Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
 
Old 02-28-2011, 11:25 AM
 
357 posts, read 1,455,718 times
Reputation: 214

Advertisements

I very much enjoy the town of Galena, Il, with its well preserved historic district and old-style charms.

What other little towns exist in Illinois that have well preserved, historic, quaint and charming downtowns? Also, are there Galena-like towns in states that border Illinois, particularlly Missouri, or any town day-trippable from the Alton, Il area?


thanks
Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-28-2011, 01:35 PM
 
Location: Tower Grove East, St. Louis, MO
12,063 posts, read 31,467,731 times
Reputation: 3798
Hermann, MO, Ste. Genevieve, MO are probably the two closest. Ste. Gen is definitely smaller but has a cute downtown and several B&B options. If you like the look of Galena and don't mind going a bit farther, Eureka Springs AR is adorable.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2011, 01:50 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,914,994 times
Reputation: 18723
Add Hanibal MO to the list. Lots of little bits and pieces of "historic" sites along the Missippie trace back to the French -- really cool place in Chester IL looks like a carbon copy of plantation in Lousisiana: Dr. Elizabeth M. Scott - Excavations and Research at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri > Related Sites
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2011, 06:59 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,099,703 times
Reputation: 6422
Herman, MO is a little German Village hidden in a deep valley that has the most amazing well preserved 19th century buildings and a winery or two. You can access it west of St. Louis from
Interstate I-70 west

Louisiana, Mo is another of those old historic river towns. It is located on the Mississippi River at US 54. It is approximately 35-45 miles south of Hanibal and maybe 100 miles north of St. Louis.

In Central Illinois you might like Eureka, Lacon, Metamora, Manito, Havana, Lewistown, Mason City and Lincoln. It is a mix of river and inland towns that share a history with President Lincoln when he was a Circuit Rider. Several of these towns held the Lincoln -Douglas debates during his campaign for President.

Lincoln shared a law office in Metamora. President Reagan gradated from Eureka College. Inside the collega is the Reagan collection of items he donated while he was alive that is not found anywhere else in the world. The Reagan Peace Garden is also located at the college.

Manito, Havana and Lewistown share a Native American history. You can find Indian burial mounds, the museum with interactive display, plus you will be in the largest inland wetlands in America in an area that in 1900 was declared the is "Touis Destination' of Illinois for its wildlife and natural beauty. The reason was not only acess to protection from the weather but also a source of water. This area is in the Mississippi Flyway. It is believed the Native Americans who roamed the Illinois River Valley 10,000 years ago was a sub-tribe of the Algonqin Nation from Canada. There are several parks in the area that accomodate primitive and/or RV camping.

The thing to understand is there are many small towns in Illinois that are historic and offer interesting things to see or do, but they are not necessarily tourist destinations. Most are old farm towns that emerged in the mid to late 1800s that are still fully functional farm towns. .
.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-01-2011, 08:59 PM
 
365 posts, read 1,248,722 times
Reputation: 262
Consider Bishop Hill, in Henry County. It was settled as a religious commune by Swedes in the 1800s and still retains some of the (restored) buildings that are now museums open to the public. There's a beautiful park, a couple of good restaurants, antique and specialty shops, a bakery, lots of history, etc., and weekends feature events such as quilt shows, car shows, music fests, etc. There is a quaint bed and breakfast in town. Really nice place to spend a day.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-15-2011, 04:28 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,099,703 times
Reputation: 6422
Trourist towns in Illinois are very similar. If you are looking for architechure then that is another area. All old towns in Illinois have historic buildings. Illinois is a park state. I cannot think of any town in Illiois that I am famiar with that does not have a park in every town excepet the City of West Peoria - which may be the smallest city in the United States. It is not a Town or a Village.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-16-2011, 09:28 AM
 
Location: Maryland
4,671 posts, read 7,338,136 times
Reputation: 5325
Try Petersburg, Illinois and the nearby New Salem area in Menard county, about 20-25 mi NW of Springfield. The downside is that the area was negatively portrayed in the Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_River_Anthology); the upside is that Petersburg is just minutes from the Prairie Hill winery (Oakford, IL), which has tasty wines (albeit a bit sweet) and a beautiful backdrop of rolling hills.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-16-2011, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,099,703 times
Reputation: 6422
Shame on me I forgot about Petersburg and its rolling hills, beautiful scenery and natural protection from tornadoes. I didn't realize Oakford had a winery. So does Manito. Dunlap has, or did have, a large pick-your-own apple orchard..Lacon is a historic city that is one of those rare towns in the United States that is a county seat divided by a river and it is physically located in two counties: Marshaall and Stark. So .... in theory Stark has two county seats (Lacon and Toulon) - but only one is active in Marshall County: Toulon.

If you are a genealogy nut, more than a few of our ancestors moved down through what is now Marshall and Woodford Counties into Peoria and thence Fulton County, or through Stark County into Tazewell County and .Mason Counties.

Last edited by linicx; 05-29-2011 at 01:22 PM..
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-16-2011, 03:56 PM
 
Location: Peoria, IL
148 posts, read 621,175 times
Reputation: 56
There's also Nauvoo, IL, though it's more of a tourist destination. It's also home to the state's oldest winery, Baxter's Vineyards and some very pretty scenery along the Mississippi River.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-19-2013, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,099,703 times
Reputation: 6422
The Illinois River Valleu was formed sometime after the second Tetonic Split. The seven counties: Fulton, Marshall, Mason, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell and Woodford all share a common border, a common weather, a common heritage, and a common history that has been proven to exist two hundred years before Christ was born and earlier.

The world's largest fossilized rainforest, estimated to be three-hundred-thousand-years old, was discovered in abandoned mine shafts in eastern Illinois not long ago.

Two-hundred-thousand acres of the Ozark Mountain Range is in Southern Illinois.



QUOTE=linicx;18305929]Shame on me I forgot about Petersburg and its rolling hills, beautiful scenery and natural protection from tornadoes. I didn't realize Oakford had a winery. So does Manito. Dunlap has, or did have, a large pick-your-own apple orchard..Lacon is a historic city that is one of those rare towns in the United States that is a county seat divided by a river and it is physically located in two counties: Marshaall and Stark. So .... in theory Stark has two county seats (Lacon and Toulon) - but only one is active in Marshall County: Toulon.

If you are a genealogy nut, more than a few of our ancestors moved down through what is now Marshall and Woodford Counties into Peoria and thence Fulton County, or through Stark County into Tazewell County and .Mason Counties.[/quote]
Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


 
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top