A worldwide technology outage is causing disruption to some State of Illinois online systems. We are aware of this issue and are diligently working on restoration.

The Illinois State Museum will partially reopen its flagship facility to visitors beginning Monday, November 4, 2024. Please note that not all exhibits will be open.

At Home in the Heartland

Listen to the stories of real people who lived in Illinois. Immerse yourself in the dramatic changes in household life over the past 300 years.

Exhibits include French Illinois, Pioneer Life, Post-Civil War Life, Industial Age, Century of Progress, and Modern Life. Interactives let the visitor make choices that people of these eras had to make.