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

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

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

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

Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts

Built in 1922 to house the original American Passion Play, the former Scottish Rite Temple is the centerpiece of downtown Bloomington's Cultural District. The Performing Arts Center has a 1,200-seat theater and 1,000-person ballroom.

CITY: Bloomington

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

BlueLine Night Club

There's great bands and sophisticated atmosphere at the BlueLine Night Club in Downtown Bloomington!

CITY: Bloomington

IWU School of Theatre Arts

Four mainstage plays are performed annually, ranging from Shakespeare to musicals. Holiday events are held every season.

CITY: Bloomington

Community Players Theatre

The Community Players Theatre is committed to presenting quality theater at an affordable price. Call for current performances and tickets.

CITY: Bloomington

Crossroads Global Handcrafts

Crossroads Global Handcrafts is a respected outlet for fairly traded handcrafts and food products from around the world including handmade art objects, utilitarian items, textiles, baskets, carvings, jewelry, ceramics, premium coffees, tea and chocolate.

CITY: Bloomington

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

Illinois Symphony Orchestra

The Illinois Symphony Orchestra performs diverse concerts for the communities of Springfield and Bloomington-Normal. Single tickets or affordable subscription packages are available.

CITY: Bloomington

Heartland Theatre

Heartland Theatre Company is located on the old Soldiers & Sailors campus where Lincoln and Beech Streets intersect in Normal. Besides presenting a season of five plays each year, Heartland hosts an annual 10-Minute Play Festival and a one-act competition and workshop for Midwest playwrights. Heartland occasionally partners with local universities and organizations to offer historical or musical theatre to the community.

CITY: Normal

The Loft - Bloomington

Enjoy this newly renovated martini bar with a wonderful atmosphere! No food served.

CITY: Bloomington

Laugh Comedy Club

Some of the nations best comedians grace the stage every week at Bloomington's ONLY Comedy Club! We offer low ticket prices, great food and drinks and under 21 is permitted to enter. Join us every Thursday for College Night! Shows are Thursday, Friday, Saturday!

CITY: Bloomington

Normal Theater

The Normal Theater is an historic movie theater located in downtown Normal, IL.

CITY: Normal

Mulligans

Famous for Long Island Iced Teas! Always a packed crowd in Downtown Bloomington!

CITY: Bloomington

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

Dargon Park Sculptures

"Seasons of Life," created by sculptor and artist Barry Tinsley, stands 25 feet tall and is made up of three sculptures that symbolize the human "seasons" of growth during our lives.

CITY: Pontiac

Galaxy 14 Cinema

The Galaxy movie theater features 14 screens, stadium seating, digital surround sound, full-service concessions and a mega screen.

CITY: Bloomington

Ecology Action Center

This walk-in information and environmental education center offers workshops on recycling, composting and energy saving.

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

Travis Wood Products

Museum-quality, historic Shaker reproduction furniture and accessories handcrafted by local artist. Showroom by appointment. Listed as one of the top 200 craftspeople in the United States by Early American Magazine.

CITY: Fairbury

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

Illinois Wesleyan University Merwin Galleries

The galleries display rotating exhibits created by Illinois Wesleyan University students throughout the school year.

CITY: Bloomington

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

Hearts Desire

2,400 square ft of crafts, gifts and antiques.

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

Illinois State University Planetarium

The night sky is recreated in this 100-seat celestial theater-in-the-round operated by ISU's Physics Department.

CITY: Normal

Dargan Park Sculptures- "Seasons of Life"

25 feet tall, magnificent iron statues depicting the stages of man's life.

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

Starplex Cinemas/Normal Stadium 14

Starplex Cinemas combines the enjoyment of movies with expanded concessions stands and its Star Cafes.

CITY: Normal

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

ISU Galleries

ISU Galleries consists of three galleries that exhibit nationally known works and the latest projects from ISU students. Call for summer hours.

CITY: Normal

Illinois State University Farms

Open for group tours only, this farm includes a dairy operation, animals fed and monitored by computer, Crops of the World seen during growing season and the Aqua-Culture Center.

CITY: Normal

Uptown Normal

Uptown Normal has undergone a renaissance, with a recent overhaul of the area that included new streets and sidewalks, plus the addition of the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Charming restaurants and shops populate Uptown Normal, including Babbitt’s Books, which offers hard-to-find rare antique books.

CITY: Normal

McLean County Arts Center

The McLean County Arts Center presents approximately twelve exhibitions yearly, including the annual Holiday Treasures exhibition and the annual Amateur Competition and Exhibition which for over 85 years has showcased the best amateur artists from the region. The Center also offers art classes, artist lectures, art workshops for children and adults and associated performing and literary arts presentations. The community is also offered opportunities to purchase or rent artwork through the Center's Sales & Rental Gift Gallery.

CITY: Bloomington

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