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Ernest Hemingway Birthplace & Museum
In Oak Park, see the Queen Anne-style house where the author was born in 1899, then tour the nearby Ernest Hemingway Museum, which showcases rare photos and Hemingway’s early writings.
339 N. Oak Park, Oak Park
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Educational Center
This new world-class museum is dedicated to preserving the memories of those lost in the Holocaust and teaching current generations about the need to fight hatred, indifference and genocide in today’s world.
9603 Woods, Skokie
Burpee Museum of Natural History
At Rockford’s natural history museum, meet Jane the juvenile T. rex (one of the 10 most important dinosaur discoveries of the past 100 years) and her new pal Homer, a Triceratops.
737 N. Main, Rockford
Illinois Railway Museum
The largest railway museum in the country boast 56 acres of running room for its more than 250 restored electric, steam and diesel trains.
7000 Olson, Union
Ronald Reagan Home and Visitor Center
Located in the tiny town of Dixon, the boyhood home of one of America’s most popular presidents has been restored to its 1920s appearance, complete with period furniture.
816 S. Hennepin, Dixon
Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site
Take a guided tour of this handsome home that was given to the future U.S. president by the townspeople of Galena in honour of his Civil War heroics.
500 Bouthillier, Galena
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The largest presidential museum in the nation features two dazzling special effects theatres and artefacts that range from the Lincolns’ personal items to a copy of the Gettysburg Address.
112 N. Sixth, Springfield
Bishop Hill State Historic Site
This historic country village settled by Swedish immigrants in the mid-1800s showcases its heritage with restored colony buildings housing museums, shops and restaurants.
103 N. Bishop Hill, Bishop Hill
Black Hawk State Historic Site
This 200-acre nature preserve is home to the Hauberg Indian Museum that pays homage to the Native Americans who once occupied the area, including the famed warrior Black Hawk.
1510 46th, Rock Island
Carl Sandburg Historic Site
Visit the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s modest birthplace cottage and the next-door Visitor’s Center to see Sandburg mementos and a video about the author-poet’s life.
331 E. Third, Galesburg
Dickson Mounds Museum
One of the leading on-site archaeological museums in the U.S. displays artefacts and excavated sites that trace the 12,000-year history of the American Indian in the Illinois River Valley.
10956 N. Dickson Mounds, Lewistown
Historic Nauvoo
Tour the Mormon sites of this river town founded in the early 1840s by the prophet Joseph Smith and early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
290 N. Main, Nauvoo
Illinois Amish Interpretive Center
View a film about the Central Illinois Amish and see artefacts from local Amish families, then sign up for one of the Amish Country Tours that visit actual farm homes and businesses.
111 S. Locust, Arcola
Illinois State Museum
Stop by this museum to see life-size dioramas, hands-on children’s exhibits and artefacts that tell the story of Illinois’ land, life and people.
502 S. Spring, Springfield
Illinois State Capitol
Watch Illinois politics in action at this centre of state government that houses the offices of the Governor and state officers, as well as the House of Representatives and Senate chambers.
301 S. Second, Springfield
John Deere Pavilion
Learn all about the man whose plow invention changed farming forever at this striking complex that houses vintage and modern Deere equipment, along with hands-on agricultural exhibits.
1400 River, Moline
Krannert Art Museum & Kinkead Pavilion
The museum is the second largest public art museum in the state and houses a collection of more than 8,000 works.
500 E. Peadody, Champaign
Lincoln Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site
This Springfield law office filled with clutter and makeshift furniture draws a vivid picture of what a normal day was like for Abraham Lincoln and his partner.
Old Capitol Plaza, Springfield
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Take a fascinating tour of the Springfield home where Abraham Lincoln and his family lived for 17 years, then stroll the surrounding four-block historic neighbourhood.
413 S. 8th, Springfield
Lincoln’s New Salem
Interpreters dressed in frontier clothing portray pioneers in this recreated village of timber shops and houses where a young Abraham Lincoln lived in the 1830s.
Rte. 97, Petersburg
Lincoln’s Tomb
In Oak Ridge Cemetery, visit the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, his wife and three of their sons at this site that features a monument and sculptures of Lincoln at various stages of his life.
1441 Monument, Springfield
Nauvoo Temple
The Nauvoo Temple is a faithful limestone replica of the original that was built by Mormons when they first settled in the tiny river town of Nauvoo in the mid-1800s.
50 N. Wells, Nauvoo
Old State Capitol
Tour the Old State Capitol, where Abraham Lincoln gave his famed “House Divided” speech and would later lie in state after his death.
Old Capitol Plaza, Springfield
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Discover the remains of an ancient city where a Mississippian Indian culture once flourished, which includes 68 of its original 120 earthen mounds.
30 Ramey, Collinsville
Fort de Chartres
This former French military stronghold has been partially rebuilt and turned into a museum, with exhibits and artefacts that shed light on life in colonial Illinois.
1350 State Rte. 155, Prairie du Rocher
Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
The Lewis and Clark Trail is a cultural destination that covers over 4,600 miles and pays respect to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who in 1893 set out to explore the lands west of St. Louis, and to find a water route to the Pacific. See a full-scale model of the famed explorers’ keelboat and check out a replica of Camp River Dubois, where the Corps of Discovery prepared for its historic trip.
1 Lewis and Clark Trail, Hartford
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