Discover a hidden treasure, world-class and free

People ages 1 to 101 will enjoy the Illinois State Museum in Springfield, just a few blocks west of downtown in the State Capitol complex. This free museum, which has been called “world-class” and “a gem in its own right,” tells the story of the land, life, people and art of Illinois. Exhibits include engaging, interactive natural history displays, life-sized dioramas bringing Illinois’ rich Native American heritage to life, a hands-on children’s discovery room and much more.

You probably didn’t know that Illinois was once located south of the equator. Or that it was once a tropical sea teeming with marine life. By traveling through time in the “Changes” exhibition, you will see what Illinois was like millions of years ago. You will glimpse an era when intriguing species once inhabited Illinois — sharks, giant dragonflies and millipedes, Jefferson’s ground sloth, the American mastodont and short-faced bears. You will learn what the land was like when the first European explorers discovered it. “Changes” is not just a learning experience. It’s an adventure through 500 million years of environmental change in Illinois.

Engaging hands-on interactive displays, audio and video effects, life size dioramas and thousands of authentic fossils make the state’s amazing evolution come alive.

Other exhibits include “At Home in the Heartland,” where you can immerse yourself in the dramatic changes in household life over the past 300 years and listen to the stories of real people who lived in Illinois from the time of early settlement to the modern era. Furnishings and other domestic objects from the museum’s extensive collections present a picture of the lives of Illinois residents from the 18th century to today. Authentic artifacts and the life-size dioramas in the “Peoples of the Past” exhibit reveal the dramatic changes in Native American cultures from thousands of years ago to the nineteenth century.

Families with young children will enjoy “A Place for Discovery,” a hands-on children’s gallery where kids can be kids with lots of things to touch and do. Children of all ages can investigate and discover the mysteries of art and nature. The museum plans to replace this gallery in 2010 with a “Play Museum,” an allnew and expanded interactive space for children ages 3-10 and their caregivers. The “Play Museum” will engage children in what it’s like to