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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 “worldclass” 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, an all new hands-on children’s area, and much more. The second Saturday of every month is Super Saturday at the Illinois State Museum, with themed activities for children ages 4-8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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.

Families with young children will enjoy the brand new Play Museum (opening March 26, 2011) where children can learn through play what it is like to work at a museum. The immersive, interactive, kid-friendly Play Museum is designed for children ages 3- 11. Children can excavate mastodont bones, load a jeep for an expedition, crawl through a cave, touch animal skulls, frame and display art and much more.

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 19th century.

Changing art exhibitions showcase the best of Illinois art. “The Urge to Embellish,” on display from Feb. 6 – Oct. 2, 2011, examines a basic human impulse – the urge to embellish. The exhibition includes an eclectic array of new acquisitions and rarely-seen works from the Museum’s collections made predominantly by non-professional artists. The objects reveal how embellishment has been guided by experimentation, learned behavior, social expectations and tradition. Included are commemorative, ceremonial, decorative, functional, and whimsical objects spanning nearly two centuries and constructed with beads, ceramics, feathers, fibers, hair, metal, paint, papier-mâché, porcupine quills, wood, and other materials. Among the unique objects on display are a crazy quilt commemorating the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition; a hair wreath made by a teacher in 1900 using locks of hair from students she taught, a stunning handmade lace gown and parasol cover, Native American beaded jacket, Anna pottery cemetery urn, whimsical folk objects such as whirligigs, powderhorns and more.

On permanent display is the spectacular “Morton D. Barker Paperweight Collection.” View stunning examples of paperweights from renowned glass factories in France, England, Bohemia and the United States.

The Illinois State Museum Store is the place to shop for unique gifts made in Illinois. The store features one-of-a-kind jewelry, art glass, handturned wood, pottery, fiber, woven baskets and much more created by juried artisans throughout the state. The store also has a wide selection of educational toys and souvenirs.

The Illinois State Museum is located at 502 S. Spring Street on the corner of Spring and Edwards streets, just south of the Capitol Building in the State Capitol complex. Hours: Mon.-Sat. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m. Closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is free. Free parking is available in the Visitors Center lot one block west of the museum on Edwards Street. For more information, contact 217-782- 7386, www.museum.state.il.us. or www.facebook.com/IllinoisStateMuseum.