that cover the gamut of McLean County history from agriculture to civil rights to local celebrities and innovators! I really enjoyed the rotating exhibits, too, you can tell a lot of work and care was put in, and everything was well-maintained and recent. Volunteers are there to help, too, would highly recommend a visit!

This is a history museum on par with counties that have 5x the population of McLean County, IL…read more There was an entry level slightly below ground with information and a few exhibits with people to explain where best to go and where exhibits were. Then there are three floors that had multiple rooms with different themes such as farming, Abraham Lincoln, jobs in Central Illinois, and even a little kids area to play as if they were on a farm. in total, I counted eleven different rooms - and we spent 3.5 hours there. Some of the exhibits can get a bit wordy; if you read it all - you'd be there all day - but that's great for a deep dive for stuff you're interested in.

We had such a wonderful time visiting the David Davis Mansion. Our tour guide, Jeff, gave us a long…read moreand detailed tour that was both informative and engaging. He was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and made the history of the mansion come alive. One highlight was learning about David Davis's close connection to Abraham Lincoln, which added an even deeper historical significance to our visit. That piece of history was fascinating and memorable. We highly recommend the David Davis Mansion to anyone visiting Bloomington. It's a beautiful historic home with a rich story, and with guides like Jeff, you're guaranteed an excellent experience.

We toured the David Davis Mansion on a chilly December afternoon. There was one else there for a…read moretour so we had our own private tour. The mansion was beautiful and decorated for Christmas. The house has many artifacts that are true to the Davis family. We learned a treasure of information from our tour guide Jeff. He was able to answer both of our questions and we had many of them. Jeff was able to tailor the tour to our interests providing a personalized experience. This tour of an exquisite mansion was top-notch due to Jeff and his wealth of knowledge and pleasant personality.

This listing is for a specific exhibit within the McLean County history museum. The exhibit itself…read moreis free and has a lot of interesting information! We happened to visit on a Saturday during the farmers market, a time during which the full museum (essentially the whole building) is free as well! (Otherwise adults are $5 and seniors over 65 are $4). We were very impressed by this local museum and would compare it to the museum at the St. Louis Arch. Educational with lots of artifacts and some interactive portions - great for history buffs and families! The building itself is also beautiful architecturally inside and out which we enjoyed. Lots of cool things in the gift shop, including the bean pots that Steak n Shake used to sell baked beans in prior to removing them from their menus during the pandemic (RIP to my favorite fast food restaurant side). They also sell and stamp the Route 66 and National Park passports here. Definitely worth a stop!

From the owner: Cruisin' With Lincoln on 66 is a Route 66 and Abraham Lincoln themed Visitors Center and Gift Shop…read morethat celebrates Bloomington-Normal's rich, historical connection to both Route 66 and Abraham Lincoln through an interpretive exhibit. We also provide tourist assistance for travelers of today, along with many original gifts and souvenirs, often crafted by local artists and craftspeople.

We've lived here for just over a year, but my husband and I had never visited the KAM…read more We stopped by here on a Saturday afternoon. It was a nice, quiet visit. Museum was well staffed with security. Superbly clean. It took us a little over an hour to walk through the various rooms. Several of the rooms were empty, awaiting new exhibits. I'd probably come back again when the academic year is in full swing. My favorite part of this visit was the Blue and White Ceramics exhibit they have on display. There are many great pieces of art to see, though. Ellnora Krannert was extremely generous and numerous pieces in the museum are thanks to her. I wouldn't recommend this museum to children under 13-14, unless the kids/tweens/teens are really into art, art history, etc. I just think the little ones would be bored. You can visit KAM's online calendar to see if they ever offer children's programming. (Head to the Spurlock Museum if you're on campus with little ones instead.) Highly recommend KAM to anyone else. We're very fortunate to have an art museum of this caliber in our community. Summertime is the perfect opportunity to explore these locations on campus. Checkout my other Champaign-Urbana museum reviews, too!

Great museum on a terrific college campus. I know it doesn't get the attention the sports…read morefacilities do but it should. Check it out next time you are in C-U. It is a great way to recharge your batteries and let the power of art soothe your soul.