Illinois Association of Museums On the Road Series in 2026

Illinois is a state shaped by its roads, highways, and byways — pathways that connect communities, history, and culture across the Land of Lincoln. In 2026, we’re hitting the road to celebrate America250 with single-day workshops and “A Taste of Museums” in communities throughout Illinois.

Join us on the Road as we learn, connect, and celebrate the stories that make Illinois unique!  Each host community will provide space for a single day.  From 8:30am-noon, regional museum colleagues will participate in conference sessions and have time to network with each other. From 1pm-4pm, the community is welcome to experience a “Taste of Museums” as regional museums provide information or demonstrations about their special sites. 

Proposed Historic Roads and Communities to Visit:

Note: The locations and dates are proposed and may be altered with hosts’ availability.  All dates and locations are subject to change.

Historic National Road: 

Location: Vandalia on February 6

About the National Road: Originally winding from Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois, the Historic National Road opened Illinois to settlement and was the first federally-funded road in U.S. history. Today, the Historic National Road in Illinois stretches 164 miles from Marshall to East St. Louis and is mirrored by U.S. Route 40 and Interstate 70. Once a vital part of the nation's first federal highway connecting the East to the developing Midwest, the Illinois section was later transferred to state control and integrated into later U.S. highway systems like US 40. Today, remnants of the road, including historic towns, bridges, and visitor centers, offer a glimpse into its legacy as "The Road that Built the Nation"

Kaskaskia & Kings Road: 

Location: Prairie du Rocher/Kaskaskia or Fort de Chartes on February 7

About: The Kaskaskia–Cahokia Trail was an overland route that already existed when the French arrived to the Illinois Country. The road followed ancient animal and Native American trails avoiding natural barriers, creeks and streams. Native Americans peoples had migrated and traveled along it for economic trade and other necessities of social life. What the French called the “King’s Road”, was the first road in Illinois, used by French soldiers and settlers from 1718, running from Kaskaskia to Cahokia.

Route 66:  

Location: Springfield on March 6

Location: Pontiac on March 7

About Route 66: Route 66 will mark 100 years in 2026. Illinois' segment of Route 66 was significant, as it was the first and only section to be entirely paved from its inception in 1926, built upon the pre-existing Illinois State Route 4. The nickname "Mother Road" was popularized by John Steinbeck in his novel The Grapes of Wrath, but Route 66 was already seen as a vital pathway for families migrating westward during the Great Depression, seeking a better life. 

Route 20: 

Location: Elgin on May 2 (Passport Event)

Location: Galena on September 12

About Route 20: U.S. Route 20 in Illinois- marking 100 years in 2026-  has a long history, designated in 1926 as a pioneer road for lumbering ox carts and serving as a vital farm-to-market route and cross-state highway. This historic road has seen extensive improvements, with sections upgraded to freeways and bypasses, while other areas retain their scenic, winding, two-lane character through small towns and rural landscapes. The original routing was designated the "U.S. Grant Memorial Highway" in 1955, and efforts continue to preserve and promote historic alignments of the route

Route 30: 

Location: Dixon on September 11

About Route 30: The history of U.S. 30 in Illinois began as the pioneering Lincoln Highway, a private, coast-to-coast route conceived in 1913 and dedicated in 1915. The highway was renamed in 1926 as one of the original U.S. Highways, but its path shifted and rerouted several times to follow a more direct course and incorporate newer roads. A grassroots effort, it featured "seedling miles"—short stretches of concrete pavement that served as models to encourage public support for better roads.

Great River Road:

Location: Nauvoo on November 6

About the Great River Road: Developed in 1938, the road took 30 years of planning until it was built. It has a separate commission in each state. These in turn cooperate through the Mississippi River Parkway Commission (MRPC). The 2,340 miles (3,765 km) are designated with a green-and-white sign showing a river steamboat inside a pilot wheel with the name of the state or province. The Great River Road follows the Mississippi River through 10 states from its beginnings at Lake Itasca in Minnesota, through Louisiana where it enters the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, the byway follows the banks and bluffs through quaint river towns and urban cities as it hugs the western border of the state for more than 550 magnificent miles.