First Division Museum at Cantigny — Attraction in Winfield

Wonderful military museum!! My family absolutely loved it here! Viewing and climbing all of the military tanks were my children's favorite part! The garden and park surrounding the museum makes for a beautiful trail hike! Inside the museum was a world of information and stories from wars gone by retelling the experience of the First Division. WWI, WWII, Vietnam and more my family was able to learn more about very detailed and well put together exhibits about America's involvement in multiple wars around the globe. Walking into a bunker underground to understand the perspective of our First Division men and women who fought for our freedoms, uniforms from all the wars and from all sides (American, German, French, Vietnam, Iraq) was neat to see. Visiting the beach at Omaha during WWII in a way we could literally walk through, and sit in a ship to watch the perspective of the First Division fight for freedom from tyranny was such a great experience! We also got to walk through the jungles of Vietnam to see what our military went through fighting in that war. The stories from our veterans was a wonderful touch at the Museum to capture memories and history the world cannot forget. Thank you so much for all the efforts and putting this historical perspective in this Museum! My family will definitely be back to learn more about the history from all the wars America...

Museum, Gardens, Mansion, & Tanks to Climb!

The Big Red One First Division Military Museum at Cantigny is a fun, interactive museum that is completely redesigned for 2017. The Bug Red One Museum is at the heart of Cantigny Park with its acres of beautiful gardens, the McCormick Mansion, and dozens of tanks and vehicles you can climb. All of this only costs $10 a carload!

The museum features everything from World War I trenches to Vietnam and Desert Storm tanks. You can climb on everything dozens of vehicles including World War II Landing Craft and armored vehicles. From children to adult history buffs, the battle scenes and films will capture your imagination.

Make sure you allow time to also see the manicured park and gardens and the wide variety of flowers and trees. (See photos.) The stunning 35-room mansion was the home of Colonel Robert McCormick, former Chicago Tribune publisher. The Mansion is where scenes from Tom Hank’s "A League of Their Own" were shot. (More photos!) Plus there is a golf course, another museum, playgrounds, a gift shop and restaurant.

Secret: Scout Troops or Packs can still camp at the park each weekend! So much to explore. Cantigny is usually open daily except in January and is about 30 miles...

The WW1,WW2, museum is especially recreated lovely (in a artistic sense). You get right up close to all the equipment that the soldiers used. There's a part where you walk through a recreation of a WW1 trench and it trully then it hits you how just harsh the war was. The WW2 exhibition has you walk right through another recreation of what the soldiers faced at D-day . Showing the elevation and distance they had to climb. All while under fire. The Vietnam section is also while short compared to the world War sections. Is still made wonderfully. The only part that is a bit iffy. Is how just short the modern conflict part is. Everything from post Vietnam is shoved into one room. But I cannot complain as it shows the equipment and the stories of these men and women. Overall it's one of the best I've been in by far. For curators to the little ones. I recomened it...