This museum isn't very big and can probably be walked through in right around an hour, but it is a…read morehidden gem. The museum is housed in the old Batavia Train Depot (hence the name!) and does a great job introducing the importance of the early railroad on the area. Some of the displays include an original caboose that you can walk through, a very cool reproduced ticket counter, a working Western Union morse code station, Mary Todd Lincoln's bed and dresser (she was treated at a nearby sanitarium after Abe's assassination), and, in the basement, an exhibit on the general history of the area. Check back often, as they have periodic presentations, as well. My kids absolutely loved the one on antique toys and games the museum put on this past summer. It's an inexpensive way to get the family out and about!

This is a great place to visit and learn about local history. From initial settlement, through the…read moreMary Todd Lincoln years, and up to recent history like Furnas Electric, the Depot Museum has something for everyone. There is also an extensive library for people who are researching their families.

How lucky are we to live in a city that house the incredible, iconic, and historic artwork that…read morefinds a home within The Art Institute of Chicago. I've been here many-a-time throughout my years. Some highlights include: Georgia O'Keefe's NYC series and Henry Matisse's Jazz cutouts. Come here to see other classics such as American Gothic, Nighthawks, and A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. You can spend a full day here, so plan accordingly. Also, if you live in Chicago or Illinois, consult your public library for free passes!

The decision to go to Chicago meant that I immediately began looking up landmarks from movies that…read moreI love, so obviously we had to make a trip to The Art Institute of Chicago. And was it incredible to stand in front of A Sunday on La Grande Jatte after watching Ferris Bueller for decades? Of course. It was an awe-inspiring experience that gave me literal goosebumps and even got me a little emotional. But the rest of The Art Institute is incredible, too. We barely scratched the surface and yet managed to see several iconic paintings -- including American Gothic and that famous Van Gogh self-portrait. Obviously we should've planned more than a couple of hours in the place. I feel like you could spend a week wandering around the place and you'd still feel like you hadn't seen everything. I really can't wait to go back someday.

It is very small but alot of animals and birds behind glass that are stuffed. Very inpresses as a…read moreadult.

Another Sunday with my sister in law in charge of how we spend our day. She is famous for finding…read morethese obscure museums and the like to check out. Of course, they are usually closed when we get there, but this time we lucked out. The Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum at Benedictine University is really quite impressive. It's not very large, but they have a considerable collection of specimens. Taxidermied and preserved animals ranging from glass coral to polar bear. Not only are the specimens very well preserved (they put the sad furballs at the Field Museum to shame), but since most of the collection isn't behind glass you can get a really good look at them. If I didn't have the respect for museums that a Montessori school instills in a child I would be able to share a picture of me kissing a lion with you, that's how close you can get to them. The museum is located on the 2nd floor of the Birck Hall of Science. When we arrived the lights were off and we assumed Sue had confused their hours, but apparently they turn the lights on when someone arrives! We found the entrance and the docent welcomed us and turned on the lights. There is an annex across the hall with a dozen or so more stuffed creatures to check out. Aside from their impressive and well displayed collection the next best thing about this place...it's free! Free parking and free admission.

Cool discovery center. Great for ages 1-99. Lots of cool animals (I didn't take any pics tho,…read moresorry!). They have a rabbit, snakes, turtles, tortoises, fish, and even a tarantula (not my favorite). My daughter and I went for a birthday party and we had the place to ourselves. I was very surprised at how big the animal exhibit area was. Lots of things to learn about, watch, and discuss. The floor to ceiling windows overlooking the prairie land was wonderful. We were there in early December and winter birds were happily flying back and forth to the feeders and enjoying themselves. We will definitely be going back!!! It was a little hard to find because it's VERY deep into the property but not impossible to find. Just keep driving and you'll get there.

I went to Hickory Knolls Discovery Center for a wedding. It was a very pretty space with indoor and…read moreoutdoor options. They were originally supposed to have the wedding outside, but it was raining, so they weren't able to do that. Personally, I thought brining the wedding inside made it even better! They have displays and little exhibits talking about the wild life in the area. The space is open which left a ton of room for dancing and just interacting. The pictures outside were very pretty as there was a lot of greenery to work with.

Haven't been since last summer but excited to visit again. Very cute museum with lots of input from…read morethe community, cool art and lots to learn about the surrounding area.

From the owner: We are the oldest museum in the State of Illinois built to be a museum, that is still in operation…read moreas such. Our building is a neo-Classic architectural gem, designed by David Postle.

This place never gets old. I've been going here since a toddler. Recently I've seen the Spider-Man…read moreexhibit with my grandson and me had a blast. Brought me back to old times. Being able to see outfits and paraphernalia, and read things about Stan Lee and how great his mind worked was impressive. The last exhibit I saw was the James Bond exhibit. This two was outstanding. I wish I had known it was two separate rooms because I left the first one and thought it was it before tumbling upon the second room which had even bigger and better things. It's impressive how they had the James Bond car on display. I ended up buying quite a bit of James Bond paraphernalia at the end and wear it to this day.

My husband and I visited from Baltimore specifically to see the German U-505 submarine. The sub…read moretour was an extra $18 tacked onto the museum general admission price but it was worth it. I can not imagine 59 men packed into a sub with 1 bathroom and sharing bunk space. I'm slightly claustrophobic but the tour was only about 30 minutes and the distance toured was short. I can't imagine living on it for an extended period. We spent about 2 extra hours touring the rest of the museum but it must have been a field day for local schools, as it was packed with children. My second favorite exhibit was touring the Pioneer Zephyr train.

Run by Veterans who know their history, this small Military Air Museum is a must see for airplane…read morebuffs and all veterans. You'd miss it if you blink while you're driving past, but take the time to stop and witness the nostalgia within these relics. It's worth the stop and shouldn't be ignored.

A place for fans of war memorabilia and aviation, we were fortunate to have a tour guide that…read moreprovided information beyond our expectations. They have a painting created by a Tuskegee airman and a section on women aviators. This museum is private so expect to pay a fee and wear clothes that you won't mind getting dusty.

Beautiful.Lots of unknown history.I didn't know this existed and I was born in the area.Went to…read moremuseum and coming back for Japanese Gardens.

This was a fun experience with a lot of spots to take photos, facts about ice cream, and…read moreinteractive elements that are fun for both kids and adults! There's even a sprinkle pool at the end that you can jump into. In the museum, you can have unlimited ice cream and, honestly, their ice cream was delicious, smooth, and creamy we first tried a seasonal flavor, the lavender honey, and I was actually surprised by how yummy it was. It balanced both the honey and lavender well; the lavender flavor was not overwhelming and the honey helped with the smoothness of the cream. There's a cocktail bar there, so we also got the 'Cherry on Top' drink and an espresso martini. Honestly both tasted pretty standard. In the exhibits, we tried the ice cream hot dog, where the mustard and relish were actually real mustard and relish. Surprisingly, the savory components paired well with the vanilla ice cream and the bun itself was soft and chewy. I also tried a flavor called "playdoh", it was yellow colored with some chewy candy-like elements in it. Just tasted like vanilla, the candy elements were mildly sweet and added texture. Honestly was pretty tasty, just because the quality of the ice cream was just that good. Overall, a goofy and scrumptious time, I wish we had more time to eat more of the ice cream flavors. Would definitely go again and take my time.

I'm not sure why some of these reviews were bad. This place was so fun! You'll pay $15 for ice…read morecream in Chicago anyway so why not pay 2x that & get a fun experience! We went as a family of 4. There were so many cute photo ops, lots of free ice cream in normal flavors & fun little games to play in several of the rooms. Be cheery, have fun & you'll have a blast. We spent about 90 minutes here.