Art, History

Culture, General

The Egyptian Theatre is a 1929, fully restored, Egyptian Art Deco movie palace, operated and maintained by P.E.T. Inc. (Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre) a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the Egyptian is home to 25+ community groups that utilize the theatre every year and the theatre continues to show movies (classic & family films along with film festivals). The Egyptian is also available for rentals, tours, weddings, graduations, small parties and receptions.

Botanical Garden, Culture, General, History, Historic House

Tour the site where Joseph Glidden invented and first manufactured the most widely used type of barbed wire. View demonstrations of the blacksmith craft in the Phineas Vaughan Blacksmith Shop. Both the 1861 home and brick barn are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Art, University

The NIU Art Museum balances the challenges of contemporary art with the riches of traditional visual art for an eye-opening look at culture. We show rotating exhibitions from the university collections, thematic contemporary exhibitions of the work of regional and national artists, and national traveling exhibitions.

Art, History

Estate of Isaac Ellwood, principal manufacturer of barbed wire. Museum offers guided tours of the 30-room Ellwood mansion with restored interiors with original furnishings spanning the decades 1880s-1920s. Large visitor center with exhibit galleries including the carriage gallery and "Fencing Frontiers: The Barbed Wire Story"; yearly special exhibits.

Guided tours offered at 1PM and 3PM Tuesday-Friday and 1PM, 2PM and 3PM Saturday-Sunday. Visitor Center open noon-4:30PM Tuesday thru Sunday.

Museum sponsors variety of educational programs for children and adults; "Art at Ellwood" Art Fair in July; Holiday Event in December.

Anthropology, Archaeology, Culture, History, Library, Science, University

The Anthropology Museum houses over 12,000 ethnographic and archaeological objects. The ethnographic collection has regional strengths in Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the plains and southwest regions of North America. Ethnographic specimens from Africa, Mesoamerica, and South America are also represented.

History, University