They were closed when we stopped by on our travel down Route 66. Even though we only got to see it…read morefrom the outside and for a quick drive around, I'm good with giving 'em a 5. It's every bit like you'd expect from an 'old prison'. It was built in the 1800's and, of course, when checking out the gate where Elwood picked up Jake in the movie Blues Brothers it looked exactly as expected. Even from the outside there's some good photo ops. Probably won't ever be in the area again, but am sure glad we had the opportunity to see it.

Tour guides are wonderful! Very friendly and knowledgeable. More than happy to spend as much time…read moreas you need answering questions and adding extra interesting bits of information.

Clean and well organized. Welcoming and helpful staff. Thought we could purchase the Passport…read morehere, 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.

First time coming here. I wanted a place to enjoy some walking around and educational sight seeing…read more 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.

IAM is a great introduction for anyone to military and civilian aviation from years gone by to…read moreplanes and stories of today. They have a fantastic open house and flying exhibitions every year. Check their website for next years open house (2026)! Great job IAM! Also, for high school aged teens , please check out their CAP Civil Air Patrol squadron! It is an official civilian branch of the USAF!!!

Very knowledgeable volunteer and interesting exhibits. Dont…read moreforget to to donate they depend on donations to stay afloa.

Loved the Growing Up Gen X exhibit! I didn't even know this branch of the Illinois museum existed…read moreuntil a post from the museum about the Gen X exhibit popped up on my Facebook feed the other day. I had missed this exhibit when it was in Springfield last year and was so happy to catch it closer to home. The entire exhibit was very well done and it was fun to show my teen things I had or used at her age. My fellow Gen X friend enjoyed it too. John was so knowledgeable about upcoming museum and town activities that I now have a list of things I want to attend in the near future. I saved the Facebook event to attend their upcoming Ferris Bueller movie showing event in a few weeks. I'm interesting in seeing the fine arts exhibit that will be replacing this one in a few weeks too.

Recently came here, what an amazing place to see a constant rotation of ever changing art every…read moremonth. There's no entry fee but donations are what keep this place going. Easy to park but it has limited hours, staff here is absolutely friendly and knowledgeable. It's very quiet and peaceful so nobody will really be bothered. If you're visiting the area too, it's great to get off at the metra stop nearby.

This was the first opportujity after landing in Chicago to purchase our Route 66 Passport and begin…read moreour drive to Santa Monica on Route 66. The facility is very clean and the employees are very helpful. They explained how it all worked and we received our first stamp. We did not take the full tour, but from what we did experience it was nice and worth the stop.

I ordered 2 golden passports for our Route 66 trip that was supposed to arrive in two days. It's…read morenow three days and the items have yet to ship. I emailed customer service twice and have yet to receive a reply. We needed them for our departure on Monday, and the 2-day shipping is what sold me on buying them from this place, now it appears I wasted $56.00. The Rock & Roll Museum did reach out to me and offered to give me two replacement books if I'm able to stop by on our way to California. I do appreciate that they looked into the issue and are willing to help us out. Thanks.

I dig museums, and this one isn't much but it's not a bad stop if you're in the area. It's a very…read morevery small museum but it does tell some of the history of the area, and that was interesting to learn a bit more about that older history, particularly the native peoples in the area. I visited because the Journeys exhibit sounded interesting, and it was small but well done. I think the other half of the exhibit, that goes more into depth about the Potawatomi, the area pre-colonization, and the overharvesting of beavers and other animals in the area, is a permanent exhibit. That was actually more interesting overall than the Journeys exhibit for me but that's mostly because I knew less of that history and information. It was cool to see an example of a Three Sisters garden, which was method of agriculture used by native folks. There's a game I love called Three Sisters and it is based upon these concepts. Squash, corn, and beans are the "three sisters"; they're known as this because of their symbiotic relationship. The corn stalks give the beans a structure upon which to climb and grow, and the nutrients in the beans nourish the soil. The squash--specifically, the leaves--provide ground cover and keep pests at bay. It's so fascinating to learn about some of these techniques that aren't practiced as much in modern day society. Not inside the museum but outside is a longhouse, a cabin, and possibly in the growing season an example of a three sisters garden. There's also walking trails and what looked like a picnic area. There's a reasonably large parking lot as well.

We went to Isle a la Cache on the day after Thanksgiving and we were disappointed to learn that the…read moremuseum and buildings were closed! With kids off from school, it seemed odd that it was shuttered for the day. That said, we walked the trails and read the educational signage. Very clean and trails are either paved, planked, or groomed. It's a nice little nature park, and we will probably try a visit again when the buildings are open. Hopefully the star rating will improve once we are able to access the exhibits!

If you are a Blues Brothers fan, or a fan of Gothic and Romanesque architecture, you will enjoy…read moreviewing the old, no-longer-in-business Joliet Prison. It dominates the landscape! You can't go inside (too bad - I would be willing to pay for tours!) but you can park in a lot, walk around outside the imposing walls, peer into a few windows and through the fences, and read the large interpretive signs. If you are in Joliet, or "doing" Route 66, this is definitely a stop to make. It will make you ponder crime and punishment in the USA.