Review Visit: July 31st, 2012…read more A museum dedicated to more than Illinois. Matt and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to when we decided to check out the Illinois State Museum. We set our sights on this place while trying to do all the big Lincoln-y things in Springfield. We had assumed it was just your normal museum dedicated to the state of Illinois, corn, and Lincoln. It was all that and much more. It's hard to put in words how cool this place was. It's also hard because it's been over 8 years since we came here and my memory is a bit fuzzy on it. Who is to say the exhibits haven't also changed or been redone since 2012. Any who, I will say that if you find yourself in Springfield and love awesome museums, check this one out. There is a lot to see pertaining to Illinois but it's all so super cool and really well done. One of the best museums I've ever experienced. I know this is a shorter-than-normal post. If it gets even one person interested in seeing this place, then I feel like I've done a great job.

This was such a nice museum! We were in Springfield for less than a day, but still wanted to check…read moreit out! We are in the Curious Toddler Phase right now so all museums are on our go list. The staff here was VERY welcoming as we entered and explained to us what each floor was. Entry here is completely free! The first floor had a lot of history of Illinois and the common species that could be found. When I say history, it went back millions of years ago. It more of a science exhibit. It was very interactive for little ones with pull out drawers, spinning cranks, and windows at kid level for them to see fossils. We then went to the basement level that was the kid's area. My son loved it. And it was crowded with other kids who loved it. There was a pit to excavate fossils, another area to examine TONS of fossils and bones. My son particularly loved driving the fake jeep lol. It was a very fun experience for us. There was a whole other level dedicated to art that we did not get to see, but maybe the next time we are in the area we will!

We reserved a free tour at Eventbrite. Jennifer brought 15 of us through this massive, historic…read morehome. She pointed out specific pieces, told stories about the owners & was very knowledgeable about Frank Lloyd Wrights work. We started our tour with a brief video about the glass work. We went into several sitting areas, Dana's bedroom, nursery, dining room, pantry & kitchen.library, bowling alley & billiards room. The 3rd largest home Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed. this remarkably preserve Prairie School icon dates from 1902 until 1904. It's more interesting than his home in Oak Park. The 16 floor home was considered experimental with a duckpin bowling alley & 2 barrel vaulted ceiling's. There is exquisite color shifting art glass & 90% of the furniture is original. Susan Lawrence Dana (1862-1946) was an heiress to a silver mines fortune . She was widow in 1900 & had complete control over her household & fortune. She was a leading philanthropic figure in Springfield. Dana decided to completely remodeled her home commissioning Frank Lloyd Wright. Her new home reflected her flamboyant personality & was designed for display & entertainment. The concept of "expanding space" was evident throughout the house with windows placed to continually draw the attention to the outside. Wright designed approximately 450 art glass windows, skylights, door panels, sconces & light fixtures for the house. The interior Torii gates are magnificent.hallway into two of the largest rooms in the house. The musical gallery for entertaining and the library contains special easels. Wright designed white oak furniture for Dana to display Japanese prints. In1928, Dana had dementia & financial constraints. In1944, the home and its contents were sold to Charles C. Thomas, a medical publisher. Thomas lived here & used this home as his publishing company. He sold the house to the state for a million dollars. It became a historic site. Jennifer shared that the house is still being utilized for social community events.

This was so cool! What an amazing experience! This was my first Wright house, and I'm not sure it…read morecan be topped! I understand why photos aren't allowed inside, but I was expecting more postcards depicting the various rooms to be available in the gift shop. There was cool stuff, for sure, but more postcards of the interior would be great since photos aren't allowed. My tour guide was Allicent and she did a great job talking about all the artistic and architectural features of the home. There was also a video at the beginning about the manufacture of some of the glass. I was sorry that the intro video didn't tell us more about the historical and social context of Mrs Dana, but I imagine most visitors would be more interested in the architectural technique. My only complaint with my tour is that there were two little kids on it. They were like 3 and 5. They were totally distracting the whole time--talking, whining, trying to grab at things. I'm not sure why the museum has such strict rules about other things but also allows in kids under 12. There's nothing they could possibly glean from the tour. It's really not designed for kids. Nor should it be!

This is such a fun place. If you love native plants or monarch butterflies or other pollinators,…read moreyou've GOT to visit the courtyard.

Cute, clean, and plenty to do for a 5 and 7 year old. Was not too busy during winter break and half…read moreof admission with ACM reciprocal network. Parking only on street but meters were not running.

This museum is now called the Air Combat museum. It's located in a nondescript, small hanger at the…read moreairport. It has a small, but amazing collection of aircraft. We stopped by on a Friday afternoon and were the only visitors. Christopher took his time telling us about several of the aircraft. We learned so much! Don't miss this free museum if you have any interest in aircraft!

This is a small private collection. But there are a couple…read moreof pieces such as a corsair and a P51 mustang that make it worth the visit.

This is such a whimsical and rockin' (I think I'm funny lol) store! They have a nice selection of…read moredifferent rocks, gemstones, fossils, and more fun earthy things! The owners seemed super cool, down to earth, and real about everything too! Stop on by and look at their rocks!

Went in here today, and had an amazing visit! Service was amazing and so friendly! Big variety of…read moreproducts and information attached to each item! They also has a great mix and match deal on several of their products, and reasonable prices! Definitely will be back soon!

Our candlelight tour was wonderful! Due to the weather, we almost had all the interpreters to…read moreourselves, they are so knowledgeable and a joy to listen to. This is a wonderfully restored and maintained Springfield treasure. Highly recommend you visit once they reopen in the spring or make it to the Candlelight tour next year.

Springfield, Illinois loves it's history. This house is lovingly preserved and has some very nice…read moreexhibits. I didn't have much time to look around as I went there after hours for a lecture. The lecture was so well received that it was standing room only. My Aunt and I got there late but were welcomed in by a staff member. We were walked around through the kitchen to get a better vantage point. There is a side parking lot and street parking. It is near other Lincoln attractions so I recommend checking this historical place out.

We didn't know this was in Springfield until we went to Lincoln's tomb. As we left, we saw a small…read morebuilding with its name on it and pulled into the driveway. This museum is new, and they are just growing their collections. What we saw was fascinating. It primarily focused on several African-American families with many generations in and around Springfield. Some of the stories were very informative, and we learned a lot, most of which we should have learned in school. This is one of the reasons I like museums like this. Rather than bland education painting a pollyannaish picture of our history, these museums show how minorities were treated (or mistreated). It preserves a part of our history that many would like to forget or gloss over. But without information like this, history is destined to repeat. Why four stars and not five? This has to do with the current state of the museum - essentially just starting up. They don't have a lot of items yet. They just received a large grant and are expanding the museum. They are soliciting additional items, most of which were donated. We were so impressed we bought a family membership, even though we live almost four hours away. Once they complete their new wing, we're taking a trip back. Incidentally, if you do go for a visit, their Executive Director is amazing. She gave us the tour, and we learned a lot. If you are even in Springfield, IL, I recommend stopping here before or after Loncoln's tomb. Since the museum is small, seeing everything takes little time. But it is well worth stopping for. Take advantage of this informative museum that tells some tragic and happy stories.