Name 3 Sites in Illinois That Are a Must to See (Chicago: travel, work)

[doll lady]

We love to travel the state and see the sites. Sometimes we stumble onto things that aren't listed in any Illinois travel book.

As spring nears, I want to have a readily available list of things to go see or go do. Perhaps the title is misleading when I stated sites. You should also feel free to list things to do and not just sites to see. And it sure would help if you gave me a reason of why you enjoy the recommended place/thing to do.

Ok here's some to start. And you can certainly list more than 3. The more the merrier.

Arcola/Arthur.....these are Amish settlements. You can travel through the country and see farmwork in progress and view the wonderfully kept houses and farms. The villages of both offer stores selling Amish goods. Also just down the road is Tuscola with a huge outlet mall and other shopping and buffet establishments. Easily accessible off I-57 for North /South visitors or from the Western part of the state, I-72 then Route 36 East through Decatur.

Starved Rock....this is wonderful if you are a nature/hiking type person. Camping area available.

New Salem (Petersburg)..... this is a wonderful settlement maintained as it was in the days that Abe Lincoln lived there. A wonderful open air theater operates through the summer and the productions are really nice and very professionally done. Camping Area Available. Springfield Lincoln sites just about 20 miles away.

[Paxtonian]

1. The Illinois State Fair.
2. Flesor's Candy Kitchen in Tuscola.
3. Allerton Park at Monticello.

[Drover]

Collectively, 32 million attractions in Chicago

Galena

Shawnee National Forest

[chisoxfan]

As an Illinois native, here are a few of my old favorites:

Giant City State Park near Carbondale (great for hiking, camping, rock-climbing, picnicking, you name it).

Mississippi Palisades State Park near Savanna, about halfway between Galena and the Quad-Cities. Outstanding views of the Mississippi River from the towering bluffs.

For an urban experience, walks along the lakefront and North Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

And as much as it pains me to say it as a Chisox fan, you've gotta see a game at Wrigley Field if you love baseball and have never been.

[Dugnger]

The only good thing about Wrigley is the beer. Unless the Cubs are playing the White Sox don't waste your time. The seats suck worse than the Cubs.
Okay the fans are awesome, I'll give 'em that.
If you want to go to a GREAT ballpark, meet me at the CASTLE on 35th.
The real bleachers are at the CELL, section 160 row 17 seats3,4,5. See you there.
WHAT KIND OF CHI SOX FAN ARE YOU!

[Steve-o]

The Cubs might suck, but the experience is PURE BASEBALL. :-)

Matthiesson State Park
Chicago
Galena

3 of my favorite areas in the state.

[kathy58]

try Garden of the Gods, Cave-in-Rock, and Shawnee Forest. All are the southern part of the state and all are close to each other.

[outsider1]

1. Downtown Chicago
2. Northside of Chicago
3. I say "one of the river towns". Well, there are some that have a great nature and scenery around them. But for a "river town" with a distinct feel you would be better skipping down a state and visiting Mi-zu-ra-h

[Triplewillow]

The Quad City's John Deere Commons. Wonderful museum with great info and pics of John Deere the man and the company.

The Rock Island District has beautiful historic homes including ties to notorious gangster John Looney.

The Locks on the Mississippi river are very interesting and fun to visit.
Also check out the Arsenal bridge. It is the oldest swing bridge with it's original trolley operations still used in the US.

[Georgia]

Galena
Starved Rock
All of Chicago!!!