McHenry County Field Trip Ideas
Chain
O Lakes State Park - 8916 Wilmot Road, Spring Grove, IL 60081, 847/587-5512.
May 1 to October 31, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; remainder of the year, 8 a.m. to sunset.
Picnicking, hiking, camping, horse riding and rental, and many more outdoor
activities available.
Dick Tracy Museum - In the
"Old Courthouse on the Square," Woodstock, IL 60098, 815/338-8281.
Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Focus is on the Dick Tracy legacy and "Crimestoppers," a youth program introduced
by the strip in 1948.
Donley's Wild West Town and Museum
- 8512 South Union Road, Union, IL 601180, 815/923-9000. April,
May, September, October, open weekends 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; from Memorial Day
to Labor Day, open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. $12.50/person; children 2 years
of age and under free when accompanied by paying adult. Group rates
available. Group programs available - see web site or call. Re-creation
of a gold-rush era mine, blacksmith shop, pony and train rides, Wild West
Show, much more.
Illinois Railway Museum - 7000 Olson, Union,
IL 60180, 800/244-7245 or 815/923-4391 (for charter and group information).
See web site or call for complete info on hours and admission. The
museum is home to steam and diesel trains, trolley buses, and electric cars.
Special events throughout the year, including a Civil War re-enactment with
focus on how railways played a key role in the War.
McHenry Historical Society and Museum
- 6422 Main Street, Union, IL 60180, 815/923-2267. May through
October, Tuesday through Friday and Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Call for
admissions information. Exhibits include: barn, threshing machine,
milk wagon, and much more. Special Viet Nam War exhibit focusing on
McHenry residents' participation in that period of history. Call before
planning your trip to verify hours of operation and points of interest.
The Raue Center for the Arts
- 108 Minne St., Crystal Lake, IL 60014, 815-356-9010. — 2004-2005 Artist shows include: Randy Sabien
Jazz Trio, Rhythm in Shoes, Joe Bonamassa, Ball in the House and Stanislov Ioudenitch. —
2004-2005 Theater productions: Forever Free: A Story of the Civil War, Curious George, Junie B. Jones, The New Shanghai Circus, Color Me Dark.
See website for show dates and times.
Moraine
Hills State Park - 914 S. River Road, McHenry, IL 60050, 815/385-1624.
Boating, fishing, hiking, and many more available outdoor activities.
Interpretive Center on site.
PLEASE NOTE: It should go without saying, but HOUSE assumes absolutely no responsibility for anything that occurs while you are partaking of a field trip with your family. In addition, please contact the site of your field trip before you go to verify that you have current information on hours, admission prices, and other details. The field trip information herein has been gathered in an exhaustive search of the various counties and localities on the web. The information is thus only as accurate and current as the information on the various web sites from which it was gathered.
If you have information about field trip possibilities in your area, please drop us an email at admin@illinoishouse.org and let us know about it, including the county name, so that we can review and possibly include it in our Field Trip Idea pages. If you have a brochure about a field trip site that you would like to mail to us, please mail it to c/o P.O. Box 74, Ringwood, IL 60072