All of the buildings, track, locomotives and cars were assembled here at Union on what was once farmland. Our main line trackage was laid on the vacant right-of-way of the Elgin & Belvidere Electric railway. Why would rational adults freely contribute so much of their time and treasure to creating this repository of railroad history?
To answer this question, we must remember that at one time in our nation's past the railroad industry was the largest private employer. With so many families supported by one enterprise, the widespread interest in that industry is understandable....manifesting itself in special interest groups devoted to various activities such as taking railroad pictures or publishing books on railroads, building railroad models or just "riding the rails," The Illinois Railway Museum is probably the ultimate railroad historian special interest group. Originally formed to preserve one important piece of rolling stock, it has evolved into an educational and historic preservation organization recreating possibly the largest operating demonstration railroad showcase on the North American continent.

America's most decorated Battleship is now the area's most exciting museum, open for tours, events and overnight encampments. Exploring “BB62” is experiencing history in a whole new way. Not only do you see exhibits of artifacts from the ship’s past, but you are put into the exhibit as you go through the tour route. Sit in the chair from which Admiral Halsey commanded the fleet. Stretch out on the bunks where the sailors slept. Climb into the 16” gun turret and learn how the projectiles were loaded.

The Newport Historical Society was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport’s history. Its manuscripts, portraits, silver, furniture, decorative arts, and genealogical collection are nationally recognized.

The IMA fosters interconnections between itself and the community-at-large, between art and nature, and among its three complementary parts: the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, and Oldfields-Lilly House & Gardens. IMA invites all visitors to explore and understand the connections between art and themselves.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art has a collection of over 50,000 works of art. At the Museum, you will find art from a variety of cultures and periods in art history. The Museum also features national and international traveling exhibitions throughout the year.

The purpose of the Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center, Inc., an educational institution of the Haines Borough, is committed to collecting, preserving and interpreting through history, art and unique blending of diverse cultures within the Chilkat Valley. The Sheldon Museum's presentation of artifacts, clan trust property, and memorabilia enhances quality of life for area residents and visitors; informs researchers and historians; inspires artists and creative writers; and encourages community pride through permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibits, and through a variety of programs for schools and the public.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon welcomes you to a vibrant museum. After completion of a major renovation and expansion project, the new facility is nearly double in size. Discover dramatically expanded and redesigned spaces including galleries featuring American, European, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese art that are enhanced with a series of special exhibitions and a full complement of inviting programs.

Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the following description may no longer be accurate. Please consider this when making your travel plans. The National D-Day Museum is made up of four sections, each containing a different exhibit. A variety of artifacts, testimonies and documents, particularly those chronicling the World War II period, are on display. There is a permanent exhibit, as well as temporary exhibits and electronic exhibits, all of which transport visitors back to that time in history. In addition, two movies are screened several times daily in the museum's Malcolm S. Forbes Theatre - these are 'Price For Peace' and 'D-Day Remembered'.

The New Jersey Scout Museum was created in 2004 and is a non-profit corporation of the State of New Jersey. The Museum is not affiliated with the BSA or GSUSA. All funds for operating expenses come from donations and memberships ("Friends of the Museum"). Monmouth Council BSA graciously provides the public exhibition space.
The Museum is open to the public and admission is free (a donation is appreciated for groups).

An Institute for the Future, in association with the Smithsonian Institution, is a comprehensive national American women's history museum. Located in Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, The Women's Museum's 70,000 square foot building provides a home for programs and exhibits where people can honor the past and explore the contributions of women throughout history.

The museum is dedicated to preserving our rich agricultural history and rural heritage. The collections and exhibits depict technology, crops, and livestock. In addition the exhibits examine human experiences, institutions, and cultures that were shaped by the state's rural landscape and diverse environment.
Located on the campus of South Dakota State University at the corner of Medary Avenue and 11th Street the museum is open and free to the public.

As the Smithsonian Institution's museum of African American history and culture, the Museum explores American history, society, and creative expression from an African American perspective. The museum encourages the collection, protection, and preservation of materials that reflect the history and traditions of families, organizations, individuals, and communities.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels. The museum has one of the world's finest collections of historic ships, including the world famous Star of India.

"The NEW World of Coca­Cola is the only place where visitors can explore the complete story—past, present and future—of the world's best-known brand! For over 120 years, we've been putting our secret formula into bottles. Now, we've put it all in one amazing place—the NEW World of Coca­Cola.
With 62,000 square feet of guest areas, the NEW World of Coca­Cola is approximately twice the size of the previous World of Coca­Cola.
We will feature more than 1,200 artifacts from around the world that have never been displayed to the public before. In fact, only about 50 artifacts from the previous World of Coca­Cola will be showcased at the NEW World of Coca­Cola.
A visit of the entire facility lasts an average of 90 minutes."

The Textile Heritage Museum is located in the Glencoe Mill Village, just north of Burlington, North Carolina.
The museum features history and machinery of the textile industry from the cottage industry to the present, the family labor system, life in the mill villages, and a company store exhibit, and presents various exhibits of interest.

The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in downtown Austin, Texas, tells the “Story of Texas” with three floors of interactive exhibits, the special effects show, The Star of Destiny, in the Texas Spirit Theater, and Austin's only IMAX Theatre, featuring the signature large-format film, Texas: The Big Picture. A 35-foot-tall bronze Lone Star sculpture greets visitors in front of the Museum, and a colorful terrazzo floor in the Museum’s rotunda features a campfire scene with enduring themes from Texas’ past. The Museum also has a Cafe with indoor and outdoor seating and a Museum Store with something for the Texan in everyone.

The Margaret Harwell Art Museum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, owes its existence to the generosity of its namesake and benefactor, the late Margaret Harwell -- an amateur artist, businesswoman and civic leader. When Mrs. Harwell died in 1977, she left a part of her estate to the City of Poplar Bluff to establish a center for art classes and exhibits. In 1978, an Arts and Museum Advisory Board was formed to take on the task. In 1980, the city purchased the J.L. Dalton home, itself rich in local history and architecture, to house the museum.

The Forney Transportation Museum is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 500 exhibits relating to historical transportation. It began with antique cars, but soon expanded to include vehicles of all kinds. Some of these are familiar, while others spark the imagination.

Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family. The Museum was established to house the extensive collection of Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms of the Princess, and has expanded to include millions of artifacts, documents and photographs about Hawai‘i and other Pacific island cultures.
Today, Bishop Museum is the largest museum in the state and the premier natural and cultural history institution in the Pacific, recognized throughout the world for its cultural collections, research projects, consulting services and public educational programs. It also has one of the largest natural history specimen collections in the world. Serving and representing the interests of Native Hawaiians is a primary purpose of the Museum.

Dozens of fun, hands-on interactive exhibits based on scientific principles challenge visitors' ideas about science and technology. Interactive exhibits show you how to create clouds, generate electricity with a bike, marvel at optical illusions, and build and control your own robot!
Natural history exhibits feature "Suzie," a 22,000 year-old mastodon found in Palm Beach County. Also, authentic and reproduction skeletons of whales, sharks and dinosaurs bring history to life.
Native and exotic sea life from warm waters around the world populate the museum's aquariums, while an acre of naturally landscaped outdoor trails features over a dozen original interactive exhibits. Exciting laser shows and star shows thrill young and old alike in the Marvin Dekelboum Planetarium.

Serveing as the nucleus for the study of animal diversity at the University of Michigan, focusing on the evolutionary origins of the planet's animal species, the genetic information they contain and the ecosystems they form. It houses some of the finest zoological research collections in the world, including comprehensive representation from all primary global ecosystems. Such collections provide the best tangible record we have of life on Earth and constitute a crucial resource for use in research, conservation and education.

With 65,000 square feet of indoor space and 13 acres of outside exhibits, you’ll discover something new and exciting with each visit to the Museum of Life and Science!
The Museum’s 70+ acre campus is home to hundreds of interactive exhibits, including one of the East Coast’s largest butterfly conservatories; a nature park with bears, wolves and lemurs; a giant radio-controlled sailboat pond; and a railroad – just to name a few.

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is located in the heart of Downtown Oklahoma City's Arts District. Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Museum serves 170,000 visitors annually from all fifty states and over forty foreign countries and hosts special exhibitions drawn from throughout the world. The Museum is home to an extensive permanent collection of European and American art, including the most comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly glass in the world, and the Midwest's premiere repertoire cinema, which presents the finest international, independent, and classic films. Amenities include the Museum's Library Resource Center, Museum Store, and Museum School, which offers classes for students of all ages as well as fall, winter, and summer camps for youths. The Museum is also home to the Museum Cafe, whose French-fusion cuisine is complemented by a full-service bar complete with cocktails, specialty coffees, and afternoon tea.

As one of the world's most innovative museums of modern and contemporary art, SFMOMA has had an active Web presence for over nine years (a very long time, when measured in Internet time). During this period we have redesigned our site twice, always with the idea that a museum such as ours should continually strive to improve the ways in which it serves a diverse public. And, as our collective understanding of emerging digital technologies has increased, we felt that perhaps it was time to use the Web to explore our understanding of the museum itself.

The Warhawk Air Museum is a not for profit organization funded entirely by individual donations and private foundations. The mission of the museum is to teach and preserve World War II history from the home front to the war front and aviation history from the advent of flight through the space age. The Warhawk Air Museum encourages an educational experience about the technology, culture, and social changes that have occurred in North America since World War II.
The Warhawk Air Museum welcomes the opportunity to serve the community by allowing special-event use of the museum. The museum's Facility Use Policy must be adhered to at every event.

The San Diego Natural History Museum traces its roots to an enthusiastic group of amateur naturalists, who formed the San Diego Society of Natural History in 1874.
The San Diego Natural History Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums, which certifies that this museum continues to demonstrate a professional level of operation in accordance with the standards of excellence prescribed by the AAM.

The museum's collection features the works of various African-American artists from both the 19th and 20th centuries as well as a selection of objects from the African continent. NCCU Art Museum has been called "the most important publicly assembled collection of African-American art in North Carolina" and boasts the works of artists such as Henry O. Tanner, Jacob Lawrence, and Minnie Evans.

Circus World is a thrill for all ages — a chance to see how the circus has entertained people for generations.

A nonprofit organization founded to promote and support art and craft excellence in Kentucky. In 2006, KMAC celebrated 25 years of supporting artists and providing educational programs to school children and adults. The Museum is supported in part by the Fund for the Arts and Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency of the Commerce Cabinet.