Joliet Area Historical Museum, Illinois, United States

5Daniel M 5:00 PM Sep 28, 2022

Live Performances at a Beautiful Museum
Beautiful and interesting Museum with a special exhibit room that contains additional special historical artifacts. The exhibit room changes the topics regularly so there is always something new being presented. One of the most unique features about this museum is the fact that they present live performances frequently. The live performances include live music on the rooftop (which is awesome on a weekend night in the summer or fall) and live music in the indoor auditorium. They also present historical talks on architecture, archeology, local culture, etc. AND, this is a very popular Route 66 stepping off point for international tourists - they have some cool stories about some of the famous visitors to the museum. The staff is really nice, don't hesitate to ask questions or ask for a volunteer tour guide.

4Keenomanjaro 5:00 PM Jan 14, 2020

Interesting local history and Route 66 exhibits
We were spending the day driving the Illinois section of Route 66 and made this visitor's centre and museum our first port of call. There is a free display in the entrance lobby which provides some information about Route 66 and has some fun exhibits including life-sized figures of The Blues Brothers relaxing on chairs near the entrance and a model car in front of a Route 66 roadside scene mural - all good for photo opportunities! There is also a paid admission museum which focuses more on Joliet's interesting and varied history and inspired us to go and take a quick look at their prison, which is a short drive away and again will be familiar to fans of The Blues Brothers. They have a gift shop full of Route 66 stuff and a free parking lot across the road.