My friend and I had an errand out in this area and decided to see what else there was to see while…read morewe were here. This museum (the home of the Hegeler and Carus families, who were involved in a local zinc company and also a publishing house, Open Court Press) is a national historic landmark and is unique because it was owned by the same family the whole time, & they never made any fundamental updates to the house so it's largely as it was when designed by WW Boyington (who also designed Chicago's Water Tower and the old Joliet prison) in the 1870s. Several rooms have been restored, but you can see in areas where it hasn't where time is taking its toll (for example, the main hall was painted with egg tempera paint, and that organic element [the egg] is now degrading after 150 years). Still, the parquet floors are amazing, and details like pocket doors, carved wooden decorations and historical elements like the speaker tube system in the walls for speaking through the house are unusual! The house also contains the only German-style turnhalle (gymnasium) in a historic home in the US. Other interesting details include an ornate butsudan (buddhist cabinet shrine) due to Hegeler's interest in Eastern religions. We just took the general tour ($15), but you can do half house (upper or lower half for $50 each) or whole house tours ($100). The longest one is apparently 3.5 hours with two breaks and children are discouraged since it is long. You must register for the tours as they max out at 6 people. Despite it saying "masks are required" and our temperatures taken at the door, our guide was initially trying to take his mask off to talk and the other couple on the tour followed suit. When my friend and I left ours on, they all put them back on at some point. The rooms do have 6 foot markers on the floors, but since some of the rooms aren't big, if you had a full tour group this would be an issue. There is an elevator so the Mansion is handicap accessible. Overall, this seems to be one of the bigger attractions in LaSalle, so take a tour if you're in town.

This mansion is beautiful and a amazing historic site to see!! The house tour is incredible! I…read morehighly recommend going here and learning about this incredible family!

Great little museum. Very informative past info on the local area and beyond only five dollars to…read moreenter and you get access to two museums. The staff are kinda unfriendly at the first little one a young girl but the guy working the second one with the coal museum. Was very friendly and helpful. We came like five minutes before closing he told us please don't rush take your time it's ok we appreciated that very informative history here liked it.

We always try visiting local museums whenever we're on a stop-over; even small towns often have a…read morelot of history behind them. The LaSalle County Historical Society Museum is one of the few mid-19th-century buildings left standing on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. It's a very distinctive building on the corners of Canal and Mill Streets in Utica that was built in 1848 from blocks of Utica's native sandstone. Over the years, it was a warehouse, a general store, Utica's first post office, a livery and feed stable, a garage, and a car wash. It was saved from the wrecking ball in 1963 to house the headquarters of the LaSalle County Historical Society. When we stopped in at the museum during a recent week-end trip to Utica, it also happened to be the day that nearby Starved Rock State Park was holding its version of "The Amazing Race." The old gentleman in the lobby was so happy to see a couple who actually wanted to look around the museum and weren't just popping in and out for the race that he gave us quite an enthusiastic tour. He even took down the rope barring entrance to the downstairs to let me use the bathroom! (Apparently they're usually for employees only.) The museum contains lots of interesting exhibits such as: * the coach in which a local entrepreneur drove Abe Lincoln to Ottawa for his first debate with Stephen Douglas * Native American artifacts * tools, clothing and other memorabilia from local pioneers and early residents * samples of coal and a map of some of the many coal mines in LaSalle County (all now closed) * pictures of the devastation Utica suffered during the 2004 tornado, as well as memorial pictures of a young married couple who were among the 8 people killed during this storm * a display of old Westclox radio-luminescent dial clocks that were produced by the Radium Dial Company at its plant in Peru. (Since no one knew about radium poisoning in the early 20th century, many of the young women who were hired to paint these dials later suffered from radiation sickness.) There's no fee to tour the museum, but they're happy to accept any donations. So stop by the next time you're in Utica - you might learn some interesting trivia and you'll make their day.

VERY nicely done! Clean, welcoming and organized. Not kitschy at all. I own a 1969 Firebird, so…read moreI had high expectations and this place was very good. The staff was friendly and you could spend as much or as little time as you want. It is not particularly large, but had nice items on display including several cars. I am glad we stopped in.

Great spot to visit if you're a fan of the Pontiac and Oakland automobile lines. It's incredible…read morehow such an iconic set of cars is available for visitors to enjoy at only the cost of a small donation. The automobiles are arranged nicely here with good lighting and spread out so visitors don't feel too crowded. A must visit if you're in Pontiac and a fan of cars.

Review Visit: June 1st, 2013…read more You'll have a wheely good time here. There really is a museum for everything and anything. This one happens to be dedicated to all things on wheels. Or things that have wheels. Or wheel-shaped things. Okay, I don't think it's the last one but I do think this place is dedicated to items sitting on top of wheels. I'm not really sure how I found out about this place. It may have been from someone at work that brought it up during one of our many talks about traveling. Doing what I do best, I contacted someone to go with me and that person just happened to be my dad. We hopped in my car and made the semi-short drive to check the place out. When we approached the museum, the first thing we noticed was the train situated next to the building. You knew from looking at it that you were in for a treat. We made our way in and got to checking out the museum. The first thing we saw were antique cars. I recognized a few but a lot of them were unique to their time period. I'm not super attached to antique cars but I always think they are cool to look at in museums and such. They had maybe 15 or so at the time of my visit. We moved on to the other part of the museum and it had an eclectic collection of odds and ends. There was a firetruck that we got to take photos with. There was a Rube Goldberg-esque display as seen below. They had a mini train model set up in a glass case. Lastly, I remember there being a giant pendulum-style clock near the firetruck. It's rather hard to write this post as the place seemed to be dedicated to things on wheels but also other random odds and ends. It's best to check out their website below or visit the museum to see what I mean. It's a neat place to spend and afternoon if you have the time.

Fantastic automotive, trains and construction equipment made in Peoria and elsewhere. It is well…read moreworth the visit! The is so much more..., seriously...go visit!

What an amazing place for kids to explore and create! We spent three hours at this large former…read morehouse, with its 2.5 stories of exhibits. There is a tool section where you can dabble with building, create a puppet, a fossil area, a ball area, farming and the list goes on. They are closing in September and October for renovations. Can't wait to see the new additions on our next visit!

Super quaint little exploration center for kids in Peoria is great! It's small enough to be easy to…read morenavigate. Lots for the kids to do and plenty of benches for caregivers to sit. The air exhibit was particularly fun for our 3.5 year old. Tickets are easy to purchase and very low priced. Well worth the price! It wasn't too busy so we kind of had the run of the place. 10/10 would take the family back!

The Livingston County War Museum teaches about the wars that the people of Livingston County have…read moreparticipated in. There are many uniforms on display that have been donated to the museum. There is also a display of musical instruments used in the war effort. You can also see what a typical home in the 1940s looked like. If you're going to visit, check the hours to make sure that they'll be open when you go.

It's interesting to see all the uniforms from past wars. Soldiers stories and uniforms on display…read morewith various medals also. Very old building the wooden floors are a reminder of days past. Plan to walk and climb stairs. Free entry a donation is appreciated.

Run by Veterans who know their history, this small Military Air Museum is a must see for airplane…read morebuffs and all veterans. You'd miss it if you blink while you're driving past, but take the time to stop and witness the nostalgia within these relics. It's worth the stop and shouldn't be ignored.

A place for fans of war memorabilia and aviation, we were fortunate to have a tour guide that…read moreprovided information beyond our expectations. They have a painting created by a Tuskegee airman and a section on women aviators. This museum is private so expect to pay a fee and wear clothes that you won't mind getting dusty.

The best surprise of my visit to Pontiac. This museum has such an amazing and eclectic collection…read moreof items to delight everyone. From the outside it seems like any regular historical building -- but the quantity and quality of the displays within create a fun spot to enjoy an afternoon with plenty of learning opportunities. I'm not sure you'll find any larger collection of Route 66 themed items than on the lower floor here. Being immersed in these objects really gave me a feel of the history of Route 66. Attached to this are several other museums covering everything from murals to the Titanic to the Civil War to the 1940's and more. Truly a must visit set of museums that's worth a special trip.

Amazing people with great service. Super friendly definitely recommend stopping here. They…read morerecommended things to do places to go

My daughter had had her wedding here. It was wonderful as were the people who were there to help…read more Great place to visit. Big part of ILLINOIS history!!

I highly recommend stopping in for a tour of this magnificent structure. The cost is $5 per person…read more They often hold a "Free Day" so, you might not have to pay anything. The curator Erin is very kind, and knowledgeable. Most reviews on the place are contributed to TripAdvisor, but I felt the Yelp audience would like to know of a place they could visit on a rainy day. Or anytime! I believe the tours are Thursday - Saturday at designated time slots from around Noon to 3pm for a duration of an hour. Call ahead for more info and planning.

The Peoria Riverfront Museum is a really neat place that you should check out while you're in…read morePeoria. Right outside the museum, on the southside of the building is the Peoria Holocaust Memorial. This is a touching tribute from the community to those who died in the Holocaust. We lucked into going on a "community day" where there was a large festival outside celebrating Cinqo de Mayo. The advantage was that admission was free on that day. The downside was that the music from outside could be heard inside the museum. It was also very crowded with many children running around unattended. The museum featured an exhibit on American 250 curated by Ken Burns. The planetarium also has a really cool and interactive show explaining where the stars are in our solar system. The museum also features a variety of rotating exhibits. I highly recommend a visit to the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

This is a nice little museum, I particularly enjoyed the Bronzeville to Harlem exhibit. That was…read morespectacular. We also went to the Planetarium and saw the what is in tonight's sky show and it was great. There was also a little concert outside before noon, which must have been a local school's jazz band and maybe small string orchestra. That was fun as well