Really great place if you're a Corvette or VW fan, or even if not! Exceptionally interesting…read morehistory and very knowledgeable people.

Really fun place to visit. And it is free to get in! Lots to look at. Classic cars. Vintage stuff…read more Fun shopping for posters, t-shirts, stickers, etc. We had a really good time! Highly recommend.

This is the old Illinois Statehouse where Abe Lincoln served in the legislature. It served as the…read morestatehouse from by 1819-1839. It was constructed in 89 days in a desperate attempt to have the state capital located in Vandalia. There is no admission charge but free will donations are suggested ($4 per person). Well worth the visit. Allow 30-60 minutes.

My cousins from W. Texas were visiting us in Central Illinois, so we ask for a tour of the…read morebeautiful Vandalia Statehouse where President Lincoln literally got his political start. A historian of incredible talent that could make the empty walls come alive gave us a tour we will never forget. The history of the building was riveting. If you are ever able to spend some time ask when a guided tour is available. You'll never forget it. Kids will especially love it.

Elsah is a darling little historical river town on the great River Road…read more Yes, it is the small town that is home to Principa College, but there is so much more in this little town. The narrow streets are filled with uniquely designed homes and businesses. While you explore the streets, you can also dine at State Street Market on LaSalle, shop at Peace Works and stopping at the Village Museum is a must. So the next time you are headed up to Grafton or Pere Marquette State Park, I recommend you do a slight detour and check out the Village of Elsah.

Darling little historical town between Alton and Grafton. Perfect for a photography trip. General…read morestore & museum are fun stops to make on your walk through the quaint, time capsule of a town. Overall a fun & charming place to visit!

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.

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.

Took our grandchildren to spend a Saturday afternoon.... they absolutely loved the experience…read more... they were able to do the detective search as an interactive activity and enjoyed looking for all of the items on the paper... both absolutely loved receiving the certificate and small prize when turning it in to the information desk... all of the staff was so great with the kids ... they took the time to stop interact and explain different areas to the kids and answered any questions they had... we will definitely be bringing them back! Editing the review as I forgot to mention the theater experiences... they were both very good and captivated the attention of a five and eight year old the whole time!

This is a small museum worth doing once…read more Both screenings were very good. The ghost screening seemed like a real actor, crazy how good it was. One gallery wasn't open. We toured the rest and took less than an hour to go through it.

Doing tourist things after hearing that this was a must visit for people with small kids. This…read morewas on the list of to-do's as we had a short weekend visit to the STL area. .....Great place to see all of the things. Not a bad time at all. We got to see play and do so MANY things all active and the girls loved the play areas ...all of them. The bathrooms were clean and strategically placed...I was pleasantly surprised. The parking is close!...& I liked the exercise...our girls napped so hard after the visit. I am in firm belief that the overall planning and logistics of this place are professionally done & handled well! This venue is a must visit if in the area and you like hands on action. The girls had a blast and that is what matters most!! 10/10 times I will return.. for the price I paid... I could see myself doing this again with a longer stay in the area! Sidenote the people in guest service station were super awesome... All workers that interacted with our family had smiles on their faces and were so helpful. I feel for the price I paid...it was well worth it! We will return! *Questions reach out* Respectfully, Bryan and Family Oklahoma City

So much fun! The first visit was nearly 10 years ago. That time was fun too…read more On my most recent visit, it was just as much fun. I think I had forgot just how many different holes and paths you could take. They've also added more stuff than I remember. They had a section roped off because they're adding yet another section. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the place as much this time around but I did. This is a must-visit when in StL but be warned, you will be tired after playing on this adult playground. The only annoyance this time is that I seem to remember that you could pay one price and get everything. This time, there was the general ticket that gives you access to 3 floors but no roof access. No pinball access. You have to pay extra for those two things. I guess extra charges make sense but just wrap the price all in one. I feel like the floors and roof should be in one ticket. There were a few times that employees came out on the roof to run people off that didn't have the appropriate color of bracelet. If you love having fun, definitely do this when visiting StL.

This place was so fun! Even though we were there for at least two hours with one year olds, I would…read moresay we went through half of what they had. I am itching to go back already, it is well-worth the price ($18 for both my child and I). There is a lot of outdoor activities, so I would go on a nice day, but there's plenty to do inside as well if you need a rainy-day activity. So many fun activities for children, from a racing car track to a large outdoor xylophone, a "tree house" and fun little pretend areas, such as a hospital (the nursery, of course) pizza parlor, a market stand with fake food. Outside has a lot of fun things for Littles to climb on and explore. We will definitely be back!

Sooo many thing to see and do! Had to leave but will come back to do more activities.read more

If you can't get your kicks on Route 66, you can at least get them at the Route 66 Museum…read more The Route 66 Museum is directly across the street from, Ariston Cafe which is the oldest restaurant on the historical Route 66. Did you know this year is the centennial of that highway? Which is a good reason to do a road trip to Litchfield and visit both places. The majority of the museum is history about the Litchfield, but there's enough about Route 66 to help you learn about this history making road and the importance it had in its hey day. The museum is run by volunteers and is free. They do have a donation box towards the entrance, so be sure to drop a few bucks in, so it can survive. Even better, be sure to buy a t-shirt or postcard in the small gift shop. Outside the museum office is a display about, Martha Jackson who made this museum a reality. One thing that I found extra cool was the display rack that had pictures of the seniors at Litchfield High School from the year Route 66 opened, to this year's graduating class. What a hoot, seeing how class pictures have changed over the years. I'll be going back soon, to take more time looking at the displays. A volunteer was painting and the smell of paint gives me migraines, so I made a quick exit.

This is such a cute museum and I definitely recommend making a stop if you're traveling on Route…read more66...intentionally. We were doing the east half of Route 66 during our most recent vacation last week and this place is listed on many of the guides. It is SO CUTE and has a ton of Route 66 memorabilia and newspaper clippings. There is also another Route 66 spot right across the street if you need to grab a bite to eat.