Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum

Free admission to the finest collection of memorabilia associated with the history of the Mother Road in Illinois. Featuring Route 66 Artist and Icon, Bob Waldmire's bus and van! Be sure to step around back where you will see the World's Largest Route 66 shield and other great murals.

CITY: Pontiac

David Davis Mansion

The David Davis Mansion was the home of Judge David Davis, the friend, mentor and campaign manager for Abraham Lincoln. The elegant 36-room Victorian home tells the story of the generation that led the United States through the Civil War and early years of Reconstruction. Take a tour of the lavishly decorated mansion, where you’ll learn about the important friendship between Davis and Lincoln, and get a peek at what life was like for a wealthy Victorian-era family.

CITY: Bloomington

Looking for Lincoln Exhibits

Pontiac’s historic connections to Abraham Lincoln date back to Lincoln’s early days as a young lawyer traveling the 8th Judicial District. Lincoln visited Pontiac many times, represented a number of local citizens in legal actions, and made connections here that helped him to rise to prominence in state and national politics. Nine outdoor story boards help tell the stories associated with Lincoln's many visits to Pontiac. Pick up a map at the Visitor Center.

CITY: Pontiac

Historic Swinging Bridges

Three bridges which cross the Vermillion River. Built as early as 1898 and one of the most popular attractions in Pontiac. Bridge 1 connects Riverview Drive and Play Park. It was built in July 1898 by Joliet Bridge Company with an iron structure, 190 feet long and 4 feet wide and supported by cables swung from masonry piers. The current bridge is a wooden structure. Bridge 2 connects the Play Park and Chautauqua Park - Eden M. Johnson Memorial circa 1926. Bridge 3 connects the south side and Riverside-Humiston Park. It was built in connection with the adjoining park, circa 1978: Illinois Contractors, Inc.

CITY: Pontiac

McLean County Museum of History

Founded in 1904, the museum is housed in a magnificent courthouse that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located in downtown Bloomington, the museum reveals the lives of the people who shaped McLean County, including those who encountered and knew Abraham Lincoln.

CITY: Bloomington

Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum

See the finest collection of memorabilia from the historic Mother Road in Illinois. The free-admission Hall of Fame features nostalgic photos and displays, plus attractions that include Route 66 artist and icon Bob Waldmire's bus and van, and the world's largest Route 66 shield.

CITY: Pontiac

Pontiac-Oakland Automobile Museum & Resource Center

The history of the Oakland and Pontiac car brands as seen through 15 classic cars, dealer artifacts, a complete print library and memorabilia. Free admission-open year round.

CITY: Pontiac

Ewing Cultural Center

Located on the wooded Sunset Hill estate of the late Hazle Buck Ewing, the Ewing Cultural Center encompasses the open-air Theatre at Ewing (summer home of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival), the elegant Ewing Manor (which is open for tours) and the beautiful Genevieve Green Gardens.

CITY: Bloomington

Spirits of Bloomington Historic Ghost Tours

The Spirits of Bloomington Historic Ghost Tours feature guides dressed as President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln who reveal fascinating tales, myths and paranormal accounts of McLean County.

CITY: Bloomington

Route 66 Heritage Wayside Exhibits

Five wayside story boards that highlight the history of Route 66 in Pontiac. Pick up a map at the Route 66 Museum.

CITY: Pontiac

Livingston County War Museum

Walking through Livingston County War Museum is like taking a tour of the 20th Century, including artifacts, films, books, uniforms and weapons of several wars. The museum does not glorify war, but shows the best attributes of men and women caught up in war. In doing so, we respectfully honor the service of America's veterans, and the men and women from the area who served in the military.

CITY: Pontiac

Livingston County Courthouse

Located on the square in downtown Ponitac, the courthouse was built in 1875 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Abraham Lincoln tried some of his earlier cases here.

CITY: Pontiac

Pontiac Visitor's Center

Be sure to stop by and pick up local Pontiac and tourist information for area attractions, dining, coupons and shopping.

CITY: Pontiac

Children's Discovery Museum

Come experience three floors of unique, hands-on, larger-than-life exhibits! This museum is designed to create a sense of wonder that excites the love of learning in children of all ages. Be sure to discover the new Children's Discovery Museum.

CITY: Normal

The Jones House

This Gothic Revival house, built in 1858, it is the oldest brick home in Pontiac.

CITY: Pontiac

Catherine V. Yost Museum and Art Center

The Yost house was built in 1898 by Z.F. Yost. The museum portrays the life of an upper-middle class family during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

CITY: Pontiac

Prairie Aviation Museum

Highlights the History of Aviation from the Wright Brothers to Illinois Astronauts. View or take a ride in the restored DC-3, The National Historic Registry's only Flying Exhibit!

CITY: Bloomington

Downtown Bloomington

The McLean County Courthouse, capped by a stately dome, serves as a landmark to identify the historic core of the city. Turn-of-the century buildings, many with interesting historical pasts, flank the courthouse square. A visitor can find museums, banks, a legal and governmental center, residential living, a large artists' community, plus an assortment of specialty retail businesses and supportive services in Downtown Bloomington. There is an abundance of restaurants and a lively night scene. Discover all that downtown Bloomington has to offer by shopping, dining, working and playing in this great historical district!

CITY: Bloomington

State Farm Insurance

State Farm is Bloomington-Normal's largest employer and the nation's largest insurance company. Tours are offered at the Corporate Building on State Farm Plaza and the historic Fire Building.

CITY: Bloomington

International Walldog Mural and Sign Art Museum

Free admission to a museum featuring the history of outdoor sign and mural art. Videos, drawings, and artifacts tell the story of advertising art. Art work for sale. The International Walldog Mural & Sign Art Museum is dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of the outdoor wall advertising signs painted in the days before electronic mass media. The painters who created those early signs called themselves "Walldogs." The displays which are found at the museum tell the history of the early sign painters who created their art on the sides of brick buildings, barns, and other structures. Examples of those early signs can still be seen throughout the Midwest and, though faded, peeling, and sometimes barely readable, these "ghost signs" remain an important part of our collective cultural and commercial history.

CITY: Pontiac

Fairbury Echoes Museum

This local museum features a Fairbury Room and exhibits that change periodically. Open Wednesday and Fridays, or by appointment.

CITY: Fairbury

Dominy Memorial Library

A resource to encourage education and to promote research, the library acts as a cultural center, housing 18,709 books. It is also home to large print books, audio books, newspapers, magazines, music cassettes, videos, bifocal kits, and art prints. Patrons have access to a fax machine, copy machine, microfilm printer-reader, genealogy materials, and the internet through two computers. The library offers a meeting room, outreach programs, children's programs, and a children's library.

CITY: Fairbury

Strevell-Lincoln House

Built in the 1850's, this home welcomed Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Among the many connections Pontiac has to Abraham Lincoln, one of the most interesting revolves around Lincoln's friendship with local attorney, Jason W. Strevell. Strevell was born in New York and migrated to Illinois in 1855. He was admitted to the Illinois bar that same year, and began his practice in Pontiac. He was involved in his legal practice here for twenty-four years. He served as a Republican in the Illinois House of Representatives, and also had one term as a Senator. He was a member of the electoral college that elected Hayes to the presidency, and was actively concerned in the first presidental election of William McKinley. The house is currently being restored by the Livingston County Historical Society.

CITY: Pontiac

Matthew T. Scott Home

The traditional Victorian home belonged to Matthew T. Scott, a well-known agriculturalist, and his wife Julia Green, one of the founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

CITY: Chenoa

Challenger Learning Center

The Challenger Learning Center at Heartland Community College offers interactive, simulated space and science experiences through scheduled team missions for students and the public.

CITY: Normal

Twin Groves Wind Farm

Located on the wind-swept Bloomington Moraine in eastern McLean County, Twin Groves Wind Farm offers 396 megawatts of affordable, pollution-free wind energy, enough to meet the annual energy needs of about 118,000 homes. Learn more about this exciting new facility with a farm tour.

CITY: Ellsworth