Illinois State Museum to welcome visitors on July 2

[June 17, 2016]  SPRINGFIELD  – The Illinois State Museum in Springfield will reopen to the public on July 2 after the Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) approved a request by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to charge an admission fee. The museum will once again welcome visitors from across the state to learn about the history, people, land, art and culture of Illinois.

“We are excited to welcome the public back to the Illinois State Museum,” said IDNR Director Wayne Rosenthal. “The Illinois State Museum is the best place in Illinois for families from around the state and around the world to explore the rich history of our state.” This week, JCAR approved a rule authorizing the IDNR to establish an adult admission fee of $5.00 for the museum’s main campus in Springfield. Children age 18 and under, seniors and veterans will be admitted free. The admission fee is part of a greater effort to diversify the sources of funding for the museum.

The Illinois State Museum in Springfield, the ISM Dickson Mounds Museum in Fulton Co., and the ISM Research and Collections Center in Springfield will officially reopen on July 2.

Special activities are planned and unique artifacts from the museum’s collections will be on display at the museum, located in the State Capitol Complex in Springfield. Additional special events will be held at the museum on select weekends during the summer.

The IDNR continues to work with stakeholders in communities where other Illinois State Museum branches are located in hopes of securing partnerships that would allow those branches to open.

[Illinois Department of Natural Resources]