Illinois Holocaust Museum

Description

The Illinois Holocaust Museum is a remarkably complete and technologically advanced museum. The reason this important museum is in Skokie, Illinois, is that more Holocaust survivors settled here than anywhere else in the world except Israel. In addition to Holocaust survivors, many of those who settled this town were American Jews who fought in World War II. So the town has a history that makes it very appropriate that the museum is here.

If our group is large enough, we have been offered a special group tour.

• We’ll have a docent for an initial exploration of the museum.
• Then we’ll have a special private room for the virtual reality program The Journey Back, which takes you to the sites of the Holocaust with survivors as guides (20-30 minutes; not recommended for visitors under age 12 and baby-sitting will NOT be provided).
• This will be followed by a Kosher-style lunch (gluten free available).
• Then we’ll visit the Interactive Holograph Theater, where visitors interact—truly interact, asking questions and hearing the stories—with survivors, who are present as holographs (30-45 minutes).

Finally, you’ll be able to wander amid any other exhibits you might want to see (refer to the floor plan), or visit the impressive gift shop. Be aware, however: this is a cashless venue. So if you want to take advantage of the gift shop, you need a credit card.

All visitors are welcome to take the museum’s free self-guided audio tours, available in English and Spanish. At this time, they are unable to offer headphones and audio guide devices, and encourage visitors to bring their mobile device and compatible headphones/earplugs. Before arriving at the museum, download the Illinois Holocaust Museum app to your mobile device, open the app, and download the audio tours. The audio tours include transcripts.

Because of the nature of this offering, we will all need to arrive at the same time—and we’re aiming for 10:30 AM. Those who drive themselves can leave as they wish, if they don’t want to stay for every element of the tour; anyone needing a ride should make it clear if they want or need to leave earlier. The museum closes at 5 PM.

Parking is available to the south and west of the museum (see their map with driving directions). For more information, including print versions of the self-guided tours, check their website.

Museum Location

9603 Woods Dr. in Skokie
(~13½ miles southeast of the Westin)

Time

10:30 AM

Duration

Museum closes at 5 PM

Website

https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/

Museum Floor Plan

https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/IHM_Museum-Map-2022-with-Karkomi.pdf

Cost (including Kosher-style lunch)

$27/person

$24/senior (65+)

$22/student (5 to age 22, older students need valid id

Children under 5 free but lunch not included; children under 12 must be supervised

(age on Oct. 27, 2022)

HalloweeM 46 Excursion: Illinois Holocaust Museum

Dining

There are vending machines for soda and snacks at the museum. No food or beverages can be brought into the museum.

Not too surprisingly, lots of great delis in the area. The most highly regarded is Kaufman’s located at 4905 Dempster St. in Skokie (~2 miles southeast of the museum).

Nearby Shopping

Old Orchard at 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie (~1 mile northeast of the museum).

Transportation To/From Excursions

For the excursions, we will be using shared transportation. When you register, please indicate if you need a ride to/from the hotel or will be getting there of your own accord and, if driving, are willing to give anyone a ride from/to the hotel. If you have any mobility issues, please let us know when you register, and we’ll check with the venue to see if they can accommodate you¹. If you need a ride and have mobility issues that restrict your use of common transit options, also let us know when you register; we will do our best to check if anyone driving to the excursion can accommodate you, but it is highly unlikely.

¹CAM is not responsible for transporting or supplying equipment for members who have mobility issues.

Also note that the start time for the excursion is not the time we will leave the hotel—it’s when the event starts at the location. So if you need a ride, keep an eye out for the confirmation e-mail just before WeeM that will let you know when drivers and riders will gather at the hotel. (This does not apply, of course, if you’re meeting us there.)

Kids on Excursions

While some excursions are open to all ages, we do not offer babysitting on Excursions. As a general rule, parents must accompany anyone under the age of 16. Some excursions have specific age restrictions that are noted under the Restrictions heading, and those restrictions supersede the general rule. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy or regarding specific circumstances, please contact us before signing up.

Eligibility, Payments, and Wait-List Priority

You need not be register for WeeM in order to be eligible to go on the excursion this year. Since the number of people for each excursions is limited, it is best you pay as soon as possible. Although you can pay by check, if your check is not received within 7 days of registering for an excursion, a later registrant who has paid may be given priority when the excursion has reached capacity.

Cancellation Policy

If we have to cancel an excursion for any reason, any money collected will be refunded. Regarding individual cancellations, unfortunately, if we’re collecting fees, it means the excursion requires us to make payments in advance to book the space. We may not be able to get refunds from the vendor and so refunds cannot be guaranteed. However, if your circumstances or travel plans change after you've booked an excursion, please let us know. If we can sell your spot to someone else, we will try to do so and will issue a refund accordingly.

Dining Options

For those of you arriving on Thursday, whether you pick one of our tours or not, I thought you might like to know a bit about your dining options nearby. (There are thousands of other options, but these are all within a few minutes of the hotel — just in case you are going on an excursion.)

Things to Do Nearby

If our excursions don’t appeal to or work for you and you have a car, or know someone who does, then here are a few suggestions of great places to visit that are not too far from the hotel (30-40 minutes):

Too Late to Sign Up

The last day to sign up was Saturday, October 1st.