Illinois is one of the most surprisingly diverse travel destinations in the United States. Most visitors picture Chicago and nothing else, but the Prairie State stretches across nearly 400 miles from north to south, encompassing world-class urban culture, rolling river valleys, historic small towns, ancient Native American monuments, and landscapes that shift from the dense forests of the Shawnee Hills to the wide-open flatlands of the central plains. Whether you are a first-time visitor or a returning traveler, Illinois rewards the curious with layers of history, natural beauty, and genuine Midwestern warmth that are easy to overlook and impossible to forget once discovered.
CHICAGO: THE CITY THAT NEVER STOPS
No honest guide to Illinois begins anywhere other than Chicago. The third-largest city in the United States, Chicago sits on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan and functions as the cultural, culinary, financial, and architectural capital of the entire Midwest. It is a city that demands your attention the moment you arrive, whether you step off a plane at O’Hare International Airport or cross into the city limits by train on the famous Metra or Amtrak lines.
The architectural legacy of Chicago is unmatched anywhere in the world. The city essentially invented the modern skyscraper after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 leveled much of the downtown core. In the decades that followed, Chicago became a laboratory for architectural ambition. Today, visitors can take boat tours along the Chicago River operated by the Chicago Architecture Center, which offers some of the most educational and visually stunning guided experiences available in any American city. From the river, you look up at the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), the Tribune Tower, Marina City’s iconic corncob-shaped towers, and dozens of other buildings that changed how humans think about constructing cities.
The Millennium Park in the heart of downtown is a must-visit public space. Cloud Gate, the enormous reflective sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor known affectionately as “the Bean,” has become one of the most photographed artworks in the world. The adjacent Jay Pritzker Pavilion hosts free outdoor concerts throughout the summer, and the surrounding gardens and fountains make this a genuinely democratic gathering place where tourists and locals mingle without pretense.
Chicago’s museum campus along the lakefront is extraordinary. The Art Institute of Chicago houses one of the finest collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings outside of Europe, including Georges Seurat’s monumental “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.” The Field Museum of Natural History holds Sue, one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever discovered. The Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium round out a cluster of world-class institutions all within easy walking distance of each other.
The neighborhoods of Chicago are worth exploring as destinations in their own right. Wicker Park and Bucktown are hubs of indie music, vintage shopping, and creative dining. Pilsen is a vibrant Mexican-American neighborhood whose streets are lined with murals and whose taquerias rival anything you would find south of the border. Chinatown on the South Side serves exceptional dim sum and offers a window into a community that has thrived in Chicago for more than a century. Hyde Park is home to the University of Chicago and the Obama Presidential Center, currently one of the most anticipated museum developments in the country.
Chicago’s food scene deserves a dedicated section of its own. The city is famous for its deep-dish pizza, a thick, buttery, almost casserole-like creation whose relationship to traditional pizza is debated passionately by those who love it and those who dismiss it. Giordano’s, Lou Malnati’s, and Pequod’s are among the most celebrated deep-dish establishments. Equally iconic is the Chicago-style hot dog, which is emphatically never topped with ketchup. A proper Chicago dog includes yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt, all served on a poppy seed bun. Beyond these local classics, Chicago has become a serious fine dining destination. The city has produced internationally acclaimed chefs and houses some of the most innovative restaurants in North America.
The music legacy of Chicago cannot be overstated. Chicago blues, which evolved from the Mississippi Delta tradition brought north by African American migrants during the Great Migration, gave the world an entirely new sonic vocabulary. Artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Buddy Guy transformed the raw acoustic blues of the rural South into an electrified, urban sound that directly influenced rock and roll, jazz, and virtually every popular genre that followed. Buddy Guy’s Legends on South Wabash Avenue remains a pilgrimage site for music lovers, and Guy himself occasionally still performs there.
SPRINGFIELD: LINCOLN’S TOWN
Two hundred miles south of Chicago, the state capital of Springfield offers a completely different kind of Illinois experience. Springfield is Abraham Lincoln’s city. He practiced law here, raised his family here, won the presidency here, and was buried here after his assassination in 1865. The Lincoln associations are everywhere and genuinely moving for those who approach them with open eyes.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is one of the finest presidential museums in the country. It combines serious historical scholarship with remarkably effective theatrical presentation, including life-size dioramas of scenes from Lincoln’s life that manage to be both emotionally powerful and historically rigorous. The museum does not shy away from the complexities of Lincoln’s era, addressing slavery, the Civil War, and the political tensions of the 1850s and 1860s with honesty and depth.
Lincoln’s Home National Historic Site preserves the only home Abraham Lincoln ever owned. The two-story frame house on the corner of Eighth and Jackson Streets is where Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd raised their four sons before departing for Washington in 1861. The National Park Service maintains the surrounding neighborhood as it appeared in Lincoln’s time, with period-accurate landscaping and a buffer of historic homes that creates an extraordinary sense of stepping into the mid-nineteenth century.
The Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery is the burial site of Lincoln, his wife, and three of their sons. The tomb is surmounted by a tall obelisk and surrounded by bronze battle groups representing the four branches of the Civil War military. Visitors rub the nose of a bronze bust of Lincoln near the entrance for good luck, a tradition that has polished the nose to a brilliant shine. The tomb is a genuinely solemn and dignified place, and the feeling of standing near the president who arguably did more than any other to define the character of the United States is difficult to describe adequately.
Springfield also has the Dana-Thomas House, a Prairie-style masterpiece designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902. It is among the best-preserved and most complete of Wright’s early Prairie houses, and the guided tours are excellent. The Old State Capitol State Historic Site, a beautiful Greek Revival building in the heart of downtown Springfield, is where Lincoln gave his famous “House Divided” speech and where he lay in state after his assassination.
GALENA: THE FROZEN-IN-TIME RIVER TOWN
In the far northwestern corner of Illinois, tucked into the lead-mining hills above the Galena River, sits one of the most beautifully preserved nineteenth-century towns in the entire Midwest. Galena was once one of the most important commercial cities west of Chicago, its wealth built on the lead mines that operated throughout the region in the mid-1800s. When the lead ran out and the railroads bypassed the town, Galena’s growth effectively stopped, which means that its remarkable collection of Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate architecture survived intact.
Walking the streets of Galena today is a genuine time-travel experience. Main Street slopes upward from the river and is lined with historic buildings housing antique shops, art galleries, restaurants, and bed-and-breakfast inns. The Galena History Museum tells the story of the town’s boom years with impressive collections of artifacts and period photographs.
Galena was also the home of Ulysses S. Grant before the Civil War and after the presidency. The Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site preserves the Italianate house that the citizens of Galena presented to Grant upon his return from the war as a hero. The house is furnished with Grant-family pieces and gives a surprisingly intimate view of the general and president as a private citizen.
The surrounding countryside of Jo Daviess County is among the most scenic in Illinois, with rolling hills, apple orchards, and winding roads that offer excellent cycling and motorcycling in warmer months. Eagle Ridge Resort near Galena is a large and well-regarded destination with golf courses, a marina, and extensive lodge accommodations set within forested hills.
CAHOKIA MOUNDS: AN ANCIENT CITY
Just east of St. Louis, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, lies one of the most significant and underappreciated archaeological sites in North America. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site preserves the remains of a pre-Columbian Native American city that at its peak, around the year 1100 CE, may have been home to as many as 20,000 people, making it larger than London at the same time in history.
The Mississippian culture that built Cahokia constructed dozens of earthen mounds of varying sizes across the landscape. Monks Mound, the largest, covers more ground at its base than the Great Pyramid of Giza and rises in four terraces to a height of about one hundred feet. Standing at the top of Monks Mound and looking out across the surrounding plain, where the outlines of the ancient city’s organization can still be perceived in the landscape, is a profoundly humbling experience.
The interpretive center at Cahokia is well-designed and comprehensive, explaining the culture, economy, social organization, and eventual decline of this civilization. Cahokia has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a recognition that is still surprisingly little known among American travelers. A visit here fundamentally changes your sense of the depth and complexity of human history on the North American continent.
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST: ILLINOIS’S WILD SOUTH
The southernmost tip of Illinois, where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi, looks and feels nothing like the flat cornfields most people associate with the state. The Shawnee National Forest covers more than 280,000 acres across sixteen counties in southern Illinois, and within its borders are landscapes of extraordinary beauty and geological drama.
Garden of the Gods Wilderness Area contains sandstone rock formations that have been sculpted by millions of years of erosion into shapes of haunting strangeness. Balanced Rock, Camel Rock, and Table Rock are among the formations that attract hikers and photographers from across the region. The overlook at Anvil Rock offers one of the finest panoramic views in the entire state, looking out over a forested ridge-and-valley landscape that seems to belong more to Appalachia than to the Midwest.
The Garden of the Gods is most spectacular in autumn, when the hardwood forest ignites in shades of red, orange, and gold. The hiking trails range from easy walks to more demanding routes through rugged terrain, and the area is accessible enough to be enjoyed by families while wild enough to satisfy serious outdoor adventurers.
Bell Smith Springs is another outstanding area within the Shawnee, featuring a natural bridge, swimming holes in sandstone canyons, and trail networks winding through a deeply forested landscape. The Cache River State Natural Area in the extreme south of the state protects a remnant of the bald cypress swamp ecosystem that once covered much of this region, and its ancient trees, some of them over a thousand years old, create an atmosphere of primal, almost primordial beauty.
Makanda, a small village at the edge of the forest, calls itself the “Wildflower Capital of Illinois” and hosts an annual Boardwalk art fair that draws artisans from across the region. The village has a slightly countercultural, bohemian character that sits charmingly against the wild landscape surrounding it.
THE RIVER ROAD AND THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY
Running through the heart of Illinois, the Illinois River has shaped the state’s history and landscape for thousands of years. The Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway traces the river’s course through a landscape of bluffs, wetlands, and small towns that retains much of its nineteenth-century agricultural character.
Starved Rock State Park is one of the most visited natural areas in Illinois for very good reason. The park sits where the Illinois River cuts through a series of sandstone outcroppings, creating dramatic canyons and waterfalls that are particularly spectacular after heavy rain or in early spring when snowmelt feeds the streams. Eighteen canyons are accessible by well-maintained trails, and the views from the summit of Starved Rock itself, a massive sandstone butte rising directly above the river, are exceptional.
Nearby Matthiessen State Park is often overlooked by visitors to Starved Rock but is in some ways even more beautiful, its canyons deeper and its waterfall more dramatic. The two parks together constitute one of the finest hiking destinations in the entire Midwest.
The small towns along the Illinois River Road, including Utica, Ottawa, Hennepin, and Havana, offer antique shops, locally owned restaurants, and a quiet Midwestern pace of life that is increasingly rare. The valley is excellent birding territory, particularly during spring and autumn migrations, when hundreds of species pass through or pause along the river corridor.
ROCK ISLAND AND THE QUAD CITIES
Where Illinois meets Iowa at the Mississippi River, the Quad Cities metropolitan area straddles the state line with energy and character. Rock Island, on the Illinois side, is home to the Rock Island Arsenal, an island in the Mississippi that has been a federal military installation since the Civil War. The Rock Island Arsenal Museum is the second-oldest military museum in the country and houses a remarkable collection of weapons, equipment, and artifacts from American military history.
The Quad Cities area has invested substantially in its riverfront, and the district along the Mississippi offers riverboat casinos, restaurants, parks, and the Figge Art Museum, which houses a strong collection with particular depth in Midwestern Regionalist painting. The area is also known for its live music scene and its festivals, including the annual RIBCO Blues Fest that celebrates the region’s musical heritage.
PRACTICAL TRAVEL INFORMATION
Illinois is accessible by air through Chicago O’Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, and Chicago Midway Airport, which handles a large volume of domestic flights on budget carriers. Springfield, Peoria, Rockford, and other cities have regional airports with connecting service to major hubs.
Amtrak serves Illinois extensively by Midwest standards. The Chicago hub connects to Springfield, Galesburg, Quincy, Carbondale, and other Illinois cities, and Chicago is the western terminus or connection point for many long-distance routes including the California Zephyr, the Southwest Chief, the City of New Orleans, and the Lincoln Service.
Within Chicago, the CTA elevated rail system, universally known as the “L,” is an efficient and iconic way to navigate the city. The Loop, which is the central business district and named for the elevated rail tracks that encircle it, is easily walkable once you arrive. Outside of Chicago, a car is essentially necessary to explore the state effectively.
Illinois experiences all four seasons with considerable intensity. Summers are warm to hot and humid, with July temperatures frequently reaching into the upper eighties and nineties Fahrenheit. Winters can be harsh, particularly in northern Illinois, where significant snowfall and temperatures well below freezing are common. Spring and autumn are beautiful and are the preferred seasons for most outdoor activities. Cherry blossom season in early spring is lovely in Chicago’s parks, and autumn color in the Shawnee National Forest and the Illinois River valley is reliably spectacular from mid-October through early November.
The state sales tax in Illinois is among the highest in the nation, and Chicago adds its own city and county taxes on top of state rates, so budget travelers should be aware that restaurant meals, hotel rooms, and retail purchases will carry significant tax burdens. That said, many of Illinois’s greatest attractions, including the lakefront parks in Chicago, the state historic sites, and the national forest, are free or very low cost to visit.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Illinois is a state of genuine contrasts and genuine surprises. It is Chicago’s skyline reflected in the calm surface of Lake Michigan and the haunting silence of an ancient earthen mound rising above the Mississippi floodplain. It is the smell of a deep-dish pizza emerging from the oven and the sight of sandstone canyons hidden in a southern forest that nobody told you existed. It is Lincoln’s ghost walking the streets of Springfield and the blues wailing out of an open door on a summer night in Chicago.
The traveler who comes to Illinois expecting only Chicago will not be disappointed by Chicago, but will go home having missed the deeper, stranger, more complex Illinois that lies beyond the city limits. The traveler who makes the effort to go further, to drive south into the Shawnee Hills, to follow the river road through the Illinois valley, to stand before the earthworks of Cahokia or walk the Victorian streets of Galena, that traveler will discover that Illinois is not a flyover state at all, but a destination worth returning to, season after season, for a lifetime.
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