mclean county museum of history

johnwV3884UL

Located in downtown Bloomington in the former McLean County courthouse this museum was a pleasant surprise. There are exhibits covering different areas like farming, politics, work, and home life in different areas. The courtroom is on the second floor and the special exhibit area on the third. There was a special exhibit on Irish immigrants to the area which was my favorite due to my Irish heritage. There is a route 66 visitors center being constructed on the south end and should be open in july so definitely will be back for that. The staff were very friendly plus the admission was cheap. The rotunda has a painting on it that i also found neat. I wish there were more localized museums around like this one!!

misscali7

fabulous old courthouse with well balanced exhibits on local history, politics, agriculture and more.So excited about the coming Route 66 exhibit! Great location in the heart of downtown Bloomington - lots of fun shopping, bars & restaurants. The Looking for Lincoln walk is very interesting too!

170julianw

In a lovely old courthouse, the museum is worth a stop just for the building. It also has a number of good, professional exhibits. Better by a fair margin than most local small city museums.

milanj504

Parking is only a problem if you want to park just outside of the museum. There are two parking lots within a block and a half that always have empty spaces so it isn't really a problem.

ThePackedBag

In this day and age of digital interaction this museum was actually refreshing. There is history in every nook and cranny and the sense of community is strong.

109kristinah

This is an excellent museum of Central Illinois history. It is well arranged and has something for every age. We are truly glad we took the time to see it!

HistoryisFun

This nationally accredited local history museum is in the top 5 % in the county. It is a must see if you are in the area.

TravelTooMuch2000

I've lived in Normal for 20 years and finally made time to visit this gorgeous building. Not only did we enjoy the architecture, we spent hours reading and touring the galleries. In particular, we enjoyed the Politics gallery and its Civil War connections to local history. I didn't realize how diverse Illinois was back then! Definitely worth a visit (or two).

veteranhostelvisitor

Nice hour spent here while wandering around downtown. Beautifully maintained, classic architecture, interesting local history. Nice lady working at the front desk, too!

LifeJourney222

The staff here is exceptional, helping find information on past history. It is amazing the treasure trove of historical documents available.

JackieG748

Love that they have free Tuesdays (donation requested). Neat displays. Don't miss the airplane in the basement & Lincoln bench out front. He actually sat on it, but in a different location in town. They moved it here.

1Steelers1

local historical spot, interesting and well set up. exhibits are informative and spreadout. alot of places to eat around museum.

2jbsdad

Fascinating building, lots to see, plenty of posted information about the building...was the courthouse at one time...is in very good shape and definitely worth visiting. Library is excellent for historical research related to McLean county.

milanj504

Parking isn't ideal but the visit is awesome. There is something for everyone. Join and save the $5 each time you enter. It's a good savings.

KB357

So much info in a small place. You can stay all day and still not read everything they have there. Great materials.