Illinois travel page and links
Illinois is just about smack dab in the middle of the United States. South of Wisconsin, East of Iowa and Missouri, West of Indiana, it is bordered by the Mississippi River and has one of the largest metropolis areas in the Country, Chicago.
Chicago, called the Windy City(possibly because it used to be the Little Onion), is a major inland port and shipping center. Full of attractions like the Bookfield Zoo, no matter where you go, there is something to do.
Elmhurst may seem to be a small place within the Chicago Metroplex, but has lots to offer. Smack dab in the middle of the city is the Public library. Something always seems to be going on at the Elmhurst Art Museum. A new and yet old form of mall called the Elmhurst City Centre is spread over seven blocks and has just about everything you would need for a good consumer.
Near the North Illinois border with Wisconsin is Freeport in Stephenson County. To be honest, the county isn’t all that big, so other cities such as Ceadarville and Orangeville are easilly traveled to when you visit. Open seven days a week in the winter and closed only on Sundays in the summer, the public library has public use computers for internet access. Next door in Lena, the parks are a highlight, though they don’t have the ‘Historic-Safe-Fun’ tag of the Freeport Parks . I really want to go to the Stephenson County Antique Engine Club for their ‘Train of Terror’ in October.
Springfield is the Capitol of Illinois. It is known for being the place Abraham Lincoln spent over 30 years of his life. The official visitors guide has lists of festivals and gatherings, places to spend money and places to honor the people who have lived and died there. If you have a pet that you want to bring, but the hotel won’t allow it, try the Pampered Pet Center or The Dal Acres Kennels. For Business Meetings, try the Plan On Springfield Illinois website. The Licoln Home visitor center or the Lincoln’s New Salem Visitor Center are good historical starting points. For the more morbid among us, try the Museum of Funeral Customs.
Located in Springfield is the Central Illionois Tourism Development Office with information for the area as well as all of the State.
North of Springfield is Peoria. With things like Wildlife Prarie State Park and the Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences to visit, you may forget to go shopping! By the way, the City of East Peoria is connected but an entirely different city.
West of Peoria is Galesburg. It is loaded with historic sites but is best kown for the Ronald Reagan Trail.
In the middle of the State is the Bloomington-Normal area. It is home of the U.S. Cellular Coliseum and the Pepsi Ice Center , the Bloomington_Normal area is, just that it seems - blooming normal! There are Museums and Zoos and even higher education available. The Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts houses the oldest continuously performed passion play in the United States, but is being rennovated to house more types of persormances. The Shakespear Festival is in the Summer at the Ewing Manor(no relation). If you want to visit a University in the area, try the Illinois State University or just stop by the Library.
There are other towns and cities like Oswego or Shelbyville .
Carbondale is just East of St. Louis, Mo in the Southern Tip of Illinois. Home of Southern Illinois University: Carbondale, it can be used for lodgings and meeting space for students and visitors - check out the University Museum while you are there. Restaurants available range from Traditional American fare at Giant City Lodge to Italian at Alongi's to even ethnic Chinese at Hunan. Downtown Carbondale is known as Carbondale Main Street and has Shopping, Food establishments and public festivals available almost all year 'round. Illinois Avenue in the center of Carbondale has a fantastic selection of shopping, epecially if you are interested in crafts and antiques. Need more information about the area? Check out the local paper, The Southern.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association have gotten together to bring you a Site just about the wine in Illinois . You could go to the Carbondale area and go on one of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail tours.
For road construction information and winter road conditions the Illinoisroads.com site will have fairly up to date information.
For information on inter-city and other public transportaion providers, start with http://www.dot.state.il.us and select ‘other links.
Amtrak has a major terminal in Chicago and goes through Illinois to New Orleans, St. Louis and Milwaukee.