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Events & Programs

Looking for something new to do? Check out our upcoming events and programs.

PRIDE Flag Display
Thursday, June 1st – Friday, June 30th

The month of June has long been LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in honor of the Stonewall riots, which took place in New York City in June...

Featured
2023 History Makers Gala
Wednesday, June 21st
5:30pm

Join us in celebrating the legacies of our 2023 History Makers (Dotti Bushnell, Mary & Hank Campbell, Willie and Charles Ha...

Featured
Futures in History Day Camp Session 1
Monday, June 12th – Friday, June 16th

This out-of-this-world, 5-day camp experience includes facilitation by Museum staff and other experts, all materials needed for...

Spoken Word: An Evening with Shatriya Smith - Poet Laureate of Springfield
Thursday, June 15th
6:00pm – 8:00pm

In recognition of Juneteenth, the Coalescence Theatre Project and the Bloomington-Normal Black History Project, an affiliate or...

Museum at the Market
Saturday, June 17th
9:00am – 12:00pm

Join us at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers’ Market. Stop by the Museum’s plaza on Washington Street to purchase all your local...

Juneteenth Community Celebration
Saturday, June 17th
12:00pm – 6:30pm

Please join us for a day of celebration, information & inspiration during this year'sJuneteenth Celebration - Feat...

Crafting History: Dyeing with Dinner Scraps
Wednesday, June 28th
6:00pm – 7:00pm

Our next Crafting History will be on June 28th at 6pm. Crafting History: Dyeing with Dinner Scraps will bring the process of so...

Online only

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.


Admission
  • Adults $5
  • Seniors (65+) $4
  • Museum members FREE
  • Students (with ID) FREE
  • Children FREE
  • SNAP Recipients (with EBT card) FREE
  • Active-duty military (May 15 to Sept 6) 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 90 minutes. 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 and hands on Discovery Room. Our online exhibits bring McLean County history to you, wherever you are.

Abraham Lincoln in McLean County

This exhibit examines Lincoln's life's work, and explores the lasting connections Lincoln made with the people of this community.
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.
Digital Exhibits

Read the rich histories featured in our Challenges, Choices, and Change as well as Abraham Lincoln in McLean County exhibits from anywhere!

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 by subject, from the 1820s to the present.
City Directories

City directories are an invaluable historical resource. 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.

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

Local experts are ready to give presentations on a variety of fascinating topics. Invite them to your club, meeting, or classroom!
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!

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