Skokie Heritage Museum & Historic Log Cabin

Skokie Heritage Museum night exterior

Address

8031 Floral Ave.
Skokie, IL 60077 Get Directions

Phone

(847) 929-8001


Programs

The Skokie Heritage Museum provides a wide variety of history, arts, and cultural programming and bookable experiences for all ages. This facility consists of a historic firehouse, an early pioneer log cabin, and a community garden. The Museum is also home to the Skokie Historical Society and a 22,000 item collection documenting Skokie history.

Historic Firehouse, 1887
Visit the Village’s first public building, which served as Skokie’s first firehouse, jail, recreation center, and Village Hall. The first floor houses a fire history exhibit. The second floor features the temporary exhibit “Skokie from the Sky,” which explores Skokie history through historical maps and aerial photographs. 

Meyer Family Log Cabin, c. 1847
Experience 19th century pioneer life in this log cabin built by settlers Nicholas and Elizabeth Meyer near today's intersection of Gross Point Rd. and Lincoln Ave. The cabin was relocated here and renovated in 1982. The cabin is opened by request, weather and staffing permitting. Appointments welcomed. 

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Room Rentals!
Click here for Museum room rental information

Hours

June 7–August 21
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays*, 12–4 p.m.
*Closed Friday, July 4 for Independence Day.

August 23 & 24
12-4 p.m.

August 31 onward
Sundays, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Mondays & Thursdays, 1–5 p.m.

Also by appointment. Free general admission. 

 

info-icon2 Emily England, Museum Manager
info-icon2 Stephanie Guthrie, Museum Coordinator

Features

  • Administrative Offices
  • Classrooms
  • Community Garden
  • Historical Exhibits
  • Meeting & Party Room Rentals
  • Parking
  • Pioneer Log Cabin
  • Volunteer Opportunities

Events

Using 360

Click anywhere on the moving image below and move the room with your cursor to view it. When you see an “up arrow” with a circle around it, click on it, in order to move to an adjacent room.

All our experiences can be booked as an on-site field trip experience, classroom visit, or virtual presentation. Homeschool and Scout groups are welcome and also may Book an Activity. Individual homeschool students are encouraged to check out our School Days Off activities for additional history-themed programming. Most of our bookable activities have a maximum capacity of ~20 people and can be adapted to accommodate different ages and skill levels.

Book our Skokie history field trip for $75 per classroom in-person or in-classroom for the 2025-26 school year. Contact sguthrie@skokieparks.org for more information and scheduling.

The Museum offers a wide range of bookable experiences for all age ranges. Most of these can be booked independently or added on to a rental package. Homeschool and Scouts groups are welcome and should also check out our Student Group experiences. Contact us at museum@skokieparks.org or (847) 929-8001 for more information. 

Walks 
Book a Skokie walking tour for up to 20 participants. Recommended for ages 12 and up, but all ages welcome. Our tours are $120 (resident)/$150 (non-resident) for the standard 1.5-hour to 2-hour tours. Shorter hourlong options are available at a rate of $75 (resident)/$100 (non-resident).

  • Historic Downtown Skokie – 1.5 miles, public bench at many stops
    Tour the historic sites of downtown Skokie and learn about early people and major events.

  • Rise of the Bungalow – 1.2 miles, not many benches
    Investigate how the design of the Lorel Park bungalows reflects shifting societal values of the early 1900s. 

  • Cold War and Civil Rights in Skokie – 2 miles, no benches
    Learn about Devonshire Park's history as a 1950s anti-aircraft artillery base and explore the surrounding neighborhood to learn about Cold War America, the rise of suburbia, the evolution of the nuclear family and second-wave feminism, and the postwar development of Skokie’s diverse community. 

  • Women's History Walk – 1.6 miles, public benches at many stops
    Walk through women's history in downtown Skokie. Learn about important women and pivotal moments in the struggle for equal rights, including Skokie's first resident doctor and the development of the first commercial contraceptive.

  • Murder and Mayhem in Early Skokie – 1.4 miles, public benches at many stops
    Listen to spine-tingling and sometimes silly stories of murder and mayhem from Skokie's haunted past. Explore downtown and learn about the ghosts of Skokie's past, including a serial arsonist, the attempted murder of Skokie's founding father, local ties to infamous gangsters, and some eclectic small-town emergencies.

Workshops
Recommended for ages 8 and up (workshops with an asterisk below are for ages 5 and up). Book as a standalone experience or add-on to a tour or rental. Mix and match for a customized historical adventure. Contact us for pricing and availability. Kindly note we are not able to host workshops during the summer camp season and availability may be limited from Memorial Day through Labor Day. 

  • 1-hour workshops: Bubble-Making*, Butter-Making, Candle-Making, Pioneer Dolls, Make Your Own Quill and Ink, Pioneer Toys & Games*, Potato Printing*, Victorian Paper Crafts 
  • 1.5-hour workshops: Build a Kite, Friendship Bracelets, Ice Cream-Making*, Make Your Own Playdough and Silly Putty*, Stamp-Making 
  • 2-hour workshops: Counted Cross Stitch Ornament, Intro to Embroidery, Rag Rug-Style Coasters, Learn to Sew (Pioneer Pillows), Soap-Making 
  • 3- or 4-hour workshops: Knitting, Crochet, Drop Spindle Spinning, Embroidery, Counted Cross Stitch Sampler, Papermaking, Learn to Sew (Pioneer Pillows, Quilted Coasters), Rag Rug or Bread Bag Workshop, Soap-Making, Weaving 

Talks
Contact us for pricing and availability. Talks can be in-person visits, on-site at the museum, or virtual. Potential topics include: 

  • Skokie History 
  • The Rise of the Bungalow 
  • Cold War and Civil Rights 
  • The Rise of Suburbia 
  • Fair Housing in Skokie
  • Skokie Women's History 
  • Remembering Niles East
  • Suggest your own topic (additional research fees may apply – please contact us at least 3 months in advance) 

 

The Skokie Historical Society is based out of the museum and assists with the maintenance of our archival collection, which consists of about 22,000 items relating to Skokie history. To volunteer with the collection or donate to the collection, please stop by, email us at eengland@skokieparks.org, or call (847) 929-8001 for more information.  

Have a question about Skokie history? Check out the links below. Much of our collection is digitally accessible through the Skokie Public Library and the links below. If you would like to book a research appointment to view specific items in our collection, please email us at sguthrie@skokieparks.org at least a month in advance to schedule.  

Explore Skokie history in person!
Book a private walking tour or experience with the Skokie Heritage Museum or check out one of these activities below: 

Both buildings have ground-level entrances. The second floor of the historic firehouse has a button-operated chair lift with an optional fold-down seat for users with or without mobility aids. The museum is usually a low-sensory environment (quiet, low lighting, and without crowds). Free, private appointments are accepted; approximately two weeks’ notice is recommended. 

The log cabin involves interactive touch experiences as well as visual and auditory interpretation options. The firehouse primarily consists of no-touch, visual interpretive displays; staff are usually on-hand to provide auditory interpretation if needed (please call ahead to confirm availability if needed). 

Free street parking is available in front of the building, as well as a free public parking lot with one handicap space immediately to the south and east of the building. 

 

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