First Division Museum at Cantigny

Very well done. Lots of great information coupled with realistic and awesome displays. You dont just stare through glass into the displays, you walk through them!

Something for everyone! The kids always enjoy the tanks, but the new playground was a big hit. The gardens are beautiful, and the kids enjoy the winding paths and secret little garden areas just off the main paths. The First Division museum is engaging and comprehensive and the house, when its open, is always fun and informative.

Great museum and very well done! You feel like you are landing on the beach at Normandy and going through the jungles of Vietnam. Great for kids with lots to see and do.

Its very well done and its free of charge. Only $5for parking. The museum is with combination of videos and timeline from WW1 to WW2 and beyond. Great place to visit with family and to show the youngest generation what cruel place was the world in the nearest past. Also there are simulations of helicopter and tank missions. P.s. overall the park is under renovation and most of the attractions are closed as of November 2019

The museum in Cantingy Park is amazing! Outside there are a dozen tanks that kids can climb all over. Inside is a wonderful tribute and museum to the soldiers from WWI all the way to the present. You walk through the trenches of WWI, enter the beaches of Normandy from a landing craft, navigate the jungles of Vietnam, and ride in a tank in Desert Storm. From uniforms, weapons, and war mementos, there are dozens of unique things to see and do here.

If youre in the area, check out 1IDs museum. It masterfully retells the incredible history of the 1st Infantry Division through interactive video kiosks, posters, pictures, a virtual helicopter ride, plus actual equipment, weapons and uniforms from various conflicts all over the world. The museum is in a park; theres a food stand/concession if you need snacks and clean restrooms if you need to go #1 or #2. AND it has a great collection of REAL tanks that makes for a stupendous photo op! Parking is $10.00.

First time I have ever been to a museum so big and maintained in the best manner possible. You will get feel of the war when you get in the museum like you are walking in battlefield. This place has all the tanks with description, all the weapons used in war. You have to walk around the place and if you want to see everything carefully you need almost one day to finish the museum. The things kept in museum are crafted so well that it looks like you have gone in past and walking place which have only seen in movies. A great place to visit.

An amazing museum; fully funded by the McCormick foundation. It only costs five dollars for parking, everything else is free. The museum is a state of the art archive and reenactment of all the major wars and conflicts that the United States has participated in. Both entertaining and educational. This museum is truly an under-appreciated gem.

Love the way it shows the history of the past wars in such detail. I was inducted along with my military team into this museum and Im also in one of the virtual displays! My family and I thank you for the hospitality and kindness given to us all.

Museum, Gardens, Mansion, & Tanks to Climb!The Big Red One First Division Military Museum at Cantigny is a fun, interactive museum that is completely redesigned for 2017. The Bug Red One Museum is at the heart of Cantigny Park with its acres of beautiful gardens, the McCormick Mansion, and dozens of tanks and vehicles you can climb. All of this only costs $10 a carload!The museum features everything from World War I trenches to Vietnam and Desert Storm tanks. You can climb on everything dozens of vehicles including World War II Landing Craft and armored vehicles. From children to adult history buffs, the battle scenes and films will capture your imagination.Make sure you allow time to also see the manicured park and gardens and the wide variety of flowers and trees. (See photos.) The stunning 35-room mansion was the home of Colonel Robert McCormick, former Chicago Tribune publisher. The Mansion is where scenes from Tom Hank’s A League of Their Own were shot. (More photos!) Plus there is a golf course, another museum, playgrounds, a gift shop and restaurant.Secret: Scout Troops or Packs can still camp at the park each weekend! So much to explore. Cantigny is usually open daily except in January and is about 30 miles west of Chicago.

What an amazing museum. It is a must see.

Really amazing museum with great exhibits. And you can climb on the tanks!!

Awesome place. i’ve gone to a lot of museums but this one is in the top five. The amount of details the curators put into the exhibits is what i most appreciated about the first division museum. I rage about this place to people i talk to. it is amazing and i’m not even into the military. It is kid friendly and interactive enough for them to enjoy it also. But you can’t take your stroller in so leave that behind.

Museum is free, $5 to park. Exhibits are extremely immersive and informative, and it gives you a feel of actually being in each era, from WWI to Vietnam. Tank park and park grounds are beautiful to walk around as well.

As a retired Army soldier I have visited many military museums. This one to visit if you are interested in military infantry history. Very good display on WWI and Vietnam. (They even had a display where I was stationed in Germany.) Excellent display outside of armored vehicles. The grounds are quite nice and would make a nice picnic place. I really enjoyed the simulated ride in a Bradly Armored Personnel Vehicle that showed a 3 sided video view of a critical battle during the first gulf war. One hour is not enough. If you really wanted to carefully see everything it would take 3 hours.

This is an awesome place with helpful friendly staff. Incredible way to learn about history. I am stunned. And I had a reunion with the first tank I served on, the M113.

Very informative. Fun for kids as well.

Stunning! The best museum in the area! Hidden gem! Must see!

As a former army 19K, I love this place. I’ve gone here 5 times on dates or with family. Never gets old and brings back great memories. Each time it has rained during my visit, I blame the weatherman for this. But even with rain my guests and I have a nice time. Can’t wait to go again.

A great research facility, beyond just museum exhibits that highlights the 1st Divisions history during conflicts. Well laid out and informative. The external vehicle park featuring many armored vehicles is also very good, especially with kids.

Really is a nice place and a great thing to see. I would advise anyone to go here! Amazing !!

I visited the First Division Museum today for the first time since my father brought me almost 20 years ago. The staff is great, the remodel is out of this world, everyone is really informative and if youre interested in military history, there is no where better in Illinois (that I know of). Great place to spend a day.

I highly recommend a visit, especially with the kids.We visited the park and museum with our cub scout pack on veterans day. The park was nice was a light hike, but we were all very impressed with the museum. The kids loved climbing on the tanks (of course). The displays are all very engaging (even for my 8 year old daughter.) They have the type of static displays of historical military uniforms and weapons that youd expect. They also have modern displays like a VR headset based display of a crew coming in on a helicopter and (practicing) conducting a raid, an imersive multi-screen video presentation from the point of view of a Bradley crew, and several videos of personal interviews from veterans and their families.

Great place to enjoy with the family! Loved that you could climb on the tanks!

This is a wonderful museum for those interested in history and the military. The restaurant in the visitor center was perfect for lunch.The indoor museum is informative and great for anyone.The outdoor tank park is great for kids and war buffs.The gardens on the museum grounds are gorgeous.The house tour was great too!The best part: $5 entry fee per car and no other costs

Very informative, with plenty of photo opportunities. Perfect for the history buff in your life. Well kept and friendly staff, the newer exhibits are amazing too.They even have two different VR experiences. Well worth the price of admission to the park.

Best museum around. Kids love the tanks

This is the museum on the majestic Cantigny Park grounds. They are open every day except Mondays. There are two tours in the building that are for free. The tours cover some history and details of the Cantigny Battle. This tour is great for all ages in your group.

Great experience for people of all ages. Plenty of history that covers all of our countrys wars with outstanding exhibitsthat tell the full story of the wars as if you were there.There is a $5 admission fee per car not person wich is a wonderful deal for a all day access to most places on the park grounds. The one place the might charge a separate admission fee would be the Robert Mccormick residence and mesueme.

Great place for kids of all ages.

Could use some volunteers in the museum to explain displays.

Whoever did the redesign of this museum is a genius. The aesthetics and art direction of the WWI, WWII, and Vietnam sections are astounding. Bombed out French homes, dappled sunlight coming down through the trees in Vietnam. Amazing.

This is and has been one of the best kept secrets in Illinois. Ive met so many people who have never heard of it. They just did a major renovation and it is a wonderful addition to what they already have.Would highly recommend this place ! Grounds, Mansion, Museum, visitors building, and staff are outstanding !!

Awesome museum and grounds. It’s splendid that you can climb up on a variety of tanks instead of them just being decor

Wonderful experience and the display is entertaining and informative, though I personally preferred the pre-renovation displays. 5 star upgrade for the recent Army Field Band concert which was spectacular.

Excellent museum for learning about WWI, WWII, and Vietnam.

This is a very neat place. I love taking my kids here. The tanks out front are awesome and its a history lesson every time you go.

Amazing exhibits from various U.S war conflicts.

Excellent staff and wonderful exhibits! Bounty Hunters 1/34 AR, 1 ID

Visited the Cantigny Museum this afternoon. So grateful to see history maintained and restored for future generations

An amazing immersive experience that will educate all visitors, regardless of familiarity with military history.

Beautiful place as we visited it for a family picnic on a fine sunny day! The Museum is dedicated to the First Infantry Division & exhibits Interactive presentation of the military history.There is no Admission fee to the museum but there is a parking fee for the park. Parking fee is between $2 / $5 for cars & $40 / $80 for limousines & buses depending on the passenger capacity.If you are a History lover then you can spend your quality time here. It remains closed during the entire month of January. General timings are 10 AM - 5 PM which keeps changing month on month basis so its better to check the timings before you visit it.Theres a Tank park displaying war tanks from WW. You can also explore diaries, letters and artifacts from WWI here.Museum holds events pertaining History & Military events, further details can be found on the official website.

I had a blast here i spent 2 hours in here going through a couple times they also have two virtual reality interactive areas

Was a fantastic museum even before the ongoing remodel. I hope that this new version is even more incredible than the last!

Great place for anyone. Very educational and hands-on interactions of movies, props, and stages of war of battles with real life scenes. Lots of guns, shells, tanks that are outside which you can climb and let the children play on.

Experiencing the First Division Museum at Cantigny, 1s151 Winfield Road, 1s151, Wheaton, IL 60189 personally is quite amazing to see what our troops experiences wouldve been like. Id like to encourage everyone to take the time to go through all the exhibits and also tour the tanks displayed outside of the main museum building as well.

Great museum and a great park. Fun day.

A very interesting museum with interactive displays representing the military history of the first infantry division. I was really impressed with the walk through exhibit that makes you feel as though you really are in the middle of combat. There are actual tanks lining the path to and from the museum that the kids can climb on for fun.#CitiExperts @Localguides

Great look into the 1st division history

Great museum showing the history of the Big Red One. Amazing that its free

Great museum!

No info about small dog allowed/ if dog stay in car / local sheriffs will bracke window.

So much history here. Love it. Definitely going more often with my kids.

A superb, thorough museum, stuffed with informative exhibits, interactive elements, and super-helpful staff.

Amazing. Somber reminder why rogue dictators must be kept in check by opposing forces at all cost.

Wonderful place. Newly revamped museum.

Went on field trip so much great stuff their

Something for everyone and the food was delicious at the bistro

Historical place.

It was cool

Very nice represent of the war history

A lot of wedding this year.

Fun and cool tanks!

A must see for any history buff.

A must see, if you visit Chicago .!

Amazing!!!

Loved this place!

Great place

Great military museum!

Fun and interactive museum

Awesome adventure

Amazing place

I like it

Free!