Illinois State Museum Exhibits
Illinois Natural History Habitat Displays
These spectacular dioramas show several Illinois habitats as they would have appeared approximately 200 years ago.
Prairie
Forests of
unglaciated northwestern Illinois
Dunes
along Lake Michigan
Forests
of the unglaciated Shawnee Hills
Oak-Beech
forest of eastern Illinois
Lakes of
southern Illinois
At Home in the Heartland
At Home In The Heartland is a state-of-the-art exhibit that uses the ISM's extensive decorative arts collections and research gathered throughout Illinois to explore the history of family life in the state over the past three centuries. Find out more about the exhibit or browse some of it (below).
At Home in the Heartland entrance
At Home on the French Frontier
Visitors enjoying the exhibit
Kitchen Revolution
Peoples of the Past Dioramas
The dioramas in the Peoples of the Past exhibit show the lifeways of some of
the people who have inhabited Illinois in the last 4000 years.
Find out more about the exhibit
or look at the dioramas (below).
Late
Archaic hunters and gathers
Middle
Woodland gardeners
Mississipian
agriculturalists
Historic
Kickapoo People
Displays of Ice Age Animals
Mounted
Mastodon Skeleton 
Mounted
Peccary Skeleton
A Place For Discovery
A hands-on gallery that includes changing art, anthropology, and natural history exhibits, including living specimens. APFD provides a rich and varied experience where visitors can listen to birds and other sounds, hold ancient American Indian tools, examine butterflies, snake skins and seashells under a microscope, assemble skeletons, and observe living animals.
Visit APFD via QuickTime Virtual Reality (page contains 220k embedded QTVR panorama)
Exploring the World
Watching the turtle
ISM Welcome Page.