6 places to celebrate Museum Day
The 14th annual Museum Day, a nationwide initiative in which participating institutions across the country open their doors for free for those who download a branded ticket, will feature a bunch of area museums on Saturday, Sept. 22.
The brainchild of the folks at Smithsonian magazine, the idea is to have museums nationwide emulate the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution's Washington, D.C.-based facilities, which offer free admission every day.
The theme of this year's Museum Day is "Women Making History."
Here's a look at just some of the participating suburban museums. For a complete list, visit Smithsonian.com/museumday/search.
<h3 class="leadin">Hoosier Grove Museum
700 W. Irving Park Road, Streamwood. Museum Day hours: 9 to 11:30 a.m.
The Hoosier Grove Museum is a one-room schoolhouse reflecting its days from 1900 to 1954 as the only school serving mostly German-American children from kindergarten through eighth grade in Hanover Township. Visitors can see what life was like for country schoolchildren at the turn of the century. spdcares.com/facilities/hoosier-grove-museum/.
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Stacy's Tavern
557 Geneva Road, Glen Ellyn. Museum Day hours: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The restored 1840s wayside inn is owned by Glen Ellyn and operated by the Glen Ellyn Historical Society. The tavern was built in 1846 and acquired by the village in 1968 and stands at its original location. Restoration began in 1971. gehs.org.
<h3 class="leadin">National Museum of the American Sailor
Building 42, 2531 Sheridan Road, Great Lakes. Museum Day hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
As an official Department of the Navy Museum, the mission here is to select, collect, preserve and interpret the history of the Navy, with particular emphasis on the "enlisted sailor." Its exhibits tell the stories of sailors from colonial America to those serving today. www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmas.html.
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Geneva History Museum
113 South Third St. Museum Day hours: 1 to 4 p.m.
The museum provides a historical background behind familiar concepts of communication. Among other things, visitors can view videos sharing the history of postcards, the post office and the telephone company. They also can visit the activity wall to try out rotary phones, a manual typewriter, morse code and even stamp a free postcard to send to a friend. genevahistorymuseum.org.
<h3 class="leadin">SciTech Hands On Museum
18 W. Benton St., Aurora. Museum Day hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visitors can explore more than 200 interactive STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) exhibits meant to inspire education and imagination. Every exhibit is a mini-experiment with information about what to do at the station and the scientific explanation for what is happening. scitechmuseum.org.
<h3 class="leadin">Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art
220 Cottage Hill, Elmhurst. Museum Day hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The museum is dedicated to sharing the beauty of gemstones and promoting the study of earth science. It houses a large collection of Chinese jade and hard-stone carvings from around the world, along with animal dioramas and special exhibits. lizzadromuseum.org.