The Martin & Emma Planinsek Grocery and Meat Market Museum, sitting just blocks off of Route 66, provides visitors with a nostalgic look into the past.
The house museum emulates a corner grocery store in operation from 1926 through 1961, owned and operated by Slovenian immigrants Martin and Emma Planinsek. The Planinsek family lived just behind the grocery store in a quaint two-bedroom residence. View the family's original furniture, clothing, and trinkets as you walk through the home. The museum 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.
The house museum emulates a corner grocery store in operation from 1926 through 1961, owned and operated by Slovenian immigrants Martin and Emma Planinsek. The Planinsek family lived just behind the grocery store in a quaint two-bedroom residence. View the family's original furniture, clothing, and trinkets as you walk through the home. The museum 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.
This season, we're excited to open a new chapter of the story--
the basement of the Planinsek home is now open to visitors for the first time ever.
Explore the original downstairs kitchen, complete with a coal-burning stove. Discover the secondary bedroom once used for visiting family and see where Emma Planinsek hand-crafted her famous Slovenian smokie sausages.
More than just a workspace, the basement was the heart of the Planinsek home—a place for holiday gatherings, lively conversations, and childhood play. It offers a rare glimpse into the everyday lives of this hardworking immigrant family who served their community from 1926 to 1961.
Hours of Operation: Friday, Saturday & Sunday from Noon – 4PM
Address: 1314 Elizabeth St. Joliet, IL 60435
Parking: Street parking along Elizabeth St.
Admission: $5 per visitor - 3 and under free, Joliet Area Historical Museum members are free.
Address: 1314 Elizabeth St. Joliet, IL 60435
Parking: Street parking along Elizabeth St.
Admission: $5 per visitor - 3 and under free, Joliet Area Historical Museum members are free.