Night at Your Museum: Trailside Museum

Oak Park River Forest Museum is open from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month for Night at Your Museum. It’s a fun, casual mid-week “evening out” and a great opportunity to visit the Museum if you can’t come during our regular daytime hours.

Each First Wednesday features an informal gallery talk offering a “behind the scenes” peek at your OPRF Museum. Whether it’s a look at an historic artifact, a story from our community’s past, or a sneak preview of an exhibit or event, you’ll get a glimpse into both the history of our villages and the operation of OPRF Museum.

On March 4, OPRF Museum volunteers Kurt Etchingham and John Elliott will talk about the surprising history of the building known today as Trailside Museum, which has been a landmark in River Forest for 140 years. Learn a little bit about what we know—and what we don’t know—about the couple who built this historic building.

Admission is always free for OPRF Museum members. Regular admission prices apply for all others. Doors open at 7 p.m. with speaker programs starting at 7:30.