# List of museums in Illinois

This list of museums in Illinois contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

## Museums

| Name | Location | County | Region | Type | Summary | Website |
| 1930s Preserving Agriculture Museum | Quincy | Adams | Western | Agriculture | John Deere agriculture machinery that would have been found on a farm in the Midwest during the 1930s, open by appointment | |
| A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | African American | Contributions made by Black Americans to America's labor history | Homepage |
| Abraham Lincoln Long Nine Museum | Athens | Menard | Central | Historic site | Audio narrated diorama tour telling about Abraham Lincoln and the selection of Springfield as the state capital in the late 1830s | |
| Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Biographical | Life of the 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War | |
| Addison Historical Museum | Addison | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Addison Historical Society | Homepage |
| Adler Planetarium | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Science | | |
| African American Hall of Fame Museum | Peoria | Peoria | Central | African American | Located in the John C. Proctor Recreation Center | |
| African American Museum of Southern Illinois | Carbondale | Jackson | Southern | African American | Located in University Mall | |
| Air Classics Museum of Aviation | Sugar Grove | Kane | Northern Illinois | Aviation | Aircraft, vehicles, uniforms and aviation memorabilia from the 1930s to the present, located at Aurora Municipal Airport | website |
| Air Combat Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Aviation | Historic combat aircraft | Homepage |
| Alexis Museum | Alexis | Warren | Quad Cities | Local history | | |
| All Wars Museum | Quincy | Adams | Western | Military | Located on the grounds of the Illinois Veterans Home, displays military artifacts from the Revolutionary War to the present | website |
| Altamont Living Museum | Altamont | Effingham | Central | Entertainment | 1912 former church, hosts live music and dance performances, as well as fine art exhibits | |
| Alton Museum of History and Art | Alton | Madison | Metro-East | Local history | Exhibits include world's tallest man Robert Pershing Wadlow, Piasa Bird, Lincoln–Douglas debate, American Civil War, and changing art exhibits | |
| Amboy Depot Museum | Amboy | Lee | Northern Illinois | Railroad | History of Amboy and the Illinois Central Railroad | |
| American Farm Heritage Museum | Greenville | Bond | Southern | Agriculture | Includes tractors and farm machinery | Homepage |
| American Fluorite Museum | Rosiclare | Hardin | Southern | Mining | Exhibits on fluorspar mining industry, fluorite ore specimens, mining paraphernalia and photographs | |
| American Movie Palace Museum | Elmhurst | DuPage | Chicago area | Entertainment | Operated by the Theatre Historical Society of America, objects from the era of the great movie palaces in the U.S. | |
| American Toby Jug Museum | Evanston | Cook | Chicago area | Decorative art | Toby jug and character jug collection | Homepage |
| Anderson Mansion Museum | Carlinville | Macoupin | Central | Open air | Operated by the Macoupin County Historical Society, includes Victorian house with period displays, schoolhouse and print shop | |
| Andover Historical Museum | Andover | Henry | Western | Local history | | |
| Ansel B. Cook House | Libertyville | Lake | Chicago area | Historic house | Victorian-period house, operated by the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society | |
| Aplington House | Polo | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Operated by the Polo Historical Society | |
| Apple River Fort State Historic Site | Elizabeth | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Living | Recreated 1830s fort | |
| Arlington Heights Historical Museum | Arlington Heights | Cook | Chicago area | Open air | Includes 1882 Victorian Muller House, coach house, 1906 soda pop factory, 1908 Banta house and a replica 1830s log cabin | |
| Art Center Highland Park | Highland Park | Lake | Chicago area | Art | Not-for-profit contemporary visual arts organization | Homepage |
| Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | | |
| Arts Club of Chicago | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Changing exhibits of cutting edge and avant-garde art | |
| Atlanta Museum | Atlanta | Logan | Central | Local history | | Homepage |
| Atkinson Historical Society Museum | Atkinson | Henry | Western | Local history | | |
| Atkinson-Peek House | Moline | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Historic house | Operated by the Rock Island County Historical Society, early 20th-century period house and adjacent Carriage House Museum | Homepage |
| Augustana Teaching Museum of Art | Rock Island | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Art | Part of Augustana College | Homepage |
| Aurora Regional Fire Museum | Aurora | Kane | Chicago area | Firefighting | | |
| B&B National Toy Museum | Cambridge | Henry | Western | Toy | 1890 house with advanced engineering | |
| Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Cultural | Lithuanian history, culture and art | |
| Banwarth House & Museum | Elizabeth | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 1876 Victorian period house, operated by the Planetary Studies Foundation | Homepage |
| Barrington History Museum | Barrington | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Located in Old Barrington Center, operated by the Barrington Historical Society | Homepage |
| Bartlett Depot Museum | Bartlett | Cook | Chicago area | Railroad | | Homepage |
| Bartlett History Museum | Bartlett | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Located in Village Hall | Homepage |
| Batavia Depot Museum | Batavia | Kane | Northern Illinois | Railroad | Operated by the Batavia Historical Society | |
| Beall Mansion | Alton | Madison | Metro-East | Historic house | Turn-of-the-20th-century mansion designed by world-famous architect, Lucas Pfeifenberger, former residence of Senator Edmond Beall, politician and industrialist, tours by appointment | Homepage |
| Beardstown Historical Museum | Beardstown | Cass | Western | Local history | Located in the courthouse with the Old Lincoln Courtroom, collection includes guns, Civil War memorabilia, and Native American artifacts. | Homepage |
| Beith House Museum | St. Charles | Kane | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Mid-19th-century house, operated by the Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley | |
| Belgian Museum of the Quad Cities | Moline | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Ethnic | Also known as the Center for Belgian Culture | Homepage |
| Beller Museum | Romeoville | Will | Chicago area | Automotive | Open by appointment. Displays cars, trucks and memorabilia | Homepage |
| Belvedere Mansion | Galena | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 1857 mansion and gardens | Homepage |
| Ben Winter Museum | Altamont | Effingham | Central | Technology | Antique steam engines | |
| Benjamin Stephenson House | Edwardsville | Madison | Metro-East | Historic house | Restored 1820s period house | |
| Bethalto Historical Museum | Bethalto | Madison | Metro-East | Local history | Located in the former Village Hall | |
| Bethel School | Friends Creek Township | Macon | Central | School | Operated by the Macon County Conservation District, 1890 one-room schoolhouse | |
| Big Rock Historical Society Crib Museum | Big Rock | Kane | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| Billy Barnhart Museum | Oregon | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Commodity | Collection includes vintage toys, collectibles, sleighs, farm equipment, and other relics of the past | |
| Billy Graham Center Museum | Wheaton | DuPage | Chicago area | Religious | History of Christian evangelism in the United States, Billy Graham, missions and Christian themes | |
| Birks Museum | Decatur | Macon | Central | Decorative arts | Part of Millikin University in Gorin Hall | Homepage |
| Bishop Hill State Historic Site | Bishop Hill | Henry | Western | Open air | Site of a former Utopian community | |
| Blackberry Farm Museum | Aurora | Kane | Chicago area | Living | Five museums including the Carriage House, the Farm Museum, the Early Streets Museum and the Huntoon House, Victorian era | Homepage |
| Blackwell History of Education Museum | DeKalb | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | History | Part of Northern Illinois University. Exhibits concern the history of American education, including a replica one-room schoolhouse | Homepage |
| Black Hawk State Historic Site | Rock Island | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Native American | Includes John Hauberg Museum of Native American Life and Singing Bird Nature Center | |
| Bloomingdale Park District Museum | Bloomingdale | DuPage | Chicago area | Art | Changing local art exhibits | Homepage |
| Blue Island Historical Museum | Blue Island | Cook | Southern | Local history | Operated by the Blue Island Historical Society in the lower level of the Blue Island Public Library, illustrates the history of the Blue Island area from before the time of the city's founding in 1836. The society also operates the historic Albee House museum. | Homepage |
| Boone County Historical Museum | Belvidere | Boone | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Boone County Historical Society, includes 160-year-old log cabin, general store, bank, barbershop, one-room school displays | Homepage |
| Bradley University Galleries | Peoria | Peoria | Central | Art | Heuser Art Center Gallery, Hartmann Center Gallery, Student Project Space | Homepage |
| Braidwood Area Historical Society Museum | Braidwood | Will | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| Breaking the Prairie Museum | Mendota | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Agriculture | Operated by the Mendota Museum & Historical Society, focus on farm family life, equipment, livestock and faith | |
| Bretton and Black Museum | Hampton | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Local history | Operated by the Hampton Historical Society, restored 1849 store | |
| Bronzeville Children's Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Children's | Focuses on the historical experiences of African-American children | |
| Brunk Morgan Horse Museum | Rochester | Sangamon | Central | Historic house | Exhibits about George Brunk, breeder of the Morgan horse | |
| Bryant Cottage State Historic Site | Bement | Piatt | Central | Historic house | Middle-class mid-19th-century house | Homepage |
| Bureau County Historical Society Museum | Princeton | Bureau | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Museum occupies two adjacent homes, Clark-Norris Home and Newell-Bryant House | Homepage |
| Burpee Museum of Natural History | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Natural history | Dinosaurs, fossils, geology, area Native Americans, wildlife of the Rock River Valley | |
| Bushnell-Wheeler House | South Beloit | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the South Beloit Historical Society | Homepage |
| Butterworth Center | Moline | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Historic house | Features antique Venetian-style ceiling paintings, operated by the William Butterworth Foundation | Homepage |
| Byron Museum of History | Byron | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Cahokia Courthouse State Historic Site | Cahokia | St. Clair | Metro-East | Historic site | Reconstructed frontier courthouse | |
| Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site | Collinsville | St. Clair | Metro-East | Native American | Site of an ancient American Indian city | Homepage |
| Cairo Custom House | Cairo | Alexander | Southern | Local history | Includes exhibits about local African American heritage, USS Cairo (1861), prehistoric Native American artifacts | |
| Calumet City Historical Society Museum | Calumet City | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| Camp Grant Museum | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Military | History of Camp Grant and local history | Homepage |
| Cantigny | Wheaton | DuPage | Chicago area | Historic site | 1,000-acre (4.0 km$^2$) estate with two museums: Robert R. McCormick Museum, a 1930s historic mansion with biographical exhibits, and the First Division Museum at Cantigny | |
| Carl Sandburg State Historic Site | Galesburg | Knox | Western | Biographical | Boyhood home and museum about poet Carl Sandburg | |
| Carnegie Museum | Olney | Richland | Southern | Local history | Open by appointment with the Richland Heritage Museum Foundation | |
| Carthage Jail | Carthage | Hancock | Central | Prison | Jail that was the location of the murder of Joseph Smith and his brother Hynum | |
| Caterpillar Visitors Center | Peoria | Peoria | Central | Industry | History of Caterpillar Inc. and its earth-moving equipment | Homepage |
| Catharine V. Yost House Museum | Pontiac | Livingston | Central | Historic house | Open by appointment, turn of the 20th-century period house | |
| Catlin Heritage Museum | Catlin | Vermilion | Central | Local history | Operated by the Catlin Historical Society | Homepage |
| Cedarhurst Center for the Arts | Mt. Vernon | Jefferson | Southern | Art | American art, includes Mitchell Museum, Cedarhurst Sculpture Park, main gallery with changing exhibits | |
| Cedarville Area Historical Society Museum | Cedarville | Stephenson | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Center for American Archeology | Kampsville | Calhoun | Central | Archeology | Prehistory of the lower Illinois River Valley | |
| Center for History | Wheaton | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Formerly Wheaton History Center, currently seeking new location | |
| Central Wabash Archaeology Museum | Robinson | Crawford | Southern | Archaeology | Artifacts excavated in the area | Homepage |
| Centralia Museum | Centralia | Marion | Southern | Local history | | Homepage |
| Cernan Earth and Space Center | River Grove | Cook | Chicago area | Aerospace | Public planetarium on the campus of Triton College, includes earth and space-related exhibits | |
| Champaign County Historical Museum | Champaign | Champaign | Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area | Local history | Includes quilts, clothing, toys, furniture, a general store, military items | Homepage |
| Chana School | Oregon | Ogle | Northern Illinois | School | 19th-century two-room schoolhouse | |
| Chaplin Creek Village | Franklin Grove | Lee | Northern Illinois | Open air | Operated by the Franklin Grove Area Historical Society. Historical restoration depicting a mid-19th-century prairie settlement | Homepage |
| Charles Gates Dawes House Museum | Evanston | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | Also known as the Evanston History Center. The 1894 mansion in the French Chateaux style, designed by Henry Edwards-Ficken, features twenty-five rooms, six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and eleven fireplaces. | |
| Charter Oak Schoolhouse | Schuline | Randolph | Southern | School | One-room schoolhouse, open for events | |
| Chatham Railroad Museum | Chatham | Sangamon | Central | Railroad | | Homepage |
| Cherry Valley Historical Society Museum | Cherry Valley | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design | Galena | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Art | Art of design in all areas of the discipline: architecture, industrial and product design, graphics and urban planning | |
| Chicago Athenaeum's International Sculpture Park | Schaumburg | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Outdoor sculpture park on 20 acres (81,000 m$^2$) | |
| Chicago Children's Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Children's | Located at Navy Pier | |
| Chicago Cultural Center | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Visual art exhibitions and cultural performances | |
| Chicago Design Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Design | Independently owned and operated | |
| Chicago Great Western Railroad Depot Museum | Elizabeth | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Railroad | Operated by the Elizabeth Historical Society, includes N-scale, HO-scale, and G-scale model railroad layouts | |
| Chicago History Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | City history and culture | |
| Chicago Maritime Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Maritime | Maritime history of Chicago and the Great Lakes | Homepage |
| Chicago Sports Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Chicago sports teams' memorabilia, athletes, interactive sports activities | |
| Children's Discovery Museum | Normal | McLean | Central | Children's | | Homepage |
| Children's Museum in Oak Lawn | Oak Lawn | Cook | Chicago area | Children's | | Homepage |
| Children's Museum of Illinois | Decatur | Macon | Central | Children's | | Homepage |
| Children's Neighborhood Museum | Round Lake | Lake | Chicago area | Children's | Located in the Robert W. Rolek Community Center | Homepage |
| Chinese-American Museum of Chicago | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Ethnic | Chinese-American cultural heritage of the Midwest | |
| Clark County Museum | Marshall | Clark | Central | Local history | Operated by the Clark County Historical Society in the Manly-McCann House | |
| Clarke House Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | 1836 pre-Civil War Greek Revival house | |
| Collinsville Historical Museum | Collinsville | Madison | Metro-East | Local history | | Homepage |
| Colonel Davenport House | Rock Island | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Historic house | 1833 mansion | Homepage |
| Colonel Palmer House | Crystal Lake | McHenry | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Operated by the Crystal Lake Historical Society | |
| Crawford County Historical Society Museum | Robinson | Crawford | Southern | Local history | | Homepage |
| Cuneo Museum | Vernon Hills | Lake | Chicago area | Historic house | 1914 Mediterranean-style mansion with decorative arts and furnishings | |
| Dana-Thomas House | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Historic house | Prairie-style house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright | |
| Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Civil War | Civil War artifacts including rifles, medals, photographs, currency, drums, uniforms, and letters from soldiers at the front | Homepage |
| David Adler Music and Arts Center | Libertyville | Lake | Chicago area | Art | Interprets the historic home of architect David Adler, hosts 7 exhibitions per year, ranging from juried exhibitions to group shows | |
| David Davis Mansion | Bloomington | McLean | Central | Historic house | 36-room Italianate villa mansion | |
| David L. Pierce Art and History Center | Aurora | Kane | Chicago area | Multiple | Local history and art, operated by the City of Aurora, exhibits by the Aurora Historical Society and the Aurora Public Art Commission | |
| David Strawn Art Gallery | Jacksonville | Morgan | Central | Art | Operated by the Art Association of Jacksonville, exhibits of local art | Homepage |
| Deere-Wiman House | Moline | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Historic house | 1872 home of Charles Deere, operated by the William Butterworth Foundation | Homepage |
| Deerfield Historic Village | Deerfield | Lake | Chicago area | Open air | Operated by the Deerfield Area Historical Society, includes 1837 log home, mid-19th-century farmhouse, one-room schoolhouse, 1900 kitchen, antique carriages and farm equipment | Homepage |
| DePaul Art Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Part of DePaul University on the Lincoln Park campus | Homepage |
| Dewitt County Museum | Clinton | Dewitt | Central | Open air | Includes the C. H. Moore Homestead, telephone exhibit and farm museum | |
| Dickson Mounds Museum | Lewistown | Fulton | Western | Native American | Archaeological artifacts and history of the Native American settlement site and burial mound complex | |
| Dietrich Friedrichs House Museum | Mount Prospect | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Mount Prospect Historical Society, 1906 farmhouse and education center | Homepage |
| Dillon Home Museum | Sterling | Whiteside | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 19th-century period house, includes the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society Museum in the carriage house | |
| Discovery Center Museum | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Science | Hands-on science and arts exhibits | Homepage |
| Discovery Depot Children's Museum | Galesburg | Knox | Western | Children's | | Homepage |
| Dixon Telegraph Museum | Dixon | Lee | Northern Illinois | Media | History of the newspaper and its role in the history of Dixon | |
| Dollhouses Then & Now | Quincy | Adams | Western | Toy | Over 70 vintage furnished doll houses from the 1920s on | |
| Donald E. Stephens Museum of Hummels | Rosemont | Cook | Chicago area | Decorative arts | M.I. Hummel, ANRI and Goebel figurines collected by Donald Stephens | Homepage |
| Donley's Wild West Town | Union | McHenry | Northern Illinois | History | Western theme park and museum | Homepage |
| Dowling House | Galena | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 1820s house and trading post, exhibits of city history | |
| Downers Grove Museum | Downers Grove | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Located in Wandschneider Park, includes the Victorian-period Blodgett House, the pioneer-period Blodgett House, and barn exhibits | Homepage |
| Douglas County Museum | Tuscola | Douglas | Central | Local history | | Homepage |
| Dr. Charles M. Wright House | Altamont | Effingham | Central | Historic house | Late 19th-century brick mansion | |
| Dr. Richard Eells House | Quincy | Adams | Western | Historic house | 1835 house that was a site on the Underground Railroad, open for group tours and for special events | |
| Draewell Gallery at Judson University | Elgin | Kane | Chicago area | Art | Located in the Harm A. Weber Academic Center | Homepage |
| Driehaus Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Decorative arts, design and architecture of Gilded Age America and the Art Nouveau era | |
| Dundee Township Historical Society Museum | West Dundee | Kane | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| DuPage Children's Museum | Naperville | DuPage | Chicago area | Children's | Hands-on exploration integrating art, math, and science | Homepage |
| DuPage County Historical Museum | Wheaton | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the DuPage County Historical Society, county history, period displays, model railroad | |
| Durant House | St. Charles | Kane | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Restored 1840s prairie farmstead, operated by the Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley | |
| DuSable Museum of African American History | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | African-American | History, art and culture of African-American DuSable residents | |
| Earth & Space Science Museum | Elizabeth | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Science | Operated by the Planetary Studies Foundation, includes dinosaur bones, fossils, and the U.S. space program | Homepage |
| Easley Pioneer Museum | Ipava | Fulton | Western | Local history | Includes history of World War II Army Camp Ellis | |
| Eastern Illinois University Lab School Museum | Charleston | Coles | Central | Institutional Educational History | Depicts the history of the Laboratory School from 1899-1974 | Homepage |
| Edgar Lee Masters Home | Petersburg | Menard | Central | Biographical | Home of poet Edgar Lee Masters | |
| Edgewater Historical Society Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | History of the Edgewater, Chicago community | Homepage |
| Edwards Place | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Historic house | Restored 1850s period house with ties to famous Illinois political figures, includes art gallery of the Springfield Art Association | |
| Edwardsville Children's Museum | Edwardsville | Madison | Metro-East | Children's | | Homepage |
| Eklund Museum | Glencoe | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Glencoe Historical Society | Homepage |
| Elgin Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center | Elgin | Kane | Chicago area | Art | Changing exhibits in three fine arts galleries | Homepage |
| Elgin Fire Barn No. 5 Museum | Elgin | Kane | Chicago area | Firefighting | Early 20th-century former firehouse, includes photos, helmets, badges, uniforms, a hand-drawn hose cart, an 1869 horse-drawn Silsby Steamer, motorized vehicles | |
| Elgin History Museum | Elgin | Kane | Chicago area | Local history | Includes exhibits about the Elgin National Watch Company and American Indian artifacts | |
| Elgin Public Museum | Elgin | Kane | Chicago area | Natural history | Includes Mazon Creek fossils, Native American lifeways, Ice Age mammals, the Fox River ecosystem, the La Salle Expeditions, endangered species, rocks and minerals | |
| Elihu Benjamin Washburne House | Galena | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Mid-19th-century period home | |
| Elijah Iles House | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Historic house | 1830s house with original interior, includes Museum of Springfield History | |
| Elijah P. Curtis House | Metropolis | Massac | Southern | Historic house | Late 19th-century house, operated by the Massac County Historical Society | |
| Elizabeth History Museum | Elizabeth | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Elizabeth Historical Society | Homepage |
| Elk Grove Historical Museum | Elk Grove Village | Cook | Chicago area | Open air | Includes schoolhouse, farmhouse, barn, privy and chicken coop | Homepage |
| Ellwood House Museum | DeKalb | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 1879 Victorian mansion | Homepage |
| Elmhurst Art Museum | Elmhurst | DuPage | Chicago area | Art | Art, architecture and design, includes house designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe | Homepage |
| Elmhurst History Museum | Elmhurst | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the City of Elmhurst, supported by the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation | Homepage |
| Elsah Museum | Elsah | Jersey | Central | Local history | | |
| Empire Township Historical Museum | Le Roy | McLean | Central | Local history | Located in the J.T. and E.J. Crumbaugh Library | |
| Erlander Museum | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Ethnic | Operated by the Swedish Historical Society of Rockford, 19th-century house that reflects area Swedish heritage | Homepage |
| Ernest Hemingway's Birthplace and Museum | Oak Park | Cook | Chicago area | Biographical | 1890s period Victorian home and separate museum about author Ernest Hemingway | Homepage |
| Essley-Noble Museum | Aledo | Mercer | Quad Cities | Local history | Operated by the Mercer County Historical Society | Homepage |
| Ethnic Heritage Museum | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Culture | Heritage and culture of six local immigrant groups: Irish, Italians, African-Americans, Polish, Lithuanians and Hispanics | Homepage |
| Eureka College Burgess Hall Gallery | Eureka | Woodford | Central | Art | | |
| Everett Galleries at Monmouth College | Monmouth | Warren | Central | Art | Located in Hewes Library | Homepage |
| Exploration Station | Bourbonnais | Kankakee | Chicago area | Children's | | Homepage |
| Fabyan Villa Museum | Geneva | Kane | Northern Illinois | Historic house | House redesigned by Frank Lloyd Wright, also Japanese garden, operated by the Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley | |
| Fabyan Windmill | Geneva | Kane | Northern Illinois | Mill | Authentic, working Dutch windmill dating from the 1850s | |
| Fairfield Early History Museum | Fairfield | Wayne | Southern | Local history | Operated by the Wayne Historical Society | website |
| Farnsworth House | Plano | Kendall | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 1940s home designed and constructed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe | |
| Ferguson Art Gallery at Concordia University Chicago | River Forest | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Located in Kretzman Hall, 5 to 6 exhibitions of works of established and up-and-coming Chicago-area artists | Homepage |
| Fern Dell Museum | Newark | Kendall | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Fern Dell Historic Association | Homepage |
| Fayette County Museum | Vandalia | Fayette | Southern | Local history | Period displays | |
| Field Museum of Natural History | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Natural history | Animals, insects, dinosaurs and fossils, history and the evolution of life on Earth, Ancient Egypt, gems and minerals, DNA, Native Americans | |
| Fire Museum of Greater Chicago | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Firefighting | | Homepage |
| First Division Museum at Cantigny | Wheaton | DuPage | Chicago area | Military | History of the 1st Infantry Division from the Revolutionary War to the present, located at Cantigny | |
| Flagg Creek Museum | Burr Ridge | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Flagg Creek Heritage Society | Homepage |
| Flagg Township Museum | Rochelle | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Flagg Township Historical Society in the former town hall | |
| Fort de Chartres | Prairie du Rocher | Randolph | Southern | Military | Reconstructed mid-18th-century fort | |
| Fort Hill Heritage Museum | Mundelein | Lake | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Historical Society of Fort Hill Country | Information |
| Fort Massac State Park | Metropolis | Massac | Southern | Military | Reconstructed colonial and early National-era fort | |
| Fourth St. Museum | Chillicothe | Peoria | Central | Local history | Operated by the Chillicothe Historical Society | Homepage |
| Fox River Trolley Museum | South Elgin | Kane | Chicago area | Transportation | Electric trolley cars | |
| Foreman Depot Museum | Vienna | Johnson | Southern | Local history | Local and railroad history and art gallery | |
| Frances Willard House | Evanston | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | 19th-century home of Frances Willard and her family that was the longtime headquarters of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union | |
| Franklin County Jail Museum | Benton | Franklin | Southern | Local history | Operated by the Franklin County Historic Preservation Society | |
| Franklin County Garage Museum | Benton | Franklin | Southern | Automobile | Operated by the Franklin County Historic Preservation Society | Homepage |
| Franklin Creek Grist Mill | Franklin Grove | Lee | Northern Illinois | Mill | Includes 1930s working mill and area watershed displays | Homepage |
| Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio | Oak Park | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | Restored 1909-period residence of Frank Lloyd Wright | |
| Frederick Francis Woodland Palace | Kewanee | Henry | Western | Historic house | 1890 house with advanced engineering | Homepage |
| Freeport Art Museum | Freeport | Stephenson | Northern Illinois | Art | Exhibits art from its collection as well as regional contemporary artists | Homepage |
| Fryxell Geology Museum | Rock Island | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Natural history | Part of Augustana College, dinosaur, fossil, rock and mineral specimens | https://www.augustana.edu/locations/fryxell-geology-museum |
| Fulkerson Mansion & Farm Museum | Jerseyville | Jersey | Metro-East | Historic house | Civil War period mansion and agriculture tools and equipment | information |
| Fulton (Martin House) Museum | Fulton | Whiteside | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Fulton Historical Society | Homepage |
| Galena & U.S. Grant Museum | Galena | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Galena - Jo Daviess County Historical Society | Homepage |
| Galesburg Civic Art Center | Galesburg | Knox | Western | Art | | Homepage |
| Galesburg Railroad Museum | Galesburg | Knox | Western | Railway | | |
| Garfield Farm and Inn Museum | St. Charles | Kane | Northern Illinois | Farm | 1840s period farmhouse, barn and outbuildings | |
| Gaylord Building | Lockport | Will | Chicago area | Transportation | Impact of the Illinois & Michigan Canal on the area | |
| Geneseo Historical Museum | Geneseo | Henry | Western | Local history | Operated by the Geneseo Historical Association | Homepage |
| Geneva History Museum | Geneva | Kane | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Geneva Historical Society | Homepage |
| George Clayson House Museum | Palatine | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Palatine Historical Society | |
| George R. Letourneau Home Museum | Bourbonnais | Kankakee | Chicago area | Historic house | Operated by the Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society | Homepage |
| German Valley Historical Society Museum | German Valley | Stephenson | Northern Illinois | Local history | | website |
| Giertz Gallery | Champaign | Champaign | Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area | Art | Part of Parkland College | Homepage |
| Glen Carbon Heritage Museum | Glen Carbon | Madison | Metro-East | Local history | | Homepage |
| Glenview History Center | Glenview | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Glenview Area Historical Society, includes the 1864 Farmhouse Museum and the Hibbard Library, a replica of the Victorian coach house | Homepage |
| Glessner House Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | Romanesque-style house designed by Henry Hobson Richardson with English arts and crafts-style home furnishings and decorative arts | |
| Governor Duncan Mansion | Jacksonville | Morgan | Central | Historic house | Mid-19th-century period home of the state's fifth governor | |
| Governor Oglesby Mansion | Decatur | Macon | Central | Historic house | Operated by the Macon County Conservation District, 1870s Italianate style home of 3-time Illinois Governor, U.S. Senator and Civil War General Richard J. Oglesby | |
| Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Civil War | Includes GAR memorabilia, artifacts, papers, diaries, photos, weapons, journals | Homepage |
| Grant Hall Museum | Ingleside | Lake | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Fox Lake-Grant Township Area Historical Society | Homepage |
| Graue Mill and Museum | Oak Brook | DuPage | Chicago area | Mill | Operating waterwheel grist mill and homestead | |
| Gray Gallery at Quincy University | Quincy | Adams | Western | Art | Part of the Brenner Library, exhibitions by nationally-noted and regional artists, as well as works by students and faculty | |
| Grayslake Historical Society Museum | Grayslake | Lake | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| Great Lakes Naval Museum | Great Lakes | Lake | Chicago area | Military | Exhibits about the life of a U.S. Navy sailor, United States Marine Corps Recruit Training and the Naval Station Great Lakes | |
| Greater Saint Louis Air & Space Museum | Cahokia | St. Clair | Metro-East | Aviation | Historic aircraft, aviation history | |
| Gretna Station Museum and Caboose | Carol Stream | DuPage | Chicago area | Railroad | Operated by the Carol Stream Historical Society | Homepage |
| Gridley Telephone Museum | Gridley | McLean | Central | Technology | Evolution of communication services in rural Illinois | Homepage |
| Grosse Point Lighthouse | Evanston | Cook | Chicago area | Lighthouse | 1873 lighthouse open for tours | |
| Grove National Historic Landmark | Glenview | Cook | Chicago area | Multiple | Includes 1856 Gothic Revival house, log cabin, Native American longhouse, one-room schoolhouse, Grove Interpretive Center with natural history exhibits, Wetland Greenhouse | |
| Grundy County Historical Society Museum | Morris | Grundy | Northern Illinois | Local history | Grundy genealogy archives, Chief Shabbona, Mazon fossils, Tully Monster, Morris historic stores, quilts, Northwestern gumball machines | Homepage |
| Hanna House Museum | Fairfield | Wayne | Southern | Historic house | Operated by the Wayne Historical Society | website |
| Hard Days Nite Bed & Breakfast & Beatles Mini-Museum | Benton | Franklin | Southern | Biographical | Room where George Harrison slept when in town, includes Beatles memorabilia | Homepage |
| Harris Agricultural Museum | Atwood | Douglas | Central | Agriculture | Agricultural vehicles and equipment including soil, tillage, harvesting and planting equipment, replicas of a 1920s farmstead kitchen, grain elevator office and blacksmith shop | Homepage |
| Harrison/Bruce Historical Village | Carterville | Williamson | Southern | Open air | Operated by John A. Logan College, includes a school, 19th-century house and two log cabins | Homepage |
| Hawthorne Works Museum | Cicero | Cook | Chicago area | Technology | Part of Morton College, history and products of the Western Electric company | |
| Heath Center Gallery at John Wood Community College | Quincy | Adams | Western | Art | Located in the lower level of the Paul Heath Community Education and Fine Arts Center | |
| Hedges Station | Winfield | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Winfield Historical Society | Homepage |
| Hegeler Carus Mansion | LaSalle | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 1876 Victorian-period mansion | |
| Henderson County Museum | Raritan | Henderson | Western | Local history | Includes schoolrooms, farm kitchens, clothing and farm implements | |
| Henry County Museum | Bishop Hill | Henry | Western | Local history | Operated by the Henry County Historical Society | Homepage |
| Henry N. Barkhausen Cache River Wetlands Center | Cypress | Johnson | Southern | Natural history | Animals, plants and ecosystem of the Cache River Wetlands and the Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge | |
| Henry School | Polo | Ogle | Northern Illinois | School | Operated by the Polo Historical Society, 1878 country school with local history displays | Homepage |
| Henry Thomas Museum | Wyanet | Bureau | Northern Illinois | Local history | Open by appointment, Bureau County Township and early settler Thomas Family memorabilia | |
| Heritage Canyon | Fulton | Whiteside | Northern Illinois | Open air | | Homepage |
| Heritage Farm Museum | Okawville | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Three historic homes: the Frank Schlosser Complex, the Dr. Robert C. Poos Home, and the Joseph Schlosser Home | |
| Heritage House Museum | Salem | Washington | Southern | Historic house | Mid-19th-century house, open by appointment | |
| Heritage Museum | Olney | Richland | Southern | Historic house | Late 19th-century Victorian house, open by appointment with the Richland Heritage Museum Foundation | |
| Highland Park Historical Society Museum | Highland Park | Lake | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| Hinsdale History Museum | Hinsdale | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Hinsdale Historical Society | Homepage |
| Historic Auto Attractions | Roscoe | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Automotive | Exhibits include famous cars, a wide array of classic Hollywood movie memorabilia, and a section dedicated to John F. Kennedy | Homepage |
| Historic Nauvoo | Nauvoo | Hancock | Central | Open air | Includes over 30 historic sites from the 1839-1846 time period, history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Homepage |
| Hoiles-Davis Museum | Greenville | Bond | Southern | Local history | Operated by the Bond County Historical Society | Homepage |
| Holt House | Monmouth | Warren | Central | Historic house | House where Pi Beta Phi fraternity was founded | Homepage |
| Homestead Prairie Farm | Decatur | Macon | Central | Historic house | Operated by the Macon County Conservation District, exhibits focus on rural life on the Grand Prairie of Illinois in the 1860s | |
| Horse and Buggy Museum | Biggsville | Henderson | Western | Transportation | Horse-drawn vehicles and farm equipment | Homepage |
| Hoosier Grove Museum | Streamwood | Cook | Chicago area | School | Operated by the Streamwood Historical Society | Homepage |
| Hull House | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | Part of University of Illinois, former settlement house and museum about Jane Addams and activities at Hull House | |
| Hume Carnegie Museum | Mendota | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Mendota Museum & Historical Society, includes Wild Bill Hickok collection | Homepage |
| Hutson Memorial Village | Hutsonville | Crawford | Southern | Open air | Six log cabins recreating homestead life in 1812, operated by the Hutsonville Historical Society | |
| Illinois Amish Museum | Arcola | Douglas | Central | Cultural | Amish religion and lifestyle including buggies, barns, homes, quilts, weddings, Anabaptist history | Homepage |
| Illinois Aviation Museum | Bolingbrook | Will | Chicago area | Aviation | Collection of restored and replica aircraft | |
| Illinois Executive Mansion | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Historic house | Governor's official residence | |
| Illinois Fire Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Firefighting | Open by appointment, located at the Old Firehouse on Illinois State Fairgrounds | Homepage |
| Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center | Skokie | Cook | Chicago area | History | | |
| Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center | Metamora | Woodford | Western | Open air | Faith and life of Mennonites in Illinois, including worship, home life and agriculture | Homepage |
| Illinois Oil Field Museum | Oblong | Crawford | Southern | Industry | Oil industry tools and equipment, Illinois Basin and surrounding areas of the oil boom era and the oil industry of that area | |
| Illinois Railway Museum | Union | McHenry | Northern Illinois | Railway | Includes steam, diesel and electric trains and heritage train rides | |
| Illinois School for the Deaf Alumni Association Museum | Jacksonville | Morgan | Central | Education | History of the Illinois School for the Deaf | Homepage |
| Illinois State Capitol | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Historic site | | |
| Illinois State Military Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Military | History of the Illinois National Guard | Homepage |
| Illinois State Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Multiple | State natural history, history, culture and art | |
| Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Law enforcement | Uniforms, badges, photographs, vintage squad cars | Homepage |
| Illinois State University College of Fine Arts Galleries | Normal | McLean | Central | Art | Located at Uptown Station | Homepage |
| Illinois Wesleyan University - Merwin & Wakeley Galleries | Bloomington | McLean | Central | Art | Located in the Ames School of Art | Homepage |
| Ingrams Pioneer Log Cabin Village | Kinmundy | Marion | Southern | Open air | 19th-century period log cabin village | |
| Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Intuitive and outsider art gallery | |
| International Museum of Surgical Science | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Medical | Operated by the International College of Surgeons, history of primitive and modern healing practices of Eastern and Western civilizations | |
| International Servant Leaders Museum - Dehkhoda Educational Foundation | Morton Grove | Cook | Chicago area | International Servant Leaders | Exhibits on international servant leaders (Martin Luther King Jr., Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, and many more. | |
| Irish American Heritage Center | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Cultural | | |
| ISM Chicago Gallery | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Changing exhibits of fine and decorative arts | |
| Isle a la Cache Museum | Romeoville | Will | Chicago area | History | French fur trade and Native American life | |
| Italian American Veterans Museum | Stone Park | Cook | Chicago area | Military | Italian-American involvement in the defense of America from the Revolutionary War to the present | Homepage |
| Itasca Historical Depot Museum | Itasca | DuPage | Chicago area | Railroad | Operated by the Itasca Historical Society, local history, area railroad history, model train layout | Homepage |
| Jackson County Historical Society Museum | Murphysboro | Jackson | Southern | Local history | | website |
| James Millikin Homestead | Decatur | Macon | Central | Historic house | 1870s mansion, owned by Millikin University | |
| Jarrett Prairie Center | Byron | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Natural history | Includes natural history museum and observatory, operated by the Byron Forest Preserve District | Homepage |
| Jarrot Mansion | Cahokia | St. Clair | Metro-East | Historic house | Opened periodically for special events | |
| Jefferson County Historical Village | Mt. Vernon | Jefferson | Southern | Open air | Operated by the Jefferson County Historical Society. Includes Schweinfurth Museum with historical collections, and village with log homes, log church, 1820 Jail, windmill & grist mill, and working blacksmith shop and printing shop | Homepage |
| Jersey County Historical Society Museum | Jerseyville | Jersey | Metro-East | Historic house | Located in the Victorian Cheney Mansion, also local history exhibits | Homepage |
| J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator Museum | Atlanta | Logan | Central | Agriculture | 1904 grain elevator | |
| John A. Logan College Museum | Carterville | Williamson | Southern | Local history | Southern Illinois’ visual arts, cultural heritage and natural history, part of John A. Logan College | |
| John A. Logan Museum | Murphysboro | Jackson | Southern | Biographical | Life and impact of John A. Logan, Civil War general, located in the Christopher C. Bullar House | Homepage |
| John Deere Historic Site | Grand Detour | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Recreated blacksmith shop and 1836 pioneer house | |
| John Deere Pavilion | Moline | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Agriculture | John Deere tractors and farm equipment | |
| John C. Flanagan House Museum | Peoria | Peoria | Central | Historic house | Mid-19th-century house, operated by the Peoria Historical Society | |
| John Marshall House Museum | Old Shawneetown | Gallatin | Southern | Historic house | Reconstructed 19th-century house and bank | |
| John Shastid House | Pittsfield | Pike | Central | Historic house | Operated by the Pike County Historical Society, 1838 house, tours by appointment | |
| John Wood Mansion | Quincy | Adams | Western | Historic house | Operated by the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, 1830s mansion home of the state's 12th governor | |
| Joliet Area Historical Museum | Joliet | Will | Chicago area | Local history | Includes life-size replica depicting the building of the Illinois Michigan Canal, period store displays, Route 66 | |
| Jones Hous | Pontiac | Livingston | Central | Historic house | Open by appointment and for events, restored 1857 house | |
| Joseph F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center | DeKalb | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Mid-19th-century home of the inventor of barbed wire Joseph Glidden | |
| Joseph Smith Historic Site | Nauvoo | Hancock | Central | Open air | Operated by the Community of Christ. Tour of several sites including Nauvoo House, Joseph Smith Homestead, Mansion House, Red Brick Store | |
| Jubilee College State Historic Site | Peoria | Peoria | Central | Historic site | Former pioneer college, currently closed | |
| Kaeser Park | Highland | Madison | Metro-East | Historic house | Operated by the Highland Historical Society. Includes log cabin building museum, local history exhibits | Homepage |
| Kankakee County Museum | Kankakee | Kanakee | Northern Illinois | Open air | Complex includes main museum with local history exhibits, Dr. A.L. Small House, a Victorian historic house, and Taylor School House | Homepage |
| Kankakee Railroad Museum | Kankakee | Kankakee | Northern Illinois | Railroad | | Homepage |
| Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum | Rock Island | Rock Island | Quad Cities | History | Located in the former First Church of Christ, Scientist, exhibits from its collections of original manuscripts and documents | |
| Kenilworth Historical Society Museum | Kenilworth | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie | Glenview | Cook | Chicago area | Natural history | 32-acre (130,000 m$^2$) tall-grass prairie and Evelyn Pease Tyner Interpretive Center with prairie environment exhibits and education programs | Homepage |
| Kewanee Historical Society Museum | Kewanee | Henry | Western | Local history | Officially the Robert & Marcella Richards Museum | Homepage |
| Kibbe Museum | Carthage | Hancock | Central | Local history | | Homepage |
| Kidzeum of Health and Science | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Children's | | Homepage |
| Kirkland Fine Arts Center | Decatur | Macon | Central | Art | Part of Millikin University, includes Perkinson Art Gallery and Lower Gallery | Homepage |
| Kishwaukee College Art Gallery | Malta | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Art | | Homepage |
| Kline Creek Farm | Winfield | DuPage | Chicago area | Farm | 1890s living history farm and farmhouse | Homepage |
| Knox County Museum | Knox | Knox | Western | Local history | | Homepage |
| Koehnline Museum of Art | Des Plaines | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Part of Oakton Community College | Homepage |
| Kohl Children's Museum | Glenview | Cook | Chicago area | Children's | | |
| Krannert Art Museum | Champaign | Champaign | Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area | Art | Part of University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, all periods of art from ancient Egyptian to contemporary photography | |
| Kruse House Museum | West Chicago | DuPage | Chicago area | Historic house | Operated by the West Chicago Historical Society, 1917 period home | Homepage |
| L. Haas Store Museum | Carmi | White | Southern | Local history | Operated by the White County Historical Society | |
| Labor & Industry Museum | Belleville | St. Clair | Metro-East | Industry | Tools, photos and exhibits of local industries, businesses, workers and products | Homepage |
| La Grange Area Historical Society Museum | La Grange | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Located in the Samuel Vial House | Homepage |
| Lake Bluff History Museum | Lake Bluff | Lake | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| Lake County Discovery Museum | Libertyville | Lake | Chicago area | Multiple | Local art, history and popular culture | |
| Lake Forest College Art Galleries | Lake Forest | Lake | Chicago area | Local history | Sonnenschein Gallery, Albright Room and Deerpath Student Gallery | Homepage |
| Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society Museum | Lake Forest | Lake | Chicago area | Art | Museum of local history | Homepage |
| Lamon House | Danville | Vermilion | Central | Historic house | Operated by the Vermilion County Museum Society | Homepage |
| LaSalle County Museum | Utica | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Open air | Includes local history museum with Native American and period displays, barn with agriculture equipment, school and blacksmith shop | Homepage |
| Latvian Folk Art Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Ethnic | Operated by the Chicago Latvian Association, Latvian folk art | Homepage |
| Latzer Homestead | Highland | Madison | Metro-East | Historic house | Operated by the Highland Historical Society | Homepage |
| Laura A. Sprague Gallery | Joliet | Will | Chicago area | Art | Art gallery of Joliet Junior College, located on the first floor of J-Building | Homepage |
| Laurent House | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 1952 house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for a person with a disability | |
| Leaf River Historical Museum | Leaf River | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Leaf River Historical Society | Homepage |
| Leather Archives and Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Sex | Leather, fetishism, sadomasochism, and alternative sexual practices | Homepage |
| Lederman Science Center | Batavia | Kane | Northern Illinois | Science | Operated by Fermilab, hands-on exhibits for ages 10+ | Homepage |
| Lee-Baker-Hodges House | Carrollton | Greene | Central | Local history | Operated by the Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society | |
| Lemont Area Historical Society Museum | Lemont | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Includes general store, schoolroom, stable, medical office, war relics, and other local history displays | |
| Lena Area Historical Museum | Lena | Stephenson | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Lena Historical Society | Information |
| Lewis and Clark State Historic Site | Hartford | Madison | Southern | History | Camp of the Lewis and Clark Expedition from December 1803 to May 1804 | |
| Lincoln Heritage Museum | Lincoln | Logan | Central | Biographical | Part of Lincoln College, life and times of Abraham Lincoln | Homepage |
| Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site | Lerna | Coles | Central | Living | 1840s home of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, father and stepmother of Abraham Lincoln, living history farm | |
| Lincoln-Douglas Debate Interpretive Center | Quincy | Adams | Western | History | History of the Lincoln–Douglas debates and Quincy’s stories of Lincoln and Douglas’s friendships and influences in the Quincy area | Homepage |
| Lincoln Home National Historic Site | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Historic house | Home that Abraham Lincoln lived in from 1844 to 1861 | |
| Lincoln-era Log Cabin Village | Quincy | Adams | Western | Open air | Four 1800s log cabins, a corn crib, stone smoke house and log church open for exterior viewing | website |
| Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Historic site | Restored to 1840s period | |
| Lincoln-Manahan Home Museum | Sterling | Whiteside | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Operated by the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society, 19th-century house where Sheriff William Manahan hosted Abraham Lincoln during his 1856 visit to Sterling | Homepage |
| Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site | New Salem | Menard | Central | Open air | Reconstruction of the village where Abraham Lincoln lived in the 1830s | |
| Lithuanian Museum of Art | Lemont | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Fine and folk art by native and emigrant Lithuanian artists | Homepage |
| Little Brick House | Vandalia | Fayette | Southern | Historic house | Restored 1860s middle class home, open by appointment, operated by the Vandalia Historical Society | |
| Little White School Museum | Oswego | Kendall | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Oswegoland Heritage Association | Homepage |
| Livingston County Historical Society's Local History Exhibit | Pontiac | Livingston | Central | Local history | Display in the Livingston County Courthouse | website |
| Livingston County War Museum | Pontiac | Livingston | Central | Military | Military museum dedicated to honoring central Illinois veterans from World War I to the present | Homepage |
| Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art | Oak Brook | DuPage | Chicago area | Decorative arts | More than 200 pieces of jade and other hard stone decorative carvings, dioramas featuring animals carved from various gem materials, rocks and mineral collections | Homepage |
| Lockport Gallery | Lockport | Will | Chicago area | Art | Satellite gallery of the Illinois State Museum, changing exhibitions of past and contemporary Illinois artists and artisans | |
| Loveland Community House and Museum | Dixon | Lee | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Loyola University Museum of Art | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Explores the spiritual in art from all cultures, faiths, and periods; formerly the Martin D'Arcy Museum of Art | |
| Lyon Farm | Yorkville | Kendall | Northern Illinois | Open air | Operated by the Kendall County Historical Society, opened for special events | Homepage |
| Macktown Living History Education Center | Rockton | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Living | 1830 - 1846 frontier town | Homepage |
| Macon County History Museum | Decatur | Macon | Central | Open air | Operated by the Macon County Historical Society, features a prairie village complex | Homepage |
| Madison County Historical Museum | Edwardsville | Madison | Metro-East | Local history | Operated by the Madison County Historical Society in the John Weir House | |
| Magnolia Manor | Cairo | Alexander | Southern | Historic house | Late 19th-century period Victorian mansion | |
| Manteno Historical Society Museum | Manteno | Kankakee | Northern Illinois | Local history | Early 20th-century period displays | Homepage |
| Marie Louise Olmstead Memorial Museum | Somonauk | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Local history | Exhibit also includes natural history artifacts | |
| Marion E. Wade Center | Wheaton | DuPage | Chicago area | Literary | Memorabilia and artifacts from its collections about seven authors from the United Kingdom: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and George MacDonald, and C. S. Lewis's wife, the poet Joy Davidman | |
| Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art | Evanston | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Part of Northwestern University, historical and contemporary visual art and culture | |
| Maryville Heritage Museum | Maryville | Madison | West Central | Local History | Summary Local artifacts covering Village's coal mining, farming, baseball & softball history. Firefighters, police & military memorabilia. Restored 1968 Seagrave Firetruck | Maryvilleilmuseum.com |
| Matthew T. Scott House | Chenoa | McLean | Central | Historic house | Mid-19th-century period home of town's founder | |
| McConnell Area Historical Society Museum | McConnell | Stephenson | Northern Illinois | Local history | | |
| McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | History | Natural, social and cultural history of the Chicago River | Homepage |
| McDonald's No. 1 Store Museum | Des Plaines | Cook | Chicago area | Food | Recreation of the first McDonald's Restaurant | |
| McHenry County Historical Society Museum | Union | McHenry | Northern Illinois | Local history | Period displays | Homepage |
| McKendree University Gallery of Art | Lebanon | St. Clair | Metro-East | Art | Works by students, faculty, alumni and artists from the region | Homepage |
| McLean County Museum of History | Bloomington | McLean | Central | Local history | Central Illinois history with themes of people, politics, work and farming | |
| McPike Mansion | Alton | Madison | Metro-East | Historic house | | |
| Menard County Historical Society Museum | Petersburg | Menard | Central | Local history | | |
| Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site | Metamora | Woodford | Western | Historic site | Restored to 1850s period, also includes local history exhibits | |
| Midway Village Museum | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Open air | 1890-1910 Victorian village with 24 historical buildings, costumed interpreters, local history exhibits | Homepage |
| Midwest Museum of Natural History | Sycamore | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Natural history | Dioramas depicting the natural biomes of North America and Africa | |
| Mineral Pride Society, Inc. Museum | Mineral | Bureau | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Mississippi Valley Antique Auto Museum | Quincy | Adams | Western | Automobile | Operated by the Mississippi Valley Historic Auto Club in Quincy Park, may be closing | |
| Mitchell Museum of the American Indian | Evanston | Cook | Chicago area | Native American | | |
| Money Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Numismatic | History of the Federal Reserve and currencies | |
| Monticello Railway Museum | Monticello | Piatt | Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area | Railroad | | |
| Morrison Heritage Museum | Morrison | Whiteside | Northern Illinois | Local history | | |
| Morton Grove Historical Museum | Morton Grove | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | Operated by the Morton Grove Historical Society and the Morton Grove Park District in the mid-19th-century period Haupt-Yehl House | Homepage |
| Mother Rudd Home Museum | Gurnee | Lake | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Warren Township Historical Society | Homepage |
| Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site | Mount Pulaski | Logan | Central | Historic site | Restored to 1850s period | |
| Mount Pulaski Township Historical Museum | Mount Pulaski | Logan | Central | Local history | Operated by the Mt. Pulaski Township Historical Society | Homepage |
| Moweaqua Coal Mine Museum | Moweaqua | Shelby | Central | Mining | Area coal mining, history of the 1932 Moweaqua Coal Mine disaster | Homepage |
| Museum of Broadcast Communications | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Media | Historic and contemporary radio and television content, includes National Radio Hall of Fame | |
| Museum of Contemporary Art | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | | |
| Museum of Contemporary Photography | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | | |
| Museum of Land Surveying | Petersburg | Menard | Central | Other | History and equipment used in land surveying | |
| Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Science | Exhibits include mining, transportation, period businesses, Earth, farming, energy, inventions | |
| Museum of the Gilding Arts | Pontiac | Livingston | Central | Art | History, craft, and use of gold and silver leafing in architecture and in decoration | |
| Museum of the Grand Prairie | Mahomet | Champaign | Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area | Local history | Operated by the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, includes American Indian, pioneer, railroad and Black American exhibits, formerly the Early American Museum | |
| Museums at Lisle Station Park | Lisle | DuPage | Chicago area | Open air | Includes 19th-century period displays at the Lisle Depot Museum, Netzley/Yender Farmhouse, Beaubien Tavern and blacksmith shop | Homepage |
| MY Garage Museum | Effingham | Effingham | Southern | Automotive | Automotive collectibles and memorabilia, rare Corvettes and Volkswagens | Homepage |
| Naper Settlement | Naperville | DuPage | Chicago area | Open air | 19th-century historic museum village | |
| Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park | University Park | Will | Chicago area | Art | Outdoor contemporary sculpture park, part of Governors State University | Homepage |
| National Great Rivers Museum [Wikidata] | East Alton | Madison | Metro-East | Maritime | Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, adjacent to Melvin Price Locks and Dam | Homepage, information, Further information |
| National Hellenic Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Cultural | Greek history, art and culture and the Greek immigrant experience | |
| National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Hall of fame | | |
| National Museum of Mexican Art | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Mexican, Latino, and Chicano art and culture | |
| National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Ethnic | Arts and culture of the Puerto Rican people and of the Puerto Ricans in Chicago | |
| National Museum of Ship Models and Sea History | Sadorus | Champaign | Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area | Maritime | Ship models from around the world and throughout history | |
| National Road Interpretive Center | Vandalia | Fayette | Southern | Transportation | History of the National Road at its western terminus | Homepage |
| National Shrine of St Therese | Darien | DuPage | Chicago area | Religious | Roman Catholic shrine and museum about Thérèse of Lisieux | |
| National Veterans Art Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Art produced by veterans | |
| Naval Air Station Glenview Museum | Glenview | Cook | Chicago area | Aviation | Aviation and the history of Naval Air Station Glenview, operated by the Glenview Hangar One Foundation | Homepage |
| Nehring Gallery | DeKalb | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Culture | Exhibits gallery of the Nehring Center for Culture and Tourism | |
| Newberry Library | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Library | Free changing exhibits of art, culture and history drawn from its collections. | |
| The Next Picture Show | Dixon | Lee | Northern Illinois | Art | Non-profit fine arts center | Homepage |
| Niles Historical Museum | Niles | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Niles Historical Society | Homepage |
| Norris University Center - Dittmar Gallery | Evanston | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Student-run gallery of Northwestern University, works of emerging and underrepresented artists from the Chicago area and the Midwest | |
| Northbrook History Museum | Northbrook | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Northbrook Historical Society, changing exhibits of local history and re-created 1890s Shermerville home | Homepage |
| Northwest Territory Historic Center | Dixon | Lee | Northern Illinois | Local history | Includes exhibits on Ronald Reagan | Homepage |
| Norwood Park Historical Society Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Period displays about Norwood Park community, located in the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House | |
| Norsk Museum | Norway | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Ethnic | Norwegian culture and arts of area settlers | website |
| North Central College Galleries | Naperville | DuPage | Chicago area | Art | Oesterle Library Gallery and Schoenherr Gallery in the Fine Arts Center | Homepage |
| Northern Illinois Fire Museum | Marengo | McHenry | Chicago area | Firefighting | Planned museum | Homepage |
| NIU Art Museum | DeKalb | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Art | Part of Northern Illinois University, focus is contemporary art | Homepage |
| O'Connor Art Gallery at Dominican University | River Forest | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Located in Lewis Hall | Homepage |
| O'Fallon Historical Society Museum | O'Fallon | St. Clair | Metro-East | Local history | | Homepage |
| Ogle County Historical Society Museum | Oregon | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Also known as the Nash Home and Museum, 1880s period house | Homepage |
| Old Courthouse Museum | Watseka | Iroquois | Central | Local history | Operated by the Iroquois County Historical Society | |
| Old Lincoln Courtroom & Museum | Beardstown | Cass | Western | Historic site | Courtroom where Abraham Lincoln defended Duff Armstrong in the famous Almanac trial | Homepage |
| Old Market House | Galena | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Local history | History of the mid-19th-century former market house | |
| Old Settlers' Log Cabin | Dixon | Lee | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Operated by the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society for events | Homepage |
| Old Six Mile Museum | Granite City | Madison | Metro-East | Historic house | Located in the Emmert-Zippel House | |
| Old State Capitol State Historic Site | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | History | Restored to 1860s period | |
| Oquawka Museum | Oquawka | Henderson | Western | Local history | Open by appointment | |
| Oriental Institute | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Archaeology | Part of the University of Chicago, exhibits focus on history, art, and archaeology of the ancient Near East | |
| Orpheum Children's Science Museum | Champaign | Champaign | Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area | Science | | |
| Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum | Ottawa | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Scouting | History and memorabilia of the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Camp Fire Guides | Homepage |
| Owen Lovejoy Homestead | Princeton | Bureau | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Former station on the Underground Railroad | |
| Owen P. Miles Museum | Mount Carroll | Carroll | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Operated by the Carroll County Historical Society | |
| Paulson Agriculture Museum of Argyle | Caledonia | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Agriculture | Antique agriculture equipment, tractors, cast iron implement seats, windmills, washing machines | Homepage |
| Pearson Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Medical | Part of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, showcases the history of medicine, health care, nursing, dentistry, and pharmacy from all cultures and eras | Homepage |
| Pecatonica Heritage Museum | Pecatonica | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Local history | Located in a historic grain elevator | Homepage |
| Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Natural history | Natural history of the Chicago region | |
| Peoria Riverfront Museum | Peoria | Peoria | Central | Multiple | Fine art, decorative arts, folk art, ethnographic art, natural history, local history | |
| Perry County Jail Museum | Pinckneyville | Perry | Southern | Local history | Operated by the Perry County Historical Society | |
| Perry Farm Park | Bourbonnais | Kankakee | Chicago area | Farm | 170-acre park with living history Perry Farm and house | |
| Pettengill-Morron House | Peoria | Peoria | Central | Historic house | Victorian-period house, operated by the Peoria Historical Society | |
| Piatt County Museum | Monticello | Piatt | Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area | Local history | Includes agricultural equipment and household items, civil war artifacts, clothing, quilts, dolls and toy trains | Homepage |
| Pick Museum of Anthropology | DeKalb | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Anthropology | Part of Northern Illinois University, formally known as the James B. and Rosalyn L. Pick Museum of Anthropology | Homepage |
| Pierre Menard Home State Historic Site | Ellis Grove | Randolph | Southern | Historic house | 1810 French Creole-style home of Pierre Menard, the first lieutenant governor of Illinois | |
| Pike County Historical Society Museum | Pittsfield | Pike | Central | Local history | | |
| Pioneer Sholes School | St. Charles | Kane | Northern Illinois | School | 1900-period one-room schoolhouse | [Homepage] |
| Place de la Musique | Barrington Hills | McHenry | Northern Illinois | Music | Open for group tours and events, collection of antique music machines including phonographs, player pianos, fairground and band organs, calliopes | |
| Pleasant Home | Oak Park | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | Prairie style mansion, local history exhibits by the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest | |
| Polish Museum of America | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Ethnic | Polish history, culture and art | |
| Pontiac Museum Complex | Pontiac | Livingston | Central | Multiple | Includes the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum, Livingston County War Museum, Walldog Mural and Sign Art Museum, Bob Waldmire Experience, Life in the 1940s Exhibit, Music of the Civil War Exhibit | |
| Pontiac-Oakland Automobile Museum | Pontiac | Livingston | Central | Automobile | Pontiac and Oakland automobiles and brand items | website |
| Pope County Historical Society Museum | Golconda | Pope | Southern | Local history | | Information |
| Popeye Museum | Chester | Randolph | Southern | Local history | Located in the home town of Popeye | Homepage |
| Poplar Grove Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum | Poplar Grove | Boone | Northern Illinois | Transportation | Vintage aircraft, automobiles and other modes of transportation and memorabilia | Homepage |
| Postville Courthouse State Historic Site | Ellis Grove | Logan | Southern | Historic site | Reconstructed frontier courthouse | |
| Prairie Aviation Museum | Bloomington | McLean | Central | Aviation | Military aircraft | Homepage |
| Prairie Grass Nature Museum | Round Lake | Lake | Chicago area | Natural history | | Homepage |
| Prairie Land Heritage Museum | Jacksonville | Morgan | Central | Agriculture | Antique farm machinery, steam engines, tools and equipment | Homepage |
| Prairie Mills Windmill | Golden | Adams | Western | Mill | Restored Dutch smock windmill, includes Golden Museum of local history; operated by the Golden Historical Society | Homepage |
| Princeville Heritage Museum | Princeville | Peoria | Central | Local history | | Homepage |
| Pritzker Military Museum & Library | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Exhibits of military art drawn from its collections | |
| Prophetstown Historical Society Museum | Prophetstown | Whiteside | Northern Illinois | Local history | Located in the Asa Crook House | |
| Pullman National Monument | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Historic site | Includes Hotel Florence, Administration and Factory Complex, Pullman Railroad Porters National Museum | |
| Quincy Art Center | Quincy | Adams | Western | Art | | Homepage |
| Quincy Museum | Quincy | Adams | Western | Local history | Includes period rooms, local history exhibits, store display, dinosaur room | |
| Randolph County Archives and Museum | Chester | Randolph | Southern | Local history | | |
| Ratcliff Inn | Carmi | White | Southern | Local history | Operated by the White County Historical Society | |
| Raupp Museum | Buffalo Grove | Lake | Chicago area | Local history | | |
| Reddick Mansion | Ottawa | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Pre-Civil War Italianate mansion | Homepage |
| The Renaissance Society | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Exhibits of contemporary art | |
| Rheinberger Museum | Nauvoo | Hancock | Central | Historic house | Operated by the Nauvoo Historical Society in Nauvoo State Park, mid-19th-century period house | Homepage |
| Richard W. Bock Sculpture Museum | Greenville | Bond | Southern | Art | Part of Greenville College, houses collection of bronze and plaster sculptures by Richard Bock | Homepage |
| Ridge Historical Society | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Exhibits related to Chicago neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Morgan Park and Washington Heights, open by appointment | Homepage |
| Riverside Historical Museum | Riverside | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Riverside Historical Commission | Homepage |
| Robert R. McCormick Museum | Wheaton | DuPage | Chicago area | Historic house | 1930s historic mansion with biographical exhibits about Robert R. McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, located at Cantigny | |
| Robert Vial House | Burr Ridge | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | Mid-19th-century farmhouse, operated by the Flagg Creek Heritage Society | |
| Robie House | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright | |
| Robinson-Stewart House | Carmi | White | Southern | Historic house | Operated by the White County Historical Society, 1814 house with furnishings, many of which date to the 1830s | |
| Rochelle Fire Department Museum | Rochelle | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Firefighting | | |
| Rochelle Railroad Park | Rochelle | Ogle | Northern Illinois | Railroad | City park where railfans can safely view and photograph trains, includes a 7-ton Whitcomb locomotive, recreated hobo jungle | |
| Rockford Art Museum | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Art | American art from the 19th century to the present | Homepage |
| Rockford Auto Museum | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Automobile | Classic American muscle cars | Homepage |
| Rockford University Art Gallery | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Art | Located in the Clark Arts Center | Homepage |
| Rock Falls Fire Department Museum | Rock Falls | Whiteside | Northern Illinois | Firefighting | | Homepage |
| Rock Island Arsenal Museum | Rock Island | Rock Island | Quad Cities | Military | History of Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island and small arms development | |
| Rock Island Railroad Museum | Chillicothe | Peoria | Central | Railroad | Operated by the Chillicothe Historical Society | Homepage |
| Rock N Roll McDonald's | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Food | Restaurant with McDonald's memorabilia and rock and roll artifacts | |
| Rockton Township Historical Society Museum | Rockton | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Rolling Meadows Historical Museum | Rolling Meadows | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | 1950s period displays | Homepage |
| Ronald Reagan Birthplace | Tampico | Whiteside | Northern Illinois | Biographical | Early life of President Ronald Reagan | |
| Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home | Dixon | Lee | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 1920s period boyhood home of President Ronald Reagan | |
| Ronald Reagan Museum at Eureka College | Eureka | Woodford | Central | Biographical | | |
| Roselle History Museum | Roselle | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Includes local history museum and 1920s period home | Homepage |
| Rossville Depot Railroad Museum | Rossville | Vermilion | Central | Railroad | Operated by the Danville Junction Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society | Homepage |
| Russell Military Museum | Russell | Lake | Chicago area | Military | Tanks, military vehicles, weapons, memorabilia | Homepage |
| Ryan Round Barn | Kewanee | Henry | Western | Agriculture | Located in Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park | |
| Savanna Museum and Cultural Center | Savanna | Carroll | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Savanna Train Car Museum | Savanna | Carroll | Northern Illinois | Railroad | | Homepage |
| Schingoethe Center of Aurora University | Aurora | Kane | Chicago area | Native American | Part of Aurora University, historic and contemporary American Indian culture | Homepage |
| Schmidt-Burnham Log House | Winnetka | Cook | Chicago area | School | Operated by the Winnetka Historical Society | Homepage |
| Schuyler County Historical Jail Museum & Genealogical Center | Rushville | Schuyler | Western | Local history | | Homepage |
| Science Center of Southern Illinois | Carbondale | Jackson | Southern | Science | Hands-on science activities | Homepage |
| SciTech Hands On Museum | Aurora | Kane | Chicago area | Science | | Homepage |
| Shabbona-Lee-Rollo Historical Museum | Shabbona | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Shedd Aquarium | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Aquarium | | |
| Sheffield Museum | Sheffield | Bureau | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Sheffield Historical Society | Homepage |
| Sheldon Peck Homestead | Lombard | DuPage | Chicago area | Historic house | 1840s-1860s period home, operated by the Lombard Historical Society | |
| Shiloh House | Zion | Lake | Chicago area | Historic house | Operated by the Zion Historical Society, early 20th-century mansion of town founder John Alexander Dowie | Homepage |
| Silkwood Inn | Mulkeytown | Franklin | Southern | Historic house | Waypoint along the historical Shawneetown–Kaskaskia Trail, and home of Priscilla Silkwood | |
| Silvercreek Museum | Freeport | Stephenson | Northern Illinois | History | Early Americana including crockery, dolls, recreated schoolroom and kitchen, art exhibits, quilts, old-fashioned tools and agricultural equipment, engines, vehicles, trains | Homepage |
| Skokie Heritage Museum | Skokie | Cook | Chicago area | Historic house | Historic engine house with fire equipment and original 1847 log cabin | Homepage |
| Slovenian Heritage Museum | Joliet | Will | Chicago area | Ethnic | Operated by the Slovenian Women's Union of America | Homepage |
| Smart Museum of Art | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Part of the University of Chicago | |
| Sousa Archives and Center for American Music | Urbana | Champaign | Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area | Music | Exhibits about American music from its collections | |
| Southern Illinois Art & Artisans Center | Whittington | Franklin | Southern | Art | Satellite gallery of the Illinois State Museum | |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale University Museum | Carbondale | Jackson | Southern | Art, Science & Humanities | Located in Faner Hall (SIUC) | Homepage |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ADW Gallery | Edwardsville | Madison | Metro-East | Art | Located in the Art & Design West building | Homepage |
| Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Religious | Exhibits on Jewish culture and history | |
| Spring Valley Historic Association Museum | Spring Valley | Bureau | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Spurlock Museum | Urbana | Champaign | Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area | Anthropology | Part of University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Houses exhibits on the ancient Mediterranean, Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas | |
| Stacy's Tavern Museum | Glen Ellyn | DuPage | Chicago area | Historic site | Operated by the Glen Ellyn Historical Society, 1840s wayside stagecoach inn | |
| Star Worlds Arcade | DeKalb | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Arcade | Exhibition of video gaming collectibles and 1980s pop culture | |
| Starved Rock State Park | Utica | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Multiple | Visitor center exhibits about the park's natural and cultural history | |
| St. Charles History Museum | St. Charles | Kane | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Stephenson County Historical Society Museum | Freeport | Stephenson | Northern Illinois | Multiple | Includes the Oscar Taylor House, one-room schoolhouse, Industrial/Arcade Toy Museum, Irish Homestead Log Cabin, arboretum | Homepage |
| Stewart House Museum | Monmouth | Warren | Central | Historic house | Birthplace of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Victorian period house | |
| Stockdale Soldier Citizen Museum | Galesburg | Knox | Western | Military | Located in the Admiral James Stockdale VFW Building | |
| Stockton Heritage Museum | Stockton | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Local history | | |
| Stone Mill Museum | Sandwich | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Sandwich Historical Society | |
| Streatorland Museum | Streator | Livingston | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Streatorland Historical Society | Homepage |
| Super Museum | Metropolis | Massac | Southern | Media | Superman memorabilia | Homepage |
| Swedish American Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Cultural | | |
| Sycamore History Museum | Sycamore | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Tampico Area Historical Museum | Tampico | Whiteside | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Tarble Arts Center | Charleston | Cole | Central | Art | Part of Eastern Illinois University | Homepage |
| Teutopolis Monastery Museum | Teutopolis | Effingham | Central | Religious | History of the Franscicans and other area pioneers | |
| Thomson Depot Museum | Thomson | Carroll | Northern Illinois | Railroad | Railroad artifacts and pioneer items | Homepage |
| Thornton Historical Museum | Thornton | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Village of Thornton Historical Society in a former Lutheran church | |
| Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum | Rockford | Winnebago | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Victorian Swiss-style home with decorative arts and furnishings | |
| Tiskilwa Historical Society Museum | Tiskilwa | Bureau | Northern Illinois | Local history | Native American artifacts, village, military and school memorabilia, Hennepin Canal construction photos, farm implements, domestic items, railroads, churches, toys | Homepage |
| Trailside Museum of Natural History | River Forest | Cook | Chicago area | Natural history | Operated by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, live animals, focuses on area wildlife and plants | Homepage |
| Trapshooting Hall of Fame and Museum | Sparta | Randolph | Southern | Sports | Located in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources World Shooting & Recreational Complex | website |
| Tremont Museum | Tremont | Tazewell | Central | Local history | Operated by the Tremont Museum and Historical Society | Homepage |
| Trutter Museum | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Culture | Part of Lincoln Land Community College, features art, world and cultural items | Homepage |
| Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Art | Contemporary art as a shared expression of the Ukrainian and American experience | |
| Ukrainian National Museum | Chicago | Cook | Chicago area | Cultural | Ukrainian artifacts, artwork, musical instruments and embroidered folk costumes | |
| Ulysses S. Grant Home | Galena | Jo Daviess | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Home and museum about President Ulysses S. Grant | |
| Union County Museum | Cobden | Union | Southern | Local history | Operated by the Union County Historical & Genealogy Society | Homepage |
| Union Depot Railroad Museum | Mendota | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Railroad | Operated by the Mendota Museum & Historical Society, includes rolling stock, HO scale model of Mendota in the 1940s | |
| Unity Temple | Oak Park | Cook | Chicago area | Historic site | Church designed by Frank Lloyd Wright | |
| University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Art | Located in the Health and Sciences Building | Homepage |
| University of St. Francis Gallery | Joliet | Will | Chicago area | Art | | Homepage |
| University Museum, SIU | Carbondale | Jackson | Southern | Multiple | Part of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Local and world connections behind the arts, humanities, and sciences | Homepage |
| Vachel Lindsay House | Springfield | Sangamon | Central | Historic house | Birthplace and home of poet Vachel Lindsay | |
| Vandalia State House State Historic Site | Vandalia | Fayette | Southern | Historic site | Restored to 1830s period | |
| Vermilion County Museum | Danville | Vermilion | Central | Local history | Includes museum and Fithian Home | |
| Vermilion County War Museum | Danville | Vermilion | Central | Military | Memorabilia and artifacts from the American Revolutionary War to the Iraq War | Homepage |
| Veterans Educational Museum | Vandalia | Fayette | Southern | Military | Military artifacts from World War I through Desert Storm | Homepage |
| Victorian Cottage Museum | Lombard | DuPage | Chicago area | Historic house | Victorian period rooms, operated by the Lombard Historical Society | Homepage |
| Villa Kathrine | Quincy | Adams | Western | Historic house | 1900 Moroccan-style home and visitor information center | |
| Villa Park Historical Society Museum | Villa Park | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Housed in a former depot | |
| Volkening Heritage Farm | Schaumburg | Cook | Chicago area | Farm | 1880s living farm museum | Homepage |
| Volo Auto Museum | Volo | Lake | Chicago area | Automotive | Cars from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s as well as from famous television shows and movies | |
| Wabash County Museum | Mt. Carmel | Wabash | Southern | Local history | | Homepage |
| Wadsworth Family Gallery at Lewis University | Romeoville | Will | Chicago area | Art | Visual art created by national, regional, and local artists and University artists | Homepage |
| Wagner Farm | Glenview | Cook | Chicago area | Agriculture | Historic working dairy farm, Wagner Farm Heritage Center with farming exhibits, 1930s grocery store | Homepage |
| Warren County History Museum | Monmouth | Warren | Northern Illinois | Local history | Operated by the Warren County Historical Society | Homepage |
| Warrenville Historical Museum | Warrenville | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Warrenville Historical Society | Homepage |
| Waterman Area Heritage Society Museum | Waterman | DeKalb | Northern Illinois | Local history | | Homepage |
| Waukegan History Museum | Waukegan | Lake | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Waukegan Historical Society in the late 19th-century period Haines House | Homepage |
| Weber House and Garden | Streator | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Historic house | 18th-century-style storybook house of Ted Weber | Homepage |
| Weld House Museum | Nauvoo | Hancock | Central | Local history | Operated by the Nauvoo Historical Society, mid-19th-century period house | Homepage |
| West Chicago City Museum | West Chicago | DuPage | Chicago area | Local history | Local history and art | |
| West Franklin Historical Museum | Mulkeytown | Franklin | Southern | Local history | Civic history of townships and communities in Western Franklin County | |
| West Town Museum of Cultural History | Maywood | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Includes exhibits of African-American culture, Maywood and the Proviso Township area | Homepage |
| Westclox Museum | Peru | LaSalle | Northern Illinois | Industry | History of the Westclox company, its clocks and employees | Homepage |
| Western Illinois Museum | Macomb | McDonough | Western | Local history | | Homepage |
| Wheaton College Walford Art Galleries | Wheaton | DuPage | Chicago area | Art | Three gallery spaces in Adams Hall | Homepage |
| Wheeling Historical Society Museum | Wheeling | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| Wheels O' Time Museum | Peoria | Peoria | Central | Transportation | Antique vehicles, farm equipment, tools, collectibles | Homepage |
| Wiley House Museum | Galva | Henry | Northern Illinois | Historic house | Operated by the Galva Historical Society | Homepage |
| Will County Historical Society Museum | Lockport | Will | Chicago area | Open air | Includes local history and canal museum, one-room schoolhouse, depot, 1873 farmhouse, village jail, 1830s log cabin, blacksmith's shop, and tinsmith's shop | |
| William and Florence Schmidt Art Center | Belleville | St. Clair | Metro-East | Art | Part of Southwestern Illinois College, includes paintings, photography and pre-Columbian artifacts | |
| William Jennings Bryan Boyhood Home | Salem | Marion | Southern | Historic house | Mid-19th-century house, open by appointment | |
| William L. Gregg House Museum | Westmont | DuPage | Chicago area | Historic house | Operated by the Westmont Historical Society | |
| Williamson County Museum | Marion | Williamson | Southern | Local history | Features Victorian period rooms in the former jail and sheriff's house, operated by the Williamson County Illinois Historical Society | |
| William Tanner House Museum | Aurora | Kane | Chicago area | Historic house | Antebellum Italianate-style house, owned and operated by the Aurora Historical Society | |
| Williamsville Historical Museum | Williamsville | Sangamon | Central | Local history | Constructed from two railroad boxcars | |
| Wilmette Historical Museum | Wilmette | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Wilmette Historical Society | Homepage |
| Winnetka Historical Society Museum | Winnetka | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | | Homepage |
| Winslow Historical Society Museum | Winslow | Stephenson | Chicago area | Local history | | |
| WIU Art Gallery | Macomb | McDonough | Western | Art | Part of Western Illinois University | Homepage |
| WIU Geology Museum | Macomb | McDonough | Western | Natural history | Part of Western Illinois University, first floor of Tillman Hall | Homepage |
| Wonder Works | Oak Park | Cook | Chicago area | Children's | | |
| Woodlawn Farm | Jacksonville | Morgan | Central | Historic house | 1840s house, part of the Underground Railroad | |
| World Aerospace Museum | Quincy | Adams | Western | Aviation | Aircraft from former Soviet countries, open by appointment | Homepage |
| Worth Historical Museum | Worth | Cook | Chicago area | Local history | Operated by the Worth Park District | Homepage |
| Wyanet Historical Society Museum | Wyanet | Bureau | Northern Illinois | Local history | | |
| Wyatt Earp Birthplace | Monmouth | Warren | Central | Historic house | Birthplace of lawman Wyatt Earp | |
| Yesterday's Farm Museum | Wood Dale | DuPage | Chicago area | Farm | Operated by the Wood Dale Historical Society, 1850s farm | |
| Manhattan Township Historical Museum | Manhattan | Will | Chicago area | Local history | Six rooms of displays and a caboose |

## Defunct museums

* ABA Museum of Law, Chicago, closed in 2011
* African-American Heritage Museum and Black Veterans Archives, Aurora, former sculpture park dedicated to the leaders of Black American history, closed in 2000. Relocated to Hammonds, LA.
* American Police Center & Museum, Chicago
* Americana Hollywood Museum, Metropolis
* ArtWorks Children's Museum, Ingleside
* Barb City Motorcycle Museum, DeKalb, collection sold in 2013
* Berwyn Route 66 Museum
* Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum, Woodstock, closed in 2008, collection now online
* Driehaus Gallery of Stained Glass, gallery of stained glass at Navy Pier closed in 2017
* Gardner Museum of Architecture & Design, Quincy
* Illinois Museum of Natural History, campus of Illinois State University, Old Main building, from 1857-1877
* Korean War National Museum, Sangamon, closed in 2017, collections transferred to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
* Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences, Peoria, closed in 2012, collections now at the Peoria Riverfront Museum
* Max Nordeen's Wheels Museum, Woodhull
* McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, Chicago, closed in 2009
* Motorola Museum of Electronics, Schaumburg
* Museum of Funeral Customs, Springfield, closed in 2009
* Museum of Holography, Chicago
* National Museum of Surveying, Springfield, closed in 2013
* Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, Rantoul, closed in 2015
* Old Barn Museum, Newark
* Oliver Parks Telephone Museum, Springfield
* Park Ridge Historical Society Museum, Park Ridge
* The Peace Museum, Chicago
* Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum, Arcola, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy memorabilia, Johnny Gruelle exhibits closed in 2009
* Shea's Gas Station Museum, Springfield, contents auctioned off in 2015
* Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows, Chicago, closed in 2014
* Stuka Military Museum, Oregon
* Terra Museum, Chicago, closed on October 31, 2004
* Under the Prairie Frontier Archaeological Museum, Athens, operated by the Sangamo Archaeological Center, closed August 1, 2008
* U.S. Senator Paul Simon Museum, Troy, closed in 2012
* Vinegar Hill Historic Lead Mine & Museum, Galena
* Walter Payton Museum, Aurora, part of a restaurant complex that closed in 2010