Museums Children’s Museum of Illinois55 S. Country Club Road Decatur, IL 62521 217.423.5437 www.cmofil.com The Children's Museum of Illinois offers hands-on exhibits that encourage children of all ages to touch and interact. Focusing on people and cultures, the arts, physics/physical science, the ecosystem and health sciences, the Children’s Museum of Illinois is so much fun for everyone, you tend to forget it’s actually educational!
Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Special weekend activities take place from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday (times may vary). Closed major holidays. Admission is charged. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
You can't turn on your faucet, go roller skating, get a drink at a public fountain or drive your car without thinking about Hieronymus Mueller. Visit this interesting and award-winning museum, showcasing all this amazing inventor’s contributions to modern technology! Decatur’s “unsung genius” held over 500 patents. Among this exceptional facility’s treasures is the seventh of only eight cars manufactured by Mueller. Hours are Thursday - Saturday 1:00p.m. - 4:00p.m. (closed holidays). Admission $2.00 for adults and $1.50 for children. Special group tour rates and appointments are available Macon County Museum Complex The Prairie Years and Victorian Era in Central Illinois come to life in exhibits at the Macon County Historical Society Museum. There are many Lincoln artifacts and references to Abraham Lincoln’s years in the Decatur area exhibited here, and extensive Lincoln papers and reference materials are in the Museum’s library. The Prairie Village on the museum grounds is home to such historic buildings as the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced in the 1830's, a log house, a one-room school, a circa-1880 railroad depot, a smithy and a print shop. Open year round, from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday. Admission $2.00 per person.
Two sisters' love of decorative arts gave birth to a sparkling spot of beauty on the campus of Millikin University, their alma mater. Curios purchased on a youthful trip to England first kindled interest for Florence, a home economics teacher, and Jenna, a Disciples of Christ minister. Over the next half century they spent countless hours in study and research, learning the history of the pieces they would come to collect. Today, the museum collection totals more than 1,000 vases, lamps and pieces of art glass, including such names as Wedgwood, Tiffany and Boehm. The sisters' interest was not limited to glass and porcelain. Other unusual items they donated include a brilliantly detailed Japanese bridal kimono and exquisite pieces of turn-of-the- century furniture by Emil Galle and Gustav Stickley. The museum has also become home for other collections, including the Chinese art objects of the late Mr. and Mrs. Guy Scovill. Contact the university for hours and group tour information. Free admission. |
Hieronymous Mueller Museum
The Birks Museum