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.

This Fire Museum is something to behold. What a fabulous place to learn the history of our Fire…read moreFighters whether volunteer or full time. Incredible history in the exhibits and the building itself. Very well done. Megan was an amazing host and welcoming party. Make sure to ask for the stories around the wood water main! Highly recommended.

Great place for those who love firemen and fire trucks. There were even some things that the kids…read morecould touch and interact with. The employee was very friendly and helpful.

A nice short trip from the city with family friendly atmosphere. Walking grounds, gardens and…read moremuseum to check out.

Loved the theme of "Wicked" for the experience! Listening to the music from the movies and the…read morechoreographed displays while walking thru the park was breathtaking! Add the smell of fires burning, the fresh snow, and the laughter of children - and i was transported to my childhood in MN. My only feedback was that there were areas that didn't get cleared, so they were inaccessible to the public. As they were listed in the attraction, I was disappointed to not be able to experience them. Especially when there was nothing at the beginning letting us know that parts were closed.

The Villa Museum was closed when we visited early April. However the grounds is still a pleasant…read moresite to walk around.

Very underwhelming. If you do not live nearby, it's not worth the drive. Took only about 5 to 10…read moreminutes to walk through the garden. The positives are that garden and parking is free.

While this says "museum", it is two train cars sitting on a small train track. There are signs…read moreshowing fun facts about the area and a small parking lot. Overall it's a great little side quest to visit if you're in the area. Since it is all outside, there is no actual opening or closing time.

I really wouldn't call this a museum, it's more like looking at preserved history. Off of the minor…read moreroute 66 alignment you'll find this caboose and this very rare train station (it was originally placed a mile and a half from this site) and you can read all of the history that's has been beautifully preserved here. It has parking and it's welcomed for patrons too if you're going to eat at the place next door. Highly recommend for history buffs like myself!

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.

No where does it say it's closed to the public on the website. When we pulled up asking to see the…read morebison the security guard very rudely said "nope. We're closed. Turn around".

The weird building where all these lectures tend to occur needs an update IMO…read more The topics and speakers get me there... adding a 45min trek to the boonies after work... But the chairs in the lecture hall... who knew dwarves and hobbits liked going to Fermi? I mean, if you are over 5' tall its like hell... or economy on Spirit with 12" legroom. Dunno about you, but I am NOT a FAN to have 2" distance between your knees and someone's scalp. And VV for my scalp. BONUS: You get cookies and milk/juice after each lecture. AND there is free WiFi (2x) access!

Museum is great for kids younger than 5 years Water table…read morefeature is fantastic! However the cafe can use some improvement We orders macaroni and cheese it was a small bowl about 4 " with bunch of noodles & cheese thrown on top and as a side a dried up mandarin for close to $ 7 you can do better Ended up not eating

We visited here on first night when driving to Chicago last week. Parking was fine since a few…read morehours before closing. The cafe in basement was closed. The first floor looked like tornado went through. Honestly earlier time of 4pm closing is probably when staff does cleaning and sorting. It is too bad there isn't cleaning and sorting throughout the day. A lot of exhibits are for older kids so my son didn't find much interested in it. Outdoors was tinker lab with bubbles which closed early at 3pm. 2nd floor was quieter and not as crowded. There were a few places for baby play area. Overall we were underwhelmed with this. Kohl children museum had outdoor play area which looked better which we visited the next day. This is closer to our hotel but not much for our son's interest. This is better probably when he is older.

This is a small one room museum on the history of St. Charles. They really need some more space;…read morethey're set up in an old gas station. One enters through the gift shop; there is a timeline set up that one follows through the room, with several standalone glass cases, and a few cases shoved up against the walls behind the railing showing the timeline. A few costumes (half a dozen) are featured, including a reproduction Civil War uniform and some authentic World War 1 uniforms, a flapper dress and a dress Miss USA 1977 wore during her reign. Standout pieces include an old dentist's chair with various items from a dental office and a beautiful woven cane baby carriage with beautiful lace trim on the canopy. Do spend a minute to stop at the tiny pickle display to read about how St. Charles was the Pickle Capital of the World, even though no pickles were ever made there. There's also some very nice cut glass in a small display. A couple of pianos and a traveling trunk are jammed into the foyer. When there are visitors they turn on several different documentaries; one, from WTTW, includes a fairly interesting bit on Garfield Farm down the road on the 38. There's a lot of information jammed in here, and I came away with an appreciation for all the various industries that once called St. Charles home, but not a good overall picture. They just need more space. Still, donations are voluntary only,they're not getting any support from the city, and they're only asking for two bucks.

Stopped by the St. Charles Heritage Center this afternoon and checked out the museum and store…read more Pretty cool! Lots of history in a compact space, but well documented. Gives you a deeper appreciation of how the Fox Valley has changed in the last 150 years -- from American Indian paradise to new frontier for folks from Vermont and Massachusetts to industrial powerhouse to cultural destination for folks all around. Check it out -- highly recommended! TIP: They have lots of well-priced St. Charles souvenirs in the store!

We went last week. Wait until after Aug 15 to go. Currently there is little or no explanation of…read morelife in the 1800's (except the mansion - the mansion was the regular docent-led tour - well done). For some insane reason, they have decided to "feature" the 1980's. Poorly. A quiz about TV commercials in the 80's. We were there with children, 30-somethings, and a tourist from another country. No one knew any of these answwers and they wouldn't stop. NOTHING about the newspaper printing in the 1800's. Blacksmith was at least about being a blacksmith, but no history. School - "Well, schools were pretty much the same as they are now. Not like this one." Our kids understood that Twister was a game and movies were on a tape in the 80's. But they were not interested. Nice craft opportunity with the scrunchee. But not about early settlement. If not for the mansion, 2 stars (things were open to go inside, at least). I will check carefully again before I would take kids for any history that they would care about. Must be a big draw for the 50 -60 year olds! Huge disappointment for us and our grade-school kids.

Came here for the Halloween trick or treating. There was lots to do and it was fun for all ages…read morefrom 12 months to 65 years old. We played with the dinosaurs eggs, bubbles, entered the costumes contest, and took a tour of the mansion. The decorations were pretty great!