Join us on Sunday afternoon, July 25th for an historic garden walk. This fun, all-outdoor event is replacing the Society’s 33rd annual spring housewalk to keep our community safe. Ticket proceeds benefit the operating budget and special projects of the Wilmette Historical Museum. The five featured properties date from the late 19th century to the early 1930s, with gardens ranging from expansive formal estates to intimate walled spaces. Guides will be on hand to dig into the details of garden designs, along with histories of adjoining homes, past owners and surrounding neighborhoods. The Museum appreciates the generous support of Capitanini Team; Bartlett Tree Experts; Morgante Wilson Architects; North Shore Community Bank; Plaza del Lago; R.H. Witt Heating & Cooling; Craig Bergmann Landscape Design; Chalet; de Giulio kitchen design; Jen Jacobson Home; Nature's Perspective Landscaping, Oscar Isberian Rugs; Scott Simpson Design + Build; all sponsors of this year’s historic garden walk. Advance discounted tickets with prices starting at $35 are available until July 17th and can be purchased here.
Put on your detective caps for another Wilmette History Mystery! Grab your family to follow a new trail of clues on foot, bikes or in your car, tracking down a bit of local history and answering clues that solve this summer's history mystery. Booklets are available at the Museum entrance and the Youth Services Department at the Wilmette Public Library or to download from our website here until August 12th. Successful sleuths aged 13 or younger will receive a coupon for a free individual pizza (generously donated by Lou Malnati's) and be entered into a raffle for a prize from the museum gift shop!
Jerome Gilson recently made an appointment and stopped by the Museum to see our new lobby exhibit, a tribute to his wife, the late Jamie Gilson, beloved children’s author and long-time Wilmette resident. The photo was taken by Matthew Gilson. We are currently open on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1:00 - 4:30 pm by appointment.We hope that you too will make an appointment to visit. In addition to the new lobby exhibit honoring Jamie Gilson, we have a small new exhibit on puzzles and games. Our appointment scheduling for research and touring the exhibits follows state and village mandates which allow guests to enter at 25% capacity. We ask that all visitors wear masks, use hand sanitizer provided at the Museum entrance and practice social distancing. Thank you for following these guidelines to keep our community safe.
This two-part, self-guided audio tour will bring you outside the homes of some of Wilmette’s notables starting with film star Ann-Margret and ending with world-famous chef Charlie Trotter. At each stop, you will learn a bit about a local celebrity’s life in Wilmette. Enjoy the tour by car or bicycle or, if you are ambitious, on foot. Each tour is around 4 miles in length. If you are walking and need to return to your car at the starting point, be sure to takes this additional distance into account. You can listen to Part 1 of the audio tour here.
