Joliet Area Historical Museum
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Stories are better when shared--book a private group tour for a more engaging, in-depth experience of the museum. Discover Joliet’s rich heritage through permanent exhibits on its identity as the 'City of Stone and Steel' and 'Prison City,' along with displays on Route 66, the Joliet Arsenal, regional war heroes, and John C. Houbolt. Rotating exhibits are featured year-round in our special galleries.
Group tours are offered during normal operating hours. Guided tours require a minimum of 30 guests. Guided Gallery Tour
Self-Guided Gallery Tour
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Old Joliet Prison and Other Historic Sites
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Make it a full day of discovery—from the Old Joliet Prison to the Grocery & Meat Market Museum, there’s something for everyone. Groups receive additional discounts for each site added to their itinerary.
Add a second site to any group tour for half price, a third site for $2 and a fourth site for free! Old Joliet Prison General History Tour
A 90-minute walking tour of the Old Joliet Prison, led by knowledgeable tour guides from the Joliet Area Historical Museum. Explore the general history of the site—from its opening in 1858 to its closure in 2002. This engaging tour offers an excellent introduction to the prison's past and its significance. Visitors will have the opportunity to step inside key areas of the facility, including the West Cell House, North Segregation, Dining Hall, and other buildings, as available.
Old Joliet Prison Self-Guided Tour
Explore the Old Joliet Prison at your own pace. Informational signs are placed throughout the site to provide historic context for the site and structures you will be visiting. Guests will have the opportunity to step inside key areas of the facility, including the West Cell House, North Segregation, Dining Hall, and other buildings, as available.
Planinsek Grocery & Meat Market Museum Tour
Just a block off Route 66, the Martin & Emma Planinsek Grocery and Meat Market Museum takes guests back to the days of the corner store so many of us wistfully remember from childhood. The museum preserves, shares and interprets the Slovenian immigrant experience in Joliet, their role in community development, and their lasting cultural impact on the city through the lens of the Planinsek family.
Joliet Railroad Museum Tour
Built in 1913, The Railroad Museum is a former interlocking signal tower, known locally as Union Depot Tower, that was preserved and incorporated into the new Gateway Center Train Station.
The Museum features information on the railroad companies that operated lines through Joliet, tells the story of the engineering that went into the 1910-1912 track realignment and elevation project, and features the mechanisms and controls that coordinated the movement of trains through this critical intersection of east-west and north-south rail travel.
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