From historic gems to interactive spots, the Oak Park and River Forest area is rife with a unique lineup of museums for visitors of all ages.
Wonder Works Children’s Museum
6445 North Ave., Oak Park
(708) 383-4815
wonder-works.org
Open since 2002, Wonder Works Children’s Museum is a nonprofit dedicated to changing the lives of local youth through creative play.
With the goal of sparking curiosity and creativity in children from birth to age 8 through positive, play-based learning experiences, Wonder Works boasts a whopping 6,400 square feet of creative space with nine permanent exhibits and two zones — each designed to encourage learning, creativity and imagination through the joy of play while providing children the opportunity to enjoy the museum alongside their caregivers.
The museum offers special block programming twice daily from 11-11:30 a.m. and 2-2:30 p.m., with offerings including story time, musical activities and gross motor skill games. During special programming time, kids may meet a children’s author, see a puppet show, touch snakes, enjoy a sing-along storytime, do yoga or participate in a parade.
Alongside daily mainstays, Wonder Works hosts a plethora of lively programs throughout the year, including small group art classes, DIY science labs, sensory-friendly play sessions, outdoor music concerts, and foam pit and bubble show festivals.
Good-to-know: designed with clear sightlines throughout the museum, Wonder Works ensures adults can effortlessly supervise multiple children at once.
The museum is open to the public on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the museum is closed to the public and open for field trips and special events. Admission is $15 for kids, $15 for adults and free for babies under 12 months. Wonder Works also offers annual membership opportunities and reduced price options, including $5 per guest for those who can provide an EBT or WIC Card, and $5 Summer Fridays.
Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum
339 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park
(708) 445-3071
hemingwaybirthplace.com
Situated in central Oak Park, the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum is the ideal place to begin exploring the roots of the village’s most famous author’s life and work.
Born in a bedroom on the home’s second floor on July 21, 1899, the famed Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize-winning author spent the first six years of his life at the residence. Following a full restoration of the home in 1992, the museum has accurately been returned to its 1890’s Victorian heritage, maintaining many original features which Hemingway would surely find familiar. Complete with an expansive porch, grand turret and authentic wooden walkways, visitors will begin to see what life was like for a young Hemingway growing up in Oak Park at the turn of the 20th Century.
Upon arrival, guests are greeted by knowledgeable docents who share the influences and stories which reflect Hemingway’s early years, painting a picture of where his story began and the impact his family and the Oak Park community had on him as a young boy. Visitors will hear stories of Hemingway’s grandfather, mother, father and uncle — who all had a great, colorful influence inside the home.
The home is where Hemingway spent the first six years of his life before moving to another Oak Park residence, known as “the boyhood home,” which still stands today at 600 N. Kenilworth Ave. as a privately-owned, single family residence.
Guided tours are approximately 50 minutes long, with written tour translations also available in several languages. Admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $18 for youth under 18 and college students. Children under 10 are free. Regular public hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 1-5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays from 1-5 p.m.. From Dec. 1 through March 15, the museum is closed on Sundays. Advance reservations are strongly recommended.
Did you know? Built in 1890 by Hemingway’s maternal grandparents, the Queen Anne home was one of Oak Park’s first residences to have electricity.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
951 Chicago Ave., Oak Park
(312) 994-4000
flwright.org
Built in 1889 by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Home and Studio is where the famed American architect lived with his family and worked alongside his associates for two decades.
Renowned worldwide for his visionary work pioneering organic architecture and touted by many as the greatest American architect of all time, Wright’s Oak Park home and studio was truly the birthplace of an architectural revolution.
Between 1889 and 1909, the Home and Studio was where harmony met humanity, with Wright exploring the design concepts that planted the seeds of his architectural philosophy called the Prairie School style. In his adjacent studio, Wright worked alongside young associates, many of whom would go on to spread Wright’s unique design style not just in the U.S., but around the world.
With its horizontal lines, flat roof with broad overhanging eaves, ribbon windows and earthy tones, Wright’s Home and Studio is an excellent showcase of his discipline in integrating organic, natural landscapes alongside solid craftsmanship in a style which would redefine architecture and design in the U.S. throughout the 20th Century.
Featuring both guided interior tours and self-guided outdoor neighborhood audio tours available in a variety of languages, a visit to the Home and Studio is a must for anyone looking for a comprehensive experience of the birthplace of the first uniquely American style of architecture.
Fun fact: the tree-lined neighborhood surrounding the Home and Studio, called the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District, features nearly 30 homes and buildings designed by the architect — the greatest number of Wright-designed residences anywhere in the world.
Guided interior tours are 1 hour long and $24 for general admission, and the guided interior tour plus outdoor neighborhood audio tour is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes for a general admission price of $38. Tours are held daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hal Tyrrell Trailside Museum of Natural History
738 Thatcher Ave., River Forest
(708) 366-6530
fpdcc.com/places/locations/trailside-museum-natural-history
Since 1932, the Hal Tyrrell Trailside Museum of Natural History has served as a haven for all things nature in the western suburbs where visitors can check out displays of live native animals, see colorful wildflower gardens, and learn about local wildlife and their habitats across the area.
Set within a historic mansion from 1876, the Trailside Museum was established nearly 100 years ago as the first public nature education facility for the Forest Preserves of Cook County.
With its miles of unpaved walking trails leading from the Trailside Museum throughout Thatcher Woods’ oak woodlands and floodplain forest, fishing opportunities at the adjacent, 1.5-acre Thatcher Pond, and various educational and community programs hosted by the museum throughout the year, the Trailside Museum is a must-see all four seasons of the year for locals who crave time spent in nature.
Alongside self exploration of the museum and its campus are educational opportunities for local teachers and students. Complement your science curriculum at the museum by learning about the region’s plants, animals and natural communities through meeting live ambassador animals and participating in field science labs. Teachers are also provided with educator resources including lesson plans, resource loan kits and workshops.
Throughout the year, the Trailside Museum also hosts a variety of programs, from family storytimes and painting workshops to fitness walks and volunteer restoration opportunities.
Trailside Museum is open March through October from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and from November through February from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The museum is always closed on Fridays. Trails are open year-round from sunrise to sunset.
Check this out: Over the years, the museum building has served many purposes, from a residence and home to two schools to its purchase in 1919 by the Forest Preserves, first as the group’s headquarters until 1932 when the Board of Commissioners voted to make the location a trailside museum with the intention of displaying every plant and animal in Cook County to educate locals.
Oak Park River Forest Museum
129 Lake St., Oak Park
(708) 848-6755
oprfmuseum.org
Locals who are intrigued by the history of their neighborhood are in luck, as today’s Oak Park and River Forest residents can visit a museum dedicated entirely to the education and research of the two suburbs and their deep-rooted heritages.
Operated by the nonprofit Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, the OPRF Museum is home to a collection of thousands of photographs, vintage costumes and artifacts donated by area families, organizations and businesses. Whether you’re a resident just looking to learn more about the area or a student, journalist or filmmaker, the museum offers valuable support for anyone who wishes to dive into the area’s fascinating past and evolution.
The museum also includes a children’s activity space, with changing exhibits throughout the year based on different aspects of local history.
With an ever-growing collection, the museum’s collection is accessible through special programs, exhibits and the Jeanette S. and Ellis K. Fields Research Center.
Events held throughout the year include book club meetups and local history lessons at the museum to programming held out in the neighborhood, including sidewalk story tours and neighborhood district tours.
The OPRF Museum also dedicates itself to the designation and preservation of buildings, monuments and other sites significant to the history of the area.
The museum is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 1-5 p.m., closed Sundays and open on Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment only. Admission is $5 for Oak Park and River Forest residents with ID, $7 for nonresidents, $3 for kids age 7 and up through college (with ID) and free for museum members and children under 7.
A little trivia: Founded in 1968, the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest was first housed on the second floor of the historic Pleasant Home in Mills Park until moving to its current location on Lake Street in 2017.