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Events & Programs

Looking for something new to do? Check out our upcoming events and programs. Tune into a livestream, or watch a recording of a past program on our YouTube channel.

2025 History Makers Honoree Reveal
Wednesday, April 2nd
10:30am – 11:00am

Join us on Wednesday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m. in the Museum's Courtroom, or live online via the Museum's YouTube Channel a...

Online + In Person
2025 Slow Art Day on Route 66
Saturday, April 5th
10:00am – 2:00pm

Founded in 2010, Slow Art Day is an annual global event that aims to help more people discover the joy of looking at and appreciat...

NPL Young Author's Display
Monday, April 7th – Wednesday, April 30th
9:00am – 5:00pm

The Museum, in partnership with Normal Public Library, is pleased to host the student winners of the Unit 5 Young Authors contest....

Lunch & Learn: Organizing for policy change for a more just and regenerative food system with Jeff Haake
Thursday, April 10th
12:10pm – 1:00pm

Bring your lunch and join us to learn about how the Illinois Stewardship Alliance has been working to organize farmers and eaters ...

Lunch & Learn
Online + In Person
Holi Moli 2025
Saturday, April 12th
1:00pm – 4:00pm

NCHS' South Asian Performing Arts Students are proud to present: A Festival of Colors: Holi Moli!Every spring, the Indian sub...

Plan Your Visit

With five exhibit galleries, a hands on Discovery Room, and four floors of Museum to explore, there's a lot of history to get caught up on. So let's cover the essentials to help you plan your Museum visit. A special thank you to our Presented by Sponsor COUNTRY Financial for supporting free Tuesdays at the Museum during 2025.


Admission
  • Adults $10
  • Seniors (65+) & Veterans $8
  • Museum members FREE
  • Students & Children FREE
  • Every Tuesday, for all visitors FREE
  • SNAP Recipients (with EBT card) FREE
  • Indigenous Tribal Members (with ID) FREE
  • Active Duty Military (with ID) FREE
  • Big Brothers/Big Sisters and their Little Brothers/Sisters FREE
  • Many community groups & corporate members FREE

How to Get Here

Our address is 200 N. Main Street, but our entrance is on Washington Street.

There are bicycle racks on the Washington Street plaza behind the Lincoln Bench. 

All city buses drop off on Front Street, one block south of the Museum.

Parking around the Museum is free but you must move every 2 hours. We recommend parking in the Lincoln Parking Deck on Front St. ($1/hr) for more extended visits. Parking downtown is free after 6pm and on weekends.

Hours
  • Monday: 9am to 5pm
  • Tuesday: 9am to 8pm
  • Wednesday: 9am to 5pm
  • Thursday: 9am to 5pm
  • Friday: 9am to 5pm
  • Saturday: 9am to 5pm
  • Sunday: Closed

Exhibits

Explore the rich history of McLean County in our five permanent exhibits, hands on Discovery Room, and numerous displays. Our online exhibits bring McLean County history to you, wherever you are.

A Deadly Deception: The Asbestos Tragedy in McLean County

This new temporary exhibit explores the history of the asbestos manufacturing plant on Bloomington’s westside. It tells a story of people being forced to endure toxic conditions and environmental hazards all in the pursuit of profit.
Merwin Gallery

The Merwin Gallery features almost 300 objects from the Museum's 18,000+ object collection. In this display space, objects from the collection will be moved in and out of the gallery regularly so visitors can return again and again, always to see something new.

Challenges, Choices, and Change

This exciting 5,000-square-foot exhibit in four galleries explores the experience of living, working, farming, and creating community in McLean County.

Research

The Museum has thousands of online and on-site resources for researching local history topics and genealogy. These are some of our most popular resources.

Pantagraph Negatives Collection Overview

Overview of the project that has digitized over 100,000 so far, and video tutorials
Finding Aids

Detailed inventories of archival collections in the Museum, organized alphabetically and able to be filtered by topic, from the 1820s to the present.
City Directories

Thanks to a partnership with Bloomington Public Library and intern Noah Tang, local directories from 1855-1920 have been digitized, and are available on the Internet Archive.
Search our Library Catalog

See what books we have in our library. We are a non-circulating library so you must come to the library to see these books, and they cannot go home with you.

Learn

Our educational programs reach thousands of students, seniors, and community members each year.


School Programs

The Museum is an award-winning educational institution accredited by the American Alliance of Museums that offers FREE hands-on, educational programming for grades pre-K through college.

2025 Futures in History Camp

This out-of-this-world, 5-day camp experience includes facilitation by Museum staff and other experts, all materials needed for hands-on learning, meals and snacks, friendship, fun, and more!

Senior Reminiscence

Bring Museum educators directly to your facility at no cost to you. Using authentic objects, photographs, and inquiry-based facilitation, we encourage older adults to recall, share, understand, and connect.
Speakers Bureau

Our Speakers Bureau features experts in McLean County and Illinois history who are passionate about sharing their expertise with your group. To schedule a Speakers Bureau program and for information about pricing, please contact the Education Department. Special rates are available for not-for-profit organizations and community groups.

Become a Member

Want free admission to the Museum every day of the year? Or invitations to special member-only events? Becoming a member is a meaningful contribution to the Museum's mission of preserving local history. Plus, enjoy reciprocal benefits at over 400 museums & historic sites in the U.S. through the Time Travelers Program.

Join us

Become a Volunteer

We provide rewarding opportunities for active volunteers and flexible positions for occasional volunteers too.

Explore opportunities

Cruisin' with Lincoln on Route 66 Visitor's Center

Cruisin' with Lincoln on Route 66 Visitor's Center contains a gift shop and local tourism information. We feature locally produced products, Abraham Lincoln souvenirs, and Route 66 souvenirs. When you visit the Museum, you will enter and exit through the Visitors Center!

Learn more