Illinois is home to over 280 museums, including over 25 museums dedicated to art and design. Nov. 9 is ‘Go to an Art Museum Day,’ and visiting a museum sometime soon is a perfect way to celebrate this day. Here are some of the top art museums in Illinois!

The Art Institute of Chicago – Known as Chicago’s No. 1 museum, the Art Institute of Chicago was founded in 1879, and has grown substantially over the last century and a half. It is committed to contributing to an inspired and just society as well as advancing racial justice. In addition, the Art Institute of Chicago is mindful that their museum stands on Native American land. The museum shares collections of art across time, culture, geography and identity.

Museum of Contemporary Art – Founded in 1967, the MCA’s mission is to exhibit new and experimental art and media. It has a contemporary art collection of over 2,000 pieces. It considers contemporary art to be different from the general art world because in general art, the values of the past are enshrined, but contemporary art showcases new ideas. The museum works closely with their community to create space for dialogue, growth and learning.

National Museum of Mexican Art – The National Museum of Mexican Art was founded in 1982, and represents the Mexican community from their own point of view and their own voice. Their mission is to show appreciation and knowledge of Mexican art and culture. They have one of the country’s largest Mexican art collections, including more than 18,000 seminal pieces from ancient Mexico to present day. The museum also hosts cultural programs such as theater, dance and music.

Rockford Art Museum – Comprised of more than 2,000 works of art, the RAM has modern and contemporary art from the 19^th and 20^th centuries through today, from American Impressionist paintings to African American Art from the Black south. Its focus, however, is on regional art with an emphasis on Illinois artists. Its mission is to foster creativity and build community through visual arts.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed The Dana Thomas House in 1902 for Susan Lawrence Dana, a forward-thinking socialite living in Springfield. The home is the 72 building designed by Wright, and contains the largest collection of site-specific, original Wright art glass and furniture. The house was sold to the state in 1981 and is maintained by the Historic Preservation Division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Contemporary Art Center of Peoria – The CAC was founded in 1996. Its mission is to advance, develop and understand contemporary art, educate diverse students, provide opportunities for viewers and artists through culturally and artistically diverse exhibitions, and enrich the community. From science fiction art to cartoons, this museum has a wide arrangement of art.

Do any of these museums sound interesting to you? If so, celebrate ‘Go to an Art Museum Day’ by popping in.

For 32 years, the Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival has been a beloved tradition for Chicagoans and people across the nation that visit the Windy City for the holidays. The Magnificent Mile Light Festival is located along the heart of Michigan Avenue. The festival is hosted annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. This year it will be held on Nov. 18.

The history of holiday celebrations on Michigan Avenue date back to 1949 when members of the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association displayed a 50 foot tall Christmas tree in Water Tower Park. The grand tree was adorned in 1,500 lights and a six foot star topper. However, the Magnificent Mile Light Festival as we know it developed after the Saks Fifth Avenue shop decided to decorate the trees outside of the their shop with white lights instead of their traditional ornaments. Soon after, other shops along Michigan Avenue began to adopt the tradition and displayed their own lights. This trend evolved into the festival which now displays 200 trees in sparkling lights with one million lights scattered along the mile.

This year, the holiday festivities that will be available include pictures with Santa, musical performances, a tree lighting ceremony and a fireworks show at the conclusion of the event. Shops along the Magnificent Mile will also be participating in the holiday activities and booths will be located in Pioneer Court. Activities will be held throughout the day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information about the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, visit their website here.

Happy holidays!

Hobnob Market is coming to Springfield this weekend – a great time to start your holiday shopping!

The market sells stylish goods with a vintage edge and clothing from boutiques. This year, there will be over 120 handmade and boutique vendors at the market.

The market will be open from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4. The market is located at the Illinois State Fairgrounds inside the Expo Building.

The first Hobnob Market was hosted in November of 2012, and the event drew 800 shoppers. In the last decade, the market has grown substantially.

Hobnob Market was created by Scott and Holly Snelling. They began the market in 2012 after soul searching on how they wanted to live their lives and raise their children. They like to encourage anyone dreaming of starting a business to just do it, because while making risky decisions can be scary, but it is also often worth it.

For more information on the Hobnob Market, please visit https://hobnobmarket.com/.

Every year, the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival takes place in downtown Sycamore near the corners of Main and State Street. This year’s festival will take place from Oct. 25-29.

The festival is Sycamore’s biggest citywide event. It begins with an opening ceremony and cake cutting, and ends with a parade. The festival has over 1,000 entries in the Lions Club Decorated Pumpkin Display, two different carnivals, non-profit vendors, indoor craft shows, entertainment and other various activities.

Back in 1956, Wally Thurow began what would become the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival by displaying decorated pumpkins on his front lawn. In 1962, Thurow and the Sycamore Lions Club created the Festival, which became an official celebration in Sycamore.

Each year, more than 30 non-profit groups from DeKalb County are united under the Pumpkin Festival. They display thousands of decorated pumpkins, do a house walk, a pie eating contest, a fun fair, a race and more.

The mission of the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival is to showcase local non-profit organizations.

Be sure to check out the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival this week!

Since 1998, the Wilkes family has put on elaborate Halloween displays in their front yard for their whole neighborhood to enjoy. Now, decades later, the Wilkes family has garnered national attention with one million followers on TikTok, over 637,000 followers on Facebook and 77,000 on Instagram. This has enticed people from across the state and the country to visit the Wilkes Family Halloween Display.

Their tradition started while the family lived in the western suburbs of Chicago. Now in Bensenville, they have managed to maintain the tradition. Each year a different theme is selected for the display. They have honored countless horror movie classics including the “Halloween” franchise, “IT,” “Saw” and many more. Each year the display grows creepier, eerier and more elaborate than the last!

This year, the family partnered with the Village of Bensenville to present their most elaborate display yet. The display has moved from their front yard to downtown Bensenville to provide the best possible experience for visitors and to allow for a larger area of fright. The display includes various animatronics, photo areas and different sections dedicated to iconic horror movie characters.

When visiting the display, expect to see the infamous couple Chucky and Tiffany, the slashers Jason, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger, as well as other notorious characters.

The display, located at 12 S. Center St. in Bensenville, is open and free to the public. The hours of operation are dusk until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and dusk until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Live actors are present Fridays and Saturdays. The display will operate through Oct. 31.

For more information, visit the Wilkes Family Halloween website.

Happy haunting!