Exhibitions
The Illinois State Museum's extensive collections can be seen in both permanent and temporary exhibitions. Permanent exhibitions are always available, while temporary exhibitions rotate every few months.
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.
At Changes visitors will see, hear, and touch Illinois’ natural history through engaging hands-on interactive displays, audio and video effects, thousands of authentic fossils, and more. Marvel at all the strange and intriguing species that once inhabited Illinois through a multitude of life-size dioramas.
Life-sized dioramas and finely crafted artifacts bring to life Illinois' rich Native American heritage.
Illinois State Museum Second Floor Gallery
Fashioning Illinois, 1820-1900 is a celebration of nineteenth century Illinois clothing that explores both the personal experience of wearing and caring for clothing as well as the way that fashion reflected the changing roles and attitudes about women over the first 80 years of Illinois statehood.
Lower Level Gallery
Let’s Look is an art exhibition that invites adults and their young learners to look closely at and talk about art.
First Floor Hot Science Gallery
Walk on the Wild Side: The Story of Illinois Cats features fossils and casts of some of the largest cat species to roam North America.
