Home | McLean County Museum of History

Tickets for the in-person walk are available for purchase online, at the Museum's Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center and Gift Shop, or at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

Tickets purchased will help support more than 2,000 students, chaperones, and older adults living in senior care facilities to participate in the Walk in-person and online.

We are not exaggerating when we say that we could not do any of this without you—our members—and your unwavering support.

For questions or issues with purchasing tickets, contact Candace Summers, Senior Director of Education.

Museum Visitor's Center

Evergreen Memorial Cemetery

Events & Programs

Looking for something new to do? Check out our upcoming events and programs. Tune into a livestream, or watch a recording of a past program on our YouTube channel.

2024 History Makers Gala

Tuesday, June 18th

5:30pm – 8:00pm

Each year, the History Makers Gala recognizes long-standing residents whose outstanding, life-long contributions of time and ta...

Featured

History Reads Book Club: The Woman They Could Not Silence

Tuesday, May 7th

7:00pm – 8:00pm

All are welcome to join the Museum and Bloomington Public Library on Tuesday, May 7, at 7:00 p.m. for the second installment of...

Online + In Person

Lunch and Learn: All About Wind Turbines with Meghan Reha

Thursday, May 9th

12:10pm – 1:00pm

Renewable energy expert Meghan Reha (she/her) will introduce some of the wind turbines that produce electricity around McLean C...

Knit In at Bloomington Public Library

Saturday, May 11th

10:00am – 1:00pm

Calling ALL Knitters and Crocheters, grab your needles and hooks, some yarn, a friend or two, and come and knit for a bit!...

Evergreen Cemetery Walk Auditions

Monday, May 13th

6:30pm – 8:00pm

The Museum, Illinois Voices Theatre Echoes, and Evergreen Memorial Cemetery are pleased to announce the dates for auditions for...

Narrative Threads: Community Quilting with Illinois Art Station and Community Partners

Tuesday, May 14th

5:30pm – 7:00pm

Five years ago, in May 2019, Illinois Art Station embarked on a community quilt project to celebrate and commemorate the thread...

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 $10
Seniors (65+) & Veterans $8
Museum members FREE
Students & Children FREE
Every Tuesday, for all visitors FREE
SNAP Recipients (with EBT card) FREE
Indigenous Tribal Members (with ID) FREE
Active Duty Military (with ID) FREE
Big Brothers/Big Sisters and their Little Brothers/Sisters FREE
Many community groups & corporate members 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, hands on Discovery Room, and numerous displays. Our online exhibits bring McLean County history to you, wherever you are.

Merwin Gallery

The Merwin Gallery features almost 300 objects from the Museum's 18,000+ object collection. In this display space, objects from the collection will be moved in and out of the gallery regularly so visitors can return again and again, always to see something new.

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

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.

Evergreen Cemetery Walk

The Evergreen Cemetery Walk brings the voices of McLean County's history to life. Costumed actors portray people representing all walks of life from the county's past on the grounds of Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

Tickets go on sale September 5th.

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

Our Speakers Bureau features experts in McLean County and Illinois history who are passionate about sharing their expertise with your group. To schedule a Speakers Bureau program and for information about pricing, please contact the Education Department. Special rates are available for not-for-profit organizations and community groups.

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