Isle a la Cache Museum
Hours
Visitor center
Wednesday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Monday and Tuesday: Closed
Preserve
8 a.m.-sunset
Trails
Isle a la Cache Nature Trail
Centennial Trail/Veterans Memorial Trail
Phone
815-722-9301
Isle a la Cache Museum immerses visitors in the cultural heritage and natural history of 18th century “Illinois Country,” where French voyageurs and Potawatomi traditions intersected during the fur trade era.
Located within Isle a la Cache preserve, the museum offers engaging indoor exhibits and opportunities to explore the surrounding preserve and its diverse wildlife. Visitors can experience history through interpretive displays while discovering wildlife that inhabit the area today.
The museum offers public programs, school and youth group programs, dynamic exhibits, facility rentals, a gift shop, and free District publications and trail maps.
Explore the museum
- Inside, visitors can experience:
- Interactive exhibits exploring the fur trade era
- Beaver pelts, birch bark canoes and a walk-in wigwam
- A live Blanding’s turtle exhibit
Visitors may also purchase camping, dog park and picnic permits. The museum is accessible and open to the public free of charge. Dogs are not allowed inside the museum to prevent potential damage to artwork, exhibits and artifacts, including both historic and contemporary objects.
Explore the preserve
The surrounding preserve offers opportunities for year-round outdoor recreation.
Visitors may also spot wildlife throughout the preserve, including bald eagles, migratory songbirds, mink and turtles.
Group outings
While groups of 25 or more are welcome to visit the museum and preserve, a special use permit is required in advance to help avoid scheduling conflicts and overcrowding. Call 815-722-9301 for more information.
Upcoming events
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You Are a Story: Memoir & Illinois Novelists
Join us for a workshop examining how writing memoirs, telling our own stories and recording our lives can help us search for those same answers.
Junior Historians
Kids will get hands-on with history to learn how we know about the past.
WonderKids: ‘The Stick’
Calling all families with preschoolers! Join us for a hands-on program inspired by our latest exhibit based on the book “The Stick” by Clay Rice.
Latest headlines
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‘The Stick’ silhouette art exhibit comes to Isle a la Cache
Traveling exhibit features original artwork inspired by children’s book about a young boy who embarks on an exciting journey after finding a stick.
Forest Preserve wins awards for restoration, land acquisition projects
The awards recognize projects at Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve and Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve.
Fall colors steal the show in October photo contest
Seasonal landscape at Hammel Woods captured by Matthew Dunn of Bolingbrook.
Frequently asked questions
There are no costs associated with visiting any of our preserves, and admission to the museum is free.
Leashed dogs are allowed in the preserve but must stay on the trails. However, they are prohibited from entering the museum to prevent potential damage to artwork, exhibits and artifacts, including both historic and contemporary objects. Cleaning up dog waste is required by Forest Preserve ordinance.
Yes, whether you rent a shelter or not, you are always welcome to visit the museum during the building’s open hours as well as fish from the shoreline, kayak and walk the trails anytime the preserve is open. Fishing does require a current Illinois fishing license for anyone 16 years of age or older.
Yes, field trips are offered during the school year and remain free for Will County schools.
Trailered boats cannot be launched at Isle a la Cache. However, the preserve does offer a public canoe and kayak launch on the Des Plaines River. No launch pass is required.
The longhouse and Traders Cabin are mostly used for school field trips. However, they are also open to the public on Museum Campus Days and during Living History Encounter programs. In addition, some public programs are hosted in these spaces. Please check the event calendar for upcoming programs.
Via 135th Street, the preserve provides a 0.32-mile trail connection to the paved, 3.26-mile Centennial Trail/Veterans Memorial Trail as well as a 0.57-mile connection to the 7.57-mile, crushed limestone I&M Canal Trail.