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The University of Illinois straddles these two communities. Founded in 1868, the University was originally called the Illinois Industrial University and had 13 professors teaching 77 students in its first academic year. Today the University’s 2,550 academic professionals educate more than 36,000 students from all fifty states and 100 countries. The University offers 150 fields of study taught in over 200 buildings on the 1,470 acre campus. The library, with 17 million items, is the largest academic library in the United States. The Assembly Hall, Krannert Art Museum, Memorial Stadium, and Spurlock Museum are just a few of the buildings on campus that are worth a visit. For more information call the Campus Visitors Center at (217) 333-0824.
One of the two largest edge-supported domes in the world can be found at the University of Illinois. Opened in 1963, Assembly Hall accommodates more than 500,000 guests annually. People come from all over to see major concert performers, sporting events, Broadway shows, musicals, and the “Fighting Illini” men’s basketball team battle Big 10 opponents. For more information about this unique structure call (217) 333-2923.
Founded in 1974, the Champaign County Historical Museum
was located in the Wilbur Mansion until 1999. The museum started its 26th
year in transition after purchasing the Champaign Cattle Bank to be its
new home.
The Cattle Bank is Champaign’s oldest commercial
building and has been in the National Register of Historic Places since
1983 when it was completely restored to its original Italianate style.
The museum is devoted to preserving Champaign County history through its
permanent and rotating exhibits and a library rich in local text. A highlight
of the museum is the Champaign Popcorn Truck. The 1919 Cretor popcorn
wagon has been serving local residents for most of the 20th century. The
Cattle Bank is located at 102 East University Avenue. For tour information
call (217) 356-1010.
Originally opened in the 1870's, the Champaign Museum of Natural History offers exhibits on Anthropology, Botany, Geology, and Zoology. The museum also houses a turn-of-the century bird collection from the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Besides its rotating museum exhibits, the museum offers a hands-on discovery room, an after-school program for children, various workshops and educational programs. The Natural History Building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Call (217) 333-1361 for tour information.
Located in the Champaign County Forest Preserve’s Lake of the Woods Park, the Early American Museum has an extensive collection of artifacts that focus on the history of 19th and early 20th century life in East Central Illinois. The museum has two floors of exhibits detailing everyday life on the prairie with a discovery room that provides hands-on activities for all ages. Call (217) 586-2612 for more information.
Frasca Air Museum has a collection of fully restored and operational World War II era airplanes and war artifacts from around the world. The museum is located on Frasca Field and you can call (217) 344-9200 for tour information.
The John Philip Sousa Library and Museum can be found on the University of Illinois campus in the Harding Band Building. John Philip Sousa’s personal music library is on display as well as musical instruments and band uniforms. Admission is free, call (217) 244-9309 for hours and information.
With 28,000 square feet, the Krannert Art Museum is the second largest art museum in Illinois. There are ten permanent exhibition galleries that display fine art that dates from the 4th millennium B.C. to the present from artists throughout the world. Three other galleries host temporary exhibits from a variety of artists. Call (217) 333-1861 for a detailed list of exhibits.
Heralded as one of the nation’s premier performing arts complexes,
The Krannert Center for
the Performing Arts has hosted performers such as Luciano
Pavarotti, Itshak Perlman, Duke Ellington, and Leontyne Price. The center
was opened in April 1969 and encompasses two city blocks. Its facilities
include three indoor theaters, an outdoor amphitheater, and Foellinger
Great Hall, an acoustically superior concert hall. There are more than
400 performances hosted at the center each year. Call (800) 527-2849 for
event information.
The Orpheum Children’s
Science Museum is located in the historic Orpheum Theater.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, the Orpheum
was built in 1914 as a vaudeville theater and considered to be one of
the finest examples of early theater architecture. The museum is a hands-on
science museum filled with a multitude of activities for children of all
ages. Children can interact, interpret, learn and explore with exhibits
such as Design-A-Dinosaur, the PVC pipe organ and a Dino-Dig. Call (217)
352-5895 for current exhibits and more information.
The University of Illinois campus offers a beautiful display of flora at the Arboretum. A tour of the Arboretum will reveal a Welcome Garden, the three acre Harley Selections Garden and the Idea Garden. Gardeners may participate in workshops, clinics and instructional programs. The Arboretum is a wonderful place to enjoy mother nature’s natural beauty.
The new Spurlock Museum building opened its doors to the public on September 26, 2002. The new facility is located at 600 South Gregory Street on the University's campus. The Spurlock Museum is dedicated to showcasing historically significant and educational exhibits. It holds 47,000 ethnographic and cultural artifacts that portray the stories of various world civilizations throughout history. Admission is free to the museum. You may call (217) 333-2360 for museum hours and general information..
The Virginia Theatre has been an entertainment landmark in Champaign for more than 80 years. This 1921 Italian Renaissance Palace was acquired by the Champaign Park District in January 2000. The park district has an extensive restoration project in the works and the Virginia Theatre will soon be restored to its original beauty. The theatre offers a wide variety of events from theatrical to gospel to vaudeville entertainment. For more information call (217) 356-9053.
Check out the Milky Way at the William M. Staerkel Planetarium, Illinois’ second largest planetarium. The planetarium is located on the campus of Parkland College and offers educational programs as well as entertaining light shows. Visitors can see stars, meteors, galaxies, and planets on the fifty-foot dome-shaped screen. Call (217) 351-2446 for events and hours.
Champaign also offers a self-serve apple orchard. Curtis Orchard has more than 4,000 apple trees, a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, and a giant maze for the adventuresome. Call (217) 359-5565 for more information about Curtis Orchard.