Home | McLean County Museum of History

Tickets for the in-person walk are available for purchase online, at the Museum's Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center and Gift Shop, or at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

Tickets purchased will help support more than 2,000 students, chaperones, and older adults living in senior care facilities to participate in the Walk in-person and online.

We are not exaggerating when we say that we could not do any of this without you—our members—and your unwavering support.

For questions or issues with purchasing tickets, contact Candace Summers, Senior Director of Education.

Museum Visitor's Center

Evergreen Memorial Cemetery

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.

The Henney Kilowatt: Bloomington's "Car of Tomorrow" with Bill Kemp at Bloomington Public Library

Thursday, June 26th | 6:00pm – 7:00pm

6:00pm – 7:00pm

Long before Rivian became one of the hottest electric automakers on the planet, the Twin Cities were center stage for another batt...

Online + In Person

Back 2 School Supply Drive

Tuesday, July 1st – Friday, August 1st | 9:00am – 5:00pm

9:00am – 5:00pm

Back 2 School Supply Drive – We Need your Help!From July 1 through August 1, 2025, the Museum will participate in the Back 2 Schoo...

Closed for the Fourth of July

Friday, July 4th | 9:00pm – 5:00pm

9:00pm – 5:00pm

The Museum and its Cruisin' with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center will be closed in observance of the July 4th holiday. We will ...

Route 66 First Friday Festivities

Friday, July 11th | 5:00pm – 8:00pm

5:00pm – 8:00pm

Get your kicks on Route 66 this July during the Downtown Bloomington First Friday festivities on July 11 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Muse...

Futures in History Mini Camp: Discovering Downtown

Monday, July 14th | 8:30am – 12:30pm

8:30am – 12:30pm

July 15th at 8:30am – 12:30pm

July 16th at 8:30am – 12:30pm

How much do you really know about historic Downtown Bloomington? Come with us as we explore the culture, history, and humans that ...

For kids

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 FREE
Seniors (65+) & Veterans $8 FREE
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: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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.

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.

Self-Guided Tours

Take a self-guided tour around town, or explore our Making a Home exhibit en español using our mobile tour platform, Tourient.

Social Justice Walking Tour

Explore how 19th and 20th century Bloomington dealt with immigration, labor rights, gender equity, and racial justice.

Looking for Lincoln in Bloomington-Normal

Bloomington-Normal is one of the richest communities for Abraham Lincoln-related sites—some of which look much as they did during his lifetime! This narrated tour was written and performed by James Keeran.

Downtown Bloomington Architectural Tour

Over time, buildings have been constructed, renovated, destroyed, and replaced... but what remains represents the dense history of the city of Bloomington. Unlock the past in this tour!

Construyendo un Hogar

Las historias que aquí se cuentan revelan los desafíos que enfrentaron las diversas personas quienes hicieron del condado de McLean su hogar.

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 Visitors Center

Cruisin' with Lincoln on Route 66 Visitors 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