Great tank park (yes, a park full of various eras of battle tanks), lovely grounds, great all round location. So where's the issue? Dogs. We went recently, with our 2 pups, paid entry fee and within 5 minutes or so a security guard appears advising dogs aren't allowed and told us this was clearly signed and on their website. Problem is it isn't. I checked the website prior to going and never saw anything. When we arrived at the park, again nothing. The dude at the pay station never said anything and they wait 'till they have revenue from 2 cars and 5 people and the aforementioned dogs, then we're told we're not welcome. C'mon people, put up a damn sign. Either way, won't be back. read more

It is an amazing museum. The grounds are beautiful. Definitely recommend. Really enjoyed it.

I have been going to Cantigny Park since childhood. The park has made some major upgrades . The gardens and grounds are gorgeous and the tank park delighted my kids and now is fun for my grandchildren. The war museum is compact but gives one a general feel for the various wars the United States has participated in. The gift shop has a wide variety of items. The outdoor restrooms are very clean. The playground is super fun for the kids and we always go to the fountain to make a wish and throw a penny in. There are outdoor concerts as well as art shows and re-enactments. I have a membership but the weekday fee is only 5 a car. Staff very nice and parking is plentiful.A gem for sure! read more

Wow is this place amazing! This whole pandemic has me exploring different outdoor spaces, from forest preserves to bike trails, and anything else "open air". Thanks to the Yelp #LocalAdventureChallenge this spot was brought to my attention. And I'm so glad it was! There's easy parking for $5.00, or free on the first Wednesday of every month. There are multiple beautiful gardens, with many individual spots to sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The sunflowers were especially amazing during my visit, and I'm sure you get a different show at various times during the year. Bring a picnic lunch and find a shady spot! The McCormick mansion is closed due to the pandemic, but it was still magnificent from the outside. Make sure you stop by the memorial for McCormick and his wife that has two GSD statues on it. So cool! I was not so into the tanks, but my husband was. It's kind of a great combo, though, something for everyone. Plenty of picnic tables, clean restrooms, and a playscape for children. It really is a wonderful park, and we will be back again soon! read more

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For a small $5 parking fee, you have access to beautiful, expansive grounds with lots of trees, greenery and numerous water features. There are lovely buildings and gardens, an awesome (free) military museum and even outdoor tank displays! They have onsite food options, including a restaurant. "Butterfly hill" provided great views of the golf course. The military museum may be a little intense for younger ones, since some exhibits featured mannequins and sound effects. But we got through it and our LO thought everything else was cool. The museum was immaculately clean and they limited the amount of people in the building to help practice social distancing. It was a perfect way to spend a warm, beautiful day during a pandemic. The grounds are expansive and they take covid precautions seriously. We enjoyed strolling and checking out everything the park has to offer. We will be back! read more

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They have made this place a disaster! Gone are the art works that were on the mansion! Gone are the beautiful flowers. Gone is the Charm and grace it once held. This is not progress it has taken away history! R. McCormick is turning over in his grave! What a shame!!!!! read more

This is a beautiful park to bring the family and always has events that make coming even that much more fun. My review today is for a dinner event that they had called The Hunt and The Game. I have to say, it was one of the best dinners we have had in a long time. This five course meal, along with a wine pairing was $110 per person and worth every last penny. Attached is the picture of the menu and course descriptions. These events are also on the smaller more intimate side. I believe there were around 60 people that attended and everyone sat at one long table. The food was all amazing. The highlights of the night were the duck poutine, trout, roasted rabbit, and the last cocktail called the bees knees. Everything was imaginative and tasted delicious. Every course the chef came out to talk about why he decided on the course and the certain pairings to go along with the food. It was a well executed night and we can't wait to get back to another one. If you have the opportunity to book one of these events, do it, and do it early. They always seem to sell out, but you won't be disappointed. We both agreed that the service for the night was beyond top notch. We wished you could get this type of service at most restaurants. I don't think our glasses were empty that often. Great night, great event! Pictures and menu are attached. read more

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Rating the Park itself is 5 stars but Bertie's Cafe is ok for snacks, beverages and the homemade soup was a 5 star. But the rest of the menu was not worth getting the grilled cheese was a panini type sandwich and the cheese melted over the side burned onto bread so the bread had a burnt taste to it same thing happen to a meat panini that another person had at our table. read more

Lovely grounds and gardens as well as a terrific museum! The museum has changed quite a bit to add more modern conflicts into the fold but I was disappointed to see how they chanced the exhibit pertaining to the Vietnam war. Their D-Day exhibit is excellent, though, as is their WWI exhibit. I'd recommend going during the school year and during the week. Inside the museum, the flow of guests can get congested with large groups. On the outside grounds, there are a lot of running/screaming day camp kids climbing all over the tanks. Not the greatest complement to a somber museum, in my opinion, so I'd suggest avoiding the summer months. read more

Went to Cantigny when I was a kid. Went in the simulated fox hole, climbed on the tanks. If that's what you remember, too...forget about it! An incredible transformation. We loved, as did my 4 year old granddaughter. The Alebrije exhibit is fantastic. Be sure to get a scavenger hunt paper at the first desk. My granddaughter found all the sculptures listed. The little brook with stepping stones seems to be a favorite of kids and adults...and Cantigny invited you to get your feet wet. I can't say enough about the place. If you like tanks, ,art, flowers, gardens, fountains...what are you waiting for? read more

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I'd been to the house at Cantigny before but never on the grounds (since it was rainy that day). So when my boyfriend came up with this as an outdoor activity on a fall week-end, I was all for it! This time we just wandered the grounds, but in addition there are also the home of the McCormicks (whose estate this was) and the First Division military museum if you'd prefer indoor activities. As it was, we checked out all the outdoor stuff, mainly gardens but also a collection of tanks (wear a swing dress and do some pinup poses, haha! The suburban dads WILL stare at you, even if you're not dressed up...weird.) As to the gardens, there was everything from a formal rose garden, to a lily pool surrounded by flowers, to beds accented by tiny peppers (keep the kids away!), to a fall plot with chrysanthemums and cabbages! There were several events happening: a wedding near the rose garden (weird to have strangers wandering within a handful of feet of your private event), a quincinera (or at least photo shoot for one), not to mention lots of people having family pictures taken with photographers. This last really cracked us up, because we saw a couple of families get in an argument (one group wanted a lady to vacate a bench in that garden with the cabbages; she [rightly] said that it was a public place and anyone could be there, and in any case her group showed up in a second. I wonder that they didn't come try to bully my boyfriend and me, sitting on the other bench, but I guess it's easier to pick on a lone female. Seriously though, if you plan your photos here, recognize that there ARE other people around, it's not your private space. Duh!) Overall, a fun place to enjoy the outdoors! Just watch out for the entitled yuppies with photography crews ;) read more

Attended the morning tour. Very educational. The grounds are beautiful! The indoor portion was awesome too. I was amazed at the setup and the interactive content! We'll worth the price of admission. read more

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Although I have lived in a neighboring city for the past 40+ years, this was my first time visiting Cantigny. Received a flyer in the mail for the Alebrije exhibit. The displays were exceptional. The entire park was amazing! Inside the museum dedicated to service men and women, there was a separate display for Dia de Los Muerto to honor Hispanics that served their country. The display was a beautiful and moving tribute. So grateful that Cantigny embraces and showcased the talent and contributions of Hispanics, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month. Our family saw one of the artists that created one of the Albrije exhibits. It was fascinating to see him interact with the visitors. Wished there would have been an advertisement on site that announced the artist's attendance for the day. I was running short on time and had to leave, but had I of known he was there, I would have stopped by to visit him earlier in my visit. Overall, a great experience! Hope to see more cultural displays in the future. read more

Pretty park. Lots of gardens, good for walking. Decent price to get one car in, doesn't matter how many people are in the car with you. Staff is educated and helpful. Well maintained read more

Such a beautiful place to spend any amount of time at! Great for all ages. The grounds are very well maintained and the museum is very well done. read more

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Great place to spend an afternoon with plenty of things to see and do for kids and adults.

I am honestly amazed my family and I have never visited Cantigny Park before! This historical establishment is located in the Chicago suburb of Wheaton so it is so very close! Admission is basically "pay for park" which is $5 per car. The price varies for school buses, etc. Robert McCormick wanted to have these historical lands as a non for profit, so I would say the fee for parking is very acceptable. The tanks! Oh, those tanks! There were so many and all 3 of my children were able to climb on them and pretend they were rolling into fields during combat. Cantigny Park includes many gardens, a museum, McCormick's home, a visitor center, a new park, and tanks! They have such a wide selection of tanks and I even had to climb aboard! The First Division Museum is really thought out and it was great giving my children some nibblets of historical knowledge. There were videos being shown which included the rise and fall of both Stalin and Hitler. This better enabled my 7 year old to fully understand the intricacies. The museum also has a virtual reality house raid that was very realistic. It was awesome being able to look all around at your surroundings....and it was free!!!! The gardens are absolutely gorgeous! Well kept and so very appealing to the eyes. Being able to wander around and take it all in made for a wonderful day. I had packed lunches so we were able to picnic amongst beauty. So very calming. McCormick's home is also on display and they have hourly tours. We were not able to partake due to missing the last one, but I cannot wait to return and take the shorter half hour tour(my 2 year old will not allow the full hour). Outside the gorgeous home is also McCormick's wife and his tombs, protected by their loyal dogs. The visitor center is centrally located with a bistro, gift shop, and a reception hall. I wish I could have my next party there! I am unsure of the price, but I am sure it would be totally worth it. Our last stop was there new park where we winded the littles. After a fun filled and educational day, why not? Highly recommend the trip. read more

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Cantigny is such a great family friendly place to explore with your children. We brought the whole family and really enjoyed looking at the plants, walking the gardens, viewing the tanks and kids liked hanging out near the creek. We love the bright yellow chairs for photos placed in various spots of the park. This place is so amazing for just the cost of parking of $5. They also have a playground and museum which we didn't make it to this trip but have done in the past and definitely is a great overall experience for the whole family. Bring your lunch and enjoy a whole day out of it. read more

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Amazing and unexpected place. We had such a great day exploring the museum, which was much larger than it looks from the outside. The tanks were impressive as well. It was too cold to explore the garden, but that's ok. The military museum was worth the visit alone. read more

Where else can you see tanks and flowers? Guns and trees? The diversity here is pretty extraordinary. Most come for the flower gardens and spacious walking area. Others meander over to the tanks and military museum, which is phenomenal. I hearsay the tanks are going to be cordoned off soon so if you wish to let your kids climb on top of them, you better make it happen. It's a timeless tradition that every kid should get to do. Make sure to visit the military museum as well. You'll need some time if you want to read up on all of the displays. The McCormick mansion tour is a bit dry for my taste but interesting nevertheless. Especially the library portion of the tour. Cantigny offer several shows, events, movies and other forms of entertainment. We've enjoyed seeing vintage baseball on the grounds before. Cheers. read more

Cantigny - Museums Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

If you are visiting Chicago, this needs to be on your must-see list. I grew up in Elmhurst and sad to say I had not even heard of this place. Fortunately, my brother brought me during a visit and I was stunned by this museum. It is on a huge estate next to a top golf course. We went in the wintwr, but it is supposed to be more beautiful in the summer or fall. What is remarkable is the cost--just $5 thanks to a trust Robert McCormick established. The highlight is probably the mansion, but the WW1 museum dedicated to the First Army Division is also wonderful. The house has some nice artwork and some custom appliances, but the last room is incredible ( with a hidden bar). One unusual thing about tour was someone asking dumb questions and then getting in argument with tour guide. The grounds have several tanks that kids would love to climb on. The museum is fun, where you walk through a WW1 trench and through jungle for the Vietnam Name War. Great place for history and I bet a great place for weddings or picnics. read more

Cantigny - From the Catigny Museum - Museums Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

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Family friendly and nice place to watch live bands or concerts. Large trees for shade during the summer.

Nice garden. Also army museum. Not sure about golf course. Tanks are cool.

Alrbrije exhibit this year was excellent! Also, wonderful concerts in a beautiful setting! Special memorials to our military! read more

This place is amazing the tanks outside and you can see all different ages of tanks. You walk around and go into the museum and you start at WW1 area and walk inside a nice facility with nice ac. It leads you into WW2 and you watch a video at one of the stops inside. Just looking at the gear and how everything is modern now amazes you. Then the other half of the facility is now modern days military. Then you walk out and follow the walking paths and they have alibrijes art which are amazing pieces and the gardens and flowers are beautiful. There is benches and some cool chairs to take pictures. Then the main facility there's bathrooms which are super clean and they have a gift shop. Then have a map in like a 3d format on the floor. Also they serve beer and refreshments. You can enjoy lunch there since they sell sandwiches and ice cream. In the room has ac which is nice on a hot day. Check it out and there's bands on special days so look online and come see how beautiful it is. There is a charge of $10 per car which is not expensive at all for a family. read more

One sunny morning in the summer of 2009, my boyfriend and I decided on a whim to go to a car show meet-up in Bloomingdale (the date also coincided with our anniversary). We were supposed to drive all our classic cars to a forest preserve for a picnic. Little did we know, we'd end up at Cantigny (may I also add - with a group of complete [friendly] strangers)! I'm a bit wary of war-related museums, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about walking around once I arrived (we just visited one building). Yet, we were fascinated right away (him moreso than me) with the tanks on display across the grounds, and the incredible amount of information and artifacts on display in the actual museum. For someone who isn't really into learning about American wars, this place will definitely grab your interest. One of the members of our group happened to be a Vietnam War veteran, so he had stories to add to our experience, as well. We concluded the day with a picnic under some trees (in a designated picnicking area). It was a perfect day to be at Cantigny. All in all, it was one of the best unplanned days I had. I would love to come back here again and explore the rest of the park. read more

Cantigny - Tank at Cantigny. - Museums Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

Cantigny is one of those amazing places that feel completely hidden and completely wonderful. The front enterence by the visitors center is under construction right now, but that does not take away from the beauty of this place. The gardens are amazing and it's easy to spend hours just meandering through appreciating them. The tank Park is always a hit with the kids and they love climbing on them. But, the true gem of the park is the museum. Since we visited last, they added more to it and they now have a VR experience. You sit in an incredible replica helicopter and they put an oculus headset on you- I won't say more so I don't spoil the experience for anyone else. It was an excellent and well done experience. The other wing of the museum that covers before 1970 is absolutely amazing and it does an excellent job of making you feel like you have been transported to the places you are learning about. These are some of the absolute best museum exhibits I have ever seen and they are the most immersive. It does an excellent job of showing you the beauty of the extremely somber places that you are walking through. It would be easy to spend a day just absorbing the details in this wing of the museum. We did not have time to do the house museum this trip, but we have in the past and that was incredible as well. Outside of the visitor center they have opened an impressive new playground making Cantigny even more perfect for packing a picnic lunch and enjoying the day. read more

Cantigny - Museums Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

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I first went to Cantigny Park as a Boy Scout over 40 years ago and fondly remember climbing on the tanks from WWI and WW2. As an adult many years later I returned with my own family to enjoy a day-long picnic with other families in the abundant open space. Then last week as we found ourself in the area, we had the opportunity to rediscover Cantigny. In the 20 years since, the McCormick Foundation has rebuilt the Military Museum dedicated to the US Army's First Division. It's a world-class museum covering WWI through present day Peace-Keeping Missions. There are AMAZING artifacts and interactive displays. One can easily spend hours here if you wish. They have added more (and more modern) tanks to the Tank Park. The McCormick House was closed to tours when we visited. There is also a nice café which can be rented out for private parties. Despite snow, all the sidewalks and parking lots were IMMACULATE. A great place to walk and get fresh air any time of year. Bikes and Dogs are not allowed. Sorry this review lacks many pics. Check out their FB Page and Website. read more

Cantigny - Tank at Cantigny Tank Walk. Climb on if you want - be careful! - Museums Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

Great spot for a nice walk among the beautiful floral arrangements and areas. Also a terrific museum honoring U.S. service men and women of all military action from and including WW1. A great way to spend a day in any weather. read more

Have been to this park several times and depending on the weather you will be in for an amazing time. The outdoor tank park is always a great time and the indoor museum is absolutely astonishing. It's unbelievably immersive and does a great job of capturing what was going on during the time frames the different rooms display. read more

This park is AMAZING! Why? You can CLIMB ON THE TANKS! And there are lots of them! So do it! The Robert R. McCormick Museum at Cantigny is world class. The exhibits were designed by the same folks who work in Disney land, and they are very immersive. To one side of the building is the meat of the walk through. I was taken aback by it at first and I had the real feeling I was in war going through the exhibits, walking through trenches and standing on a beach, the atmosphere grim and intense. I think that real war veterans with PTSD should be warned before going in to that part. On other side the museum building is more of a modern technology ode to modern warfare, including a virtual reality experience where one can be in a helicopter. Great stuff! The grounds are beautiful and expansive with plenty of places to relax or run around. I would definitely go back! read more

I am so disappointed on the parking fee 2023. My grandkids love the tank park, and to park is $30 per car. We literally were there for 1 hour. Ridiculous and disappointing. Nothing else going on there....no special exibits....$30 ...really. read more

I remember coming here as a child and touring McCormick's house and climbing on the tanks. We visited again recently and went to the museum. I was surprised at how comprehensive it was and how much I enjoyed the exhibits. There were two main wings, one that had uniforms and displays from WWI and WWII, and the other side had displays from Desert storm and more current wars. In the WWII section, there was one part that was a bit alarming. We came into a small room and sat on benches to watch a film. The room appeared to look like the inside of a duck, and when the film ended, the wall was raised and we came into the next room that looked like the beaches of Normandy. --It was a bit disconcerting! In the other section you could site in the back of a humvee and listen in to a recording of a military action in desert storm--it was fascinating! There was an older veteran who was leading a tour. He was animated and proud of his service :) Such a great place especially if you're interested in military history. read more

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I have been going there since I was in grade school. In the early 60's. Today I bought the grandkids. Very disappointed. They have made it into a business instead of a museum. Sad. Can't go into house they are turning it into meeting place, office etc. Removing the furniture to put in new furniture killing the museum. Large spaces for weddings all over Park cleared area. the beauty of the place has gone down. i used to go here all the time for years and years. But moved came back and was extremely disappointed when I came. read more

The early childhood programs hosted by Mrs. Roman are fantastic. My daughter looks forward to the Sprouts class and the holiday programs.

Went for the Food Truck Festival for the first time. Was so backed up took almost a half hour to get in then we waited almost a half hour in one line for a funnel cake $6. But the smells walking to where the trucks were at smelled so good. It was drizzling on and off. It was about 7pm and one of the trucks had already sold out of their food. Because of rain and getting chilling we did not get to enjoy the band I would go back again and try to get there before it starts as the park itself is so beautiful I could spend all day there read more

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Beautiful park. $5.00 parking fee. I was disappointed because the Robert McCormick house is under construction.

This place is AMAZING. Pay an inexpensive parking fee and the rest of the grounds are free. There's a large playground, and lots of clean, well-kept places to run around. The walking paths are smooth and easy to access and surrounded by acres of beautiful gardens and land. There are literal military tanks that are climber-friendly and extremely cool to see. The visitor's center and gift shop area is very well maintained and includes a historical section inside. The First Division museum is also extremely beautiful inside and includes two really interesting and well done museums. I was amazed at the pure quality of these museums. They incorporate sounds, videos, memorabilia and life size replicas. You can walk through the "trenches" and see what the beaches looked like on D-Day. Everything was amazingly placed and thought out. I'm beyond impressed with how great this visit was. My children had a blast. We had fun learning and exploring. I can't wait to go back. One of the best hidden gems of Illinois and one of my favorite military museums I've ever visited (and we're a military family so we've visited a lot of them!) We went on a Tuesday morning in November and there was hardly anyone there. We may have crossed paths with two or three other people later on in the day but we had the tanks to ourselves for about an hour and a half when we first got there, and then had the playground completely to ourselves around 1pm. It was awesome. Even in the museums we didn't see hardly anyone at all. 10/10 - please go and support this local spot! read more

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We visited the First Division Museum. I have to say that it was amazingly well-done, with plenty of artifacts, scenery and movies all throughout. All of the major wars are covered with info plaques, and knowledgeable staff. The amount of twisting, winding pathways through mockups that they crammed into this building are amazing. Lots to look at. After speaking with the staff member at the entrance, I was given a pin after he found out I had served in the Marine Corps. Highly recommend! read more

Nice place to bring kids. The tanks on display are always a hit with kids, as they can climb on them. Nice areas for photos too.