Top 10 Places to Visit in Illinois

It’s National Tourism Week!

Illinois is home to many historic and

natural sites throughout the state.

The Lincoln Sites,Springfield

Visit multiple sites depicting the life and times of Springfield’s most famous resident, President Abraham Lincoln. You can visit his family home in Springfield, the Presidential Museum that takes you on a biographical journey about our 16th president and New Salem, which was where Lincoln got his start in Illinois.

For more information about Springfield, click here.

Willis Tower,Chicago

Formerly named the Sears Tower, WillisTower still holds the title of NorthAmerica’s tallest building. Built in 1973,the skyscraper surpassed the World TradeCenter as the world’s tallest building.Today it hosts retail and commercial spaceon all 110 floors and gives tourists fromaround the world to get a 360 view ofChicago with its famous Skydeck.

To visit the Willis Tower Skydeck,

click here.

Starved Rock State Park,Deer Park

Starved Rock State Park, located less than 100 miles from Chicago, sits on the south bank of the Illinois River. The history of the park starts with how it got its name as a result of the Illinois Indian tribe taking refuge there during a battle and the last survivors ended up dying of starvation. It was also the first park that the state of Illinois purchased in 1911.

To learn more about Starved Rock,

click here.

Field Museum,Chicago

Founded in 1893, the Field Museum was built to complete a mission of inspiring curiosity about life on Earth and explore how the world came to be. Meet the famous T-rex Sue and view how the world started out and what it became today. The museum attracts up to 2 million visitors annually.

To visit the Field Museum, click here.

Dana Thomas House,Springfield

The Dana-Thomas House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902. This was the 72nd home built by Wright. It now serves as a 35-room museum containing the largest collection of original Wright art, glass and furniture. During the holiday season, it is decked out in lights and the house becomes a winter wonderland for many to tour.

To learn more, click here.

Shawnee National Forest,Harrisburg

President Franklin Roosevelt declared the Illini and Shawnee Purchase Units the Shawnee National Forest in 1939. Most of the forest was exhausted farmland for the first decade of existence. But as a part of the New Deal, the CCC planted pine trees to prevent erosion. This year the forest will be depicted on the quarter as a part of the America the Beautiful Quarters series.

For more information about Shawnee, click here.

Wrigley Field,Chicago

Built in 1914 as Weeghman Park, Wrigley Field has played host to the Chicago Cubs since the start of the 1916 baseball season. Located on the north side of Chicago, it is a staple of the Lakeview community. Wrigley is well known for the ivy-covered outfield wall.

To learn more about Wrigley, click here.

President Ulysses S. Grant Home,Galena

Ulysses S. Grant brought his family to Galena in the spring of 1860. After returning from serving in the Civil War, the family was presented a home by Thomas B. Hughlett. In 1931, the city of Galena deeded the house to the state to preserve as a historic site.

For more information, click here.

Cahokia Mounds,Cahokia

Located in Southern Illinois, Cahokia Mounds is the largest prehistoric Indian settlement north of Mexico. At its peak it around 1100 A.D., there may have been 10,000 to 20,000 inhabitants. At the site there is an interpretive center that tells the story of the site and of the people who built it.

For more information, click here.

Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site,Charleston

The Lincoln Log Cabin is the last home and farm of Abraham Lincoln’s father and stepmother. They moved to the farm in 1837. The site features living history farms that portray agricultural practices that were common in 1840s Illinois. Also nearby is the Moore Home, this is the site where President-elect Lincoln would have his last visit with his stepmother, Sarah, before leaving for Washington.

For more information, click here.

Celebrating Illinois Tourism.

For more tourism information about Illinois, click here.

ilikeillinois.com