Both a History of Benton and Franklin County History both Good and Bad Worth the entry fee.read more

This 1905 Franklin County Jail Museum is a very interesting walk through Benton's history…read more Featuring one of the last public executions in Illinois of Charlie Berger, this museum has original noose, weapons, newspaper articles and other historical documentation. When you walk into the house, you enter a beautiful, classic early 1900s home. A very welcoming home with reconstructed living room and kitchen. Prepare to be surprised! It is only when you near the back of the house that you find the white, rusted heavy iron door. Open this door and you enter a cold, dark realm that even Tim Burton couldn't recreate. Perhaps a hundred years for rusting and paint chipping contributes to the overall gloom. These are the prison cells that inspire modern day fiction. All the windows have bars. And the view from the outermost window is of the gallows. These gallows have been recreated in the position they originally stood. There are multiple rooms of cells which you can enter and take photos of. Don't use the toilets, though. They are a bit old. :) Escape back into the semblance of normalcy of the house and head upstairs to take in additional Benton history. The normal bathroom is up there: very clean. When the Beatles FIRST came to America, this is where they played. The museum curator stated that she was a young girl when they arrived: "We had no idea who they were...They weren't known in America at the time, but we all hurried to get a look. We didn't end up seeing them though." There is civil war paraphernalia and an autographed photo of town local John Malkovich. I highly recommend this location! The curator is very knowledgeable and friendly. The location is a few miles off the nearby highway.

October 23, 2021 Wow…read morethis place is so cool! What a perfect stop to let the kids run about on this rainy day. Downstairs is designed more for younger kids. Upstairs designed more for kids 8 and above. Supervision is mandatory. Lots of themed rooms for kids to learn through play. There's a garden room with big water tables. An auto shop for the car enthusiasts. A farm where you can "milk"a cow (fake cow &water). A grocery store where the kids can shop and be the cashier. A veterinarian pet shop. Fire department. Well baby check office. There are cool tubes with air that suck up handkerchiefs and tunnel above your head and shoot out from the ceiling. Musical rooms. Hair styling room. A theater room complete with a stage and curtain! There's a Lego wall. And rubber band wall to make art. A small real plane to climb in and imagine flying over fields. Really too much to list. But wow! Great entertainment for kids (and parents) of all ages. Covid19 protocol: Bathrooms were clean. Hands sanitizer was placed all over both upstairs and downstairs. Employees wore masks. Patrons were strongly recommended to wear masks, although most didn't. Staff picked up several times while we were there.. although i didn't notice any surface cleaning. Now my cooty radar was a little high, but i get that way in any type of kids play area. I made sure my kids sanitized hands after each room and we washed hands before leaving. Lots of touchable surfaces. Pre pandemic, i wouldn't think much about it, but current pandemic, I just am a little more leery. So go with that in mind. And don't come if you or anyone is sick. Above all.. ENJOY! Very cool place.

discovery is the best place a child could ask for it's so relatable to the real life just much…read morecooler I love discovery so much !

For a quick visit and to stretch your legs during a long drive, this place is great. Kids' activity…read moreroom has several hands-on ways to do art. Lego mosaics, a huge Lite-Brite type board (for those of you who remember those), and a life size horse sculpture you can reassemble. Oh, and it's free. Outdoor sculpture garden covers about an acre and has many large sculptures kids can run among. My two boys, 7 and 10, would have liked to stay longer. Permanent exhibit is small but has some notable artists, like Mary Casatt. Not sure if I was supposed to pay for going in that room? Oops. Temp exhibit for next couple months is photos of rock stars, plus autographed guitars from the collection of a local radio guy. Costs $5 and my wife opted for me not to see it. Some of the guitars are hanging in the main lobby, like Clapton's and BB King's. Not that you would drive to Mt. Vernon *just* to see it, but if you are passing thru on I-64, give it a look for an hour or so.

Well worth a visit. Frequently changing displays and great special events. Not too near the hotels,…read morebut only about a mile away. A pleasant little walk.

Very nice local museum with many items of general interest. I am very interested in George Rogers…read moreClark and William Clark so a visit to this museum was a must. They did have two small displays with some original pieces. There is much more to the museum than the Clark's though. If you love history a visit is a must.

This was a really great little find as I was exploring the downtown area near the riverfront. I was…read moreon a paddle wheeler that was docked just a little bit away. This was right across from a hop-on hop-off stop, but nobody mentioned it and I almost missed it. They have a pretty diverse array of items on display ranging from old artifacts of the civil war, old police memorabilia and clothing a furniture from the last century. Overall, a very interesting and well documented collection and deserving of more attention. The staff person was extremely welcoming and warm and made me feel right at home. If you have just a few minutes to spare or a bit more, take the opportunity to check out this little museum. It is the in the middle of the Market place and it looks for all the world like an old train station. You need to enter on the second street side.

This museum was absolutely magnificent. Paducah was a stop on our American Cruise Line…read moreMississippi River cruise and I wasn't sure what we were going to do here but after visiting multiple museums in the area, this was our last stop. I was absolutely mesmerized by all the beautiful quilts. There were a few featured artists and their work was absolutely amazing. They have everythng displayed so beautifully and because it was not too busy, there is a certain comfort level here. I saw incredible patterns, colors, stitching and in some cases, mixed media. I have never really paid much attention to this art form and found out just what I was missing. I have some pictures of the overall quilt then close up where you can see the incredible stitch-work. When you come, make sure you visit view the "wood quilt." I could not believe what I was looking at and they have a small sample that you can actually pick up and view. They explained that during their annual show / convention they have upwards of 30,000 people visiting this museum. Quite the feat in a town that has a population of 26,700+. Their gift shop / supply store also seemed pretty robust and I'm sure that many people get their hard-to-find supplies from here. I could not recommend this museum enough for a visit. I am confident that you too will walk out in awe of the amazing work here. KUDOs to the amazing team who curate, represent and volunteer their time at the The National Quilt Museum.

Wow!! This work here is breathtaking. I was amazed. They also have an outstanding gift shop.read more

Not worth the money!! $22.50 Wasted!! so disorganized and not worth the trip!! Maybe children under…read more12 would enjoy. But why make parents pay!!

My granddaughter just had her 8th birthday party at the science center. She invited all her…read morefriends, their siblings (one was 3 weeks old) and parents. It was a blast and educational too. They played in the main area before going to the party room for a very entertaining science presentation. Even the adults got to take a ride on the hover board. We provided the food and the favors. It was the best birthday party ever!

This was a great experience. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and informative. It was well…read moreworth the lite fee to step back into time.

The tour guide named Faith was awesome! She is very good at her job and explaining everything. She…read moredeserves a raise and a promotion. Very fun to talk to and answers questions effectively and in a way I can understand. Super cool definitely will go again!