Clean and well organized. Welcoming and helpful staff. Thought we could purchase the Passport here, but were directed to the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of fame around the corner. There is an admission to go past the lobby and gift shop and only interested in getting our passport, we took a few photos and left. Looks and feels nice though. read more

First time coming here. I wanted a place to enjoy some walking around and educational sight seeing. This place is hands down amazing for what's crammed into this museum. For a small fee, you get to immerse yourself for hours and go back in time and learn the origins of this town from an Indian trail to being part of the industrial revolution and beyond! This place features a couple of movie theaters which go very in depth which I didn't have time to get through. It's got a mock 1920s down town area, beautifully detailed area showing what it was like building the I&M canal. They even do parties with rooms downstairs and upstairs on the rooftop. read more

Exciting and great history of Joliet Illinois. The staff are amazing. The structures and presentations are fantastic. read more

Joliet Area Historical Museum - Museums Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

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Small but cute. The museum went over things and people that make this small town special. Really liked it. Brain was very helpful and friendly too. read more

Joliet Area Historical Museum - Museums Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

I had a wonderful time at this gem of a museum. The "Route 66 Experience" greets you as you walk in. My visit started with a 15 minute film about the history and notable residents from Joliet. I was fascinated to find out that former NASA engineer who played a vital role in sending astronauts to the moon, John Houbolt, grew up in Joliet. After the film, I walked around the three-story former church. Viewing pictoral stained glass windows up close on the third floor was delightful. And because I visited the day before Halloween, there were festive decorations around the museum, which added to my enjoyment. The staff was friendly and helpful. Also, many items with the Route 66 logo available for sale in the gift shop. There is free parking in the lot at the corner of Ottawa and Webster. Allow at least 45 minutes to enjoy all of the exhibits. Admission is $6 for adults. read more

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This is really a neat museum! I learned a lot about the area. I also enjoyed the Route 66 information. This is a must see and the gift shop has some great books! read more

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This is a big museum for a small city with large dreams. With a great location and rich history it makes for a fun place to frequent annually. While showcasing Rt. 66 it also preserves all that's good about the fascinating history of Joliet so is a neat adventure for anyone. read more

Joliet Area Historical Museum - "The mother road, Rt 66" #Mom - Museums Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

I was actually quite impressed by this small museum, which explains some of the history of Joliet and the surrounding area of what are now the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Once we got past the hyper ticket-selling woman in the gift shop (who was very avidly trying to herd the 6 people who were there together to go upstairs to watch the informative film), all was cool. The film was a bit heavy on pro-Joliet propaganda, not surprisingly ("it's the greatest town in the world to be from!") but it also had a lot of interesting information, which was also reflected in the exhibit beyond, which addressed, among other things: - the I&M canal - the industries of limestone quarrying and later steel (Joliet once made the most horseshoes of anywhere in the world) - daily life in old Joliet (realized through a trolley car with a video in it, composed of old photos of Joliet landmarks, so it's as if you're riding by the sites in the trolley) - "Lost Joliet" (photos of demolished old buildings) - contributions of locals in various wars - a minimal mention of the prisons, oddly - and a big paean to Route 66 in the lobby There are also statues of the Blues Brothers to pose with, a photo booth where you can email pictures of yourself to friends, and a special exhibit room (at this time the exhibit was on rug-making). For a town Joliet's size, I think they did a good job with this endeavor. It doesn't take too long to go through, and it's always interesting to learn something about the area in which one lives. A worthwhile visit. read more

Stopped here on my solo road trip on Route 66 this past summer. Didn't really take the time to see everything the museum had to offer because I had time constraints so I only perused the main floor's Route 66 exhibit. Had weird racist encounter with old lady tour guide. She acted like she didn't want to let me in as I was the first one there when they opened. Very friendly older man who was with her said to go in; she snarled at me and said, "I guess it's ok." Once inside, she never engaged with me but as soon as some white travelers came in, she welcomed them, gave them the whole spiel and a tour of the Route 66 exhibit. As this was my first stop on the Route, it was a little off-putting but the young ladies in the gift shop were very nice. read more

Visted Joliet Museum Sept 2011, the lady on the ticket counter/gift shop was super helpful and a credit to the museum, other staff were also very good. The museum itself is certainly worth the visit and as we were touring the USA by motorcycle the route 66 T shirts were a must have as was a picture with the route map. We would love to visit again should we pass through the area. Paul and Rachel - Western Australia read more

I used the "Route 66 Experience" as a starting point for my Route 66 trip. We had stopped a other locations closer to Chicago when we could. We didn't check out the rest of the museum so I can only speak for the Route 66 Experience. The Route 66 Experience is contained in the lobby area of the museum. it contains a good variety of information on the history of the Mother Road, plus a gift shop with some Route 66 merchandise. If you are planning on a trip down the Main Street of America, I suggest stopping in and checking things out. read more

This place was pretty cool! Blues Brothers. 'Nough said. Don't forget your black shades and fedora for an awesome photo op! For those that need a little more substance to this review, the rest of this is for you. Free parking is available in the lot off of Ottawa and Weber which is right down the street, hardly half a block away. There is a sign that tells you this lot is for museum parking as well, so it's pretty easy to find in my opinion. When you walk in the front, you are greated by someone that simultaneously mans the ticket counter and the gift shop. I went on Colombus Day which happens to be the day this museum was opened. So they made that day one of their free days. I've noticed that past reviewers here say that an adult ticket is $6, however the website actually says $7. So double-check their site to be sure. I have also noticed that previous reviewers have mentioned that they were somehow made to see a 15 minute presentation about the history of Joliet. While the man did offer to run the film for us, we politely declined for this trip so that we can have enough time to see the rest of the museum. So I guess it depends on who's manning the window, but I got the impression that the introduction was optional. In retrospect, I probably should have watched it first because there were many exhibits that seemed to play into a story of Joliet that might be provided by the movie. So I would recommend seeing it just in case I missed something there. John Huboult exhibit was mind-blowing! The two rooms, one on the second floor and the other directly above on the third, were surprisingly small but dense with information! Those of you who want to know how Neil Armstrong was able to make history should see the unsung hero that put him there. Absolutely exceptional! Then you can move on to find out why Joliet is known as the City of Stone and Steel. Be warned, there is a LOT of reading to do. Something I am VERY grateful for! I'm tired of looking at an object and the only explanation you get is that dinky looking notecard at the side that barely says what it is, when it was made, and if you're very lucky, who made it. I actually felt that I could appreciate the history of Joliet; or at least a little bit. In that same room, and as you go up to the third floor, you will appreciate the history of the building itself as you come across stained-glass windows featuring images of Christianity. As I love that kind of art work, I spent a lot of time on them. Perhaps too much time because I very nearly ran out of time since the museum was going to close at 5PM. Still, time well spent in my appreciation. There is more on that level, however I breezed through them in the interest of time and being unaware of what else the museum had to offer. So I will certainly be back at some point in the future to explore further. In the meantime, this review is as deep as I can honestly be. In short, great musuem! Would be worth the $7 if I came on any other day than Colombus Day. Be sure to have ample time to read through things. I am actually odd because I spend a lot of time in museums anyway, but just to be sure you know there are plenty of things to appreciate. read more

Nice little space in the heart of the city. They offer lots of family activities on conjunction with the public library and also host dinner and dancing evening events just like the Chicago museums do read more

Incredible. BUT super haunted. I had to leave early because I was so freaked out (I went alone, so it made it worse). So I recommend this for two reasons: 1. If you want to learn a lot of cool things about Joliet (the tour guide was brilliant) OR ... 2. If you are really like playing 'ghost hunter', this place is definitely for you. read more

Had a nice time at the Joliet Area Historical Museum. It was much more interesting and informative that I thought it would be. Very pleasant surprise. read more

Nice little museum, although we could have done without the (maybe?) mandatory video. The Blues Brothers statue is cool, as is the statue of Santa Fortunata, which is downstairs. The gift shop is nice too, similar to other places along old 66. read more

This museum is a treasure in downtown Joliet. I have visited many times and will go many more. The admission is reasonable but they also have free days throughout the year. In addition to great exhibits and programming, they are also very involved in the community. Don't miss out on this great and fun museum! read more

"Always take our visitors here" This is always a must see for house guests from out of town. We usually take visitors here for a one stop history lesson on Joliet, they also have special exhibits and events that are constantly changing. The staff is always very helpful and accommodating! Becoming a member is the best way to go, not only are you supporting a great cause... it's also a great value read more

We visited the 'route 66 experience' here. Some cool photo-ops and a really friendly lady telling you everything you need to know. Next to that it wasn't anything special but it were a fun 15 minutes. read more

Small but amazing!!! So much to see and you learn so much! People of all ages would love this little hide away. I cannot wait to go again

Fantastic museum, especially for the low admission cost. There are many interesting exhibits and information. I spent about four hours in there and still felt like I didn't see enough. The staff is super friendly and helpful, with an awesome gift shop. I just wishared there was more information about the very early history of joliet and the discoverers. read more

Unfortunately I came at a time when there was a comic book convention so I didn't get to see a lot of the exhibits with an unobstructed lense. But what little I did get to see of the museum was very nice. The museum is very clean and very organized. The staff was amazing! Even though this particular employee was off duty, he took the time to show me the kiosk for the Route 66 information. He was very knowledgeable about the various ways to connect to the historic route. I especially liked the historical film strip. I also enjoyed the diversity of the exhibits. Some of the exhibits featuring audio were very outdated. The sound bits were jumbled and inaudible....they just were not working properly. I will return to this Museum in the near future but I will make sure that there's nothing else going on so that I may take everything in with an unobstructed lens. The entry price was a nominal $6 which is a bargain. read more

If you are looking for a unique place to host your wedding, the Joliet Area Historical Museum is a great find! The amazing rooftop setting was an awesome place to host our reception and live band. Guest loved taking photos throughout the various exhibits, and the recently renovated auditorium was a perfect place to host our dinner. The staff is incredibly helpful, they let us set up the night before and take down a day after. That's rare to find in a venue location! All of our guests kept commenting on how cool and unique the museum was and the different exhibits made for some awesome photographs! I would highly, highly recommend the Joliet Area Historical Museum for a wedding. We loved everything about it! Thanks to everyone we worked with! You guys are the best. read more

Very unexpected. Super nice , great exhibits , beautiful building. I would totally go again.

Went as a field trip chaperone and was delighted with the tour and fact scavenger hunt. Very educational and even adults learn something new. The artifacts are very interesting and the tours are informational. Definitely more appropriate for children age 8 and up and adults. read more

We went here for a wedding and I was amazed! Really cool little museum, and the rooftop reception was awesome! One of the best wedding venues I've been to hands down. Felt intimate and special. Lots for wedding guests to see and do. read more