ILLINOIS: PRAIRIE STATE
BY CLAY
LARROY
Traveling is the kind of activity, which almost all the people love. For someone it
is an opportunity to relax and abstract from everyday busy life. For others it
is interesting to observe the way people of other cultures and mentality live. Some people
consider it to be the best way to have fun and
always try to visit as many clubs, pubs, restaurants and cafes as possible for
their wallets and time limits. When
you want to plan a vacation contact me!
Chicago grabs the glory, but lift the lid on the rest of Illinois
and you will encounter tales of Abraham Lincoln, kitsch diners on Route 66,
enticing wineries and ancient blackwater swamps.
Curling along the shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the USA's third
largest city and the birthplace of the skyscraper. Peer over the edge of the
iconic Willis Tower for epic views or keep your heart rate down on a cruise
around the city's historic waterways. Culturally, Chicago is up there with the
best, thanks to its phenomenal museums, world-renowned symphony orchestra and
terrific open-air performances at the legendary Petrillo Music Shell.
Central Illinois is Abe Lincoln territory. You can dip into
Lincoln history at his family home, law offices and the presidential museum in
Springfield, then chomp your way through the regional specialty: a battered hot
dog on a stick, known locally as a ‘cozy dog'.
Many a road trip has kicked off in Illinois along historic Route
66, which is lined with all-American diners and roadside attractions. There's
memorabilia aplenty at the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac
as well as the ultimate photo op – a giant mural featuring the iconic Route 66
shield.
Between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, western Illinois is
effortlessly compelling, with pretty towns, excellent wineries and rippling
countryside. It's also home to Galena, a charming town characterized by its
sweep of 19th-century storefronts.
Seeking adventure? Then get outdoors in southern Illinois where
canoeists weave through 1,000-year-old cypress trees on the Cache River,
cyclists freewheel through ghost towns on the Tunnel Hill State Trail and
hikers scramble over gnarly rock formations in Shawnee National Forest's Garden
of the Gods.
Things
to see and do in Illinois
American football
The Chicago Bears (www.chicagobears.com)
play from September to December at Soldier Field.
Attend a basketball game
Enjoy the fast-paced
action when the Chicago Bulls (www.nba.com/bulls)
take to the basketball court from January to April at the United Center, which
is also home to the ice hockey team, the Chicago Blackhawks (http://blackhawks.nhl.com)
Cahokia Mounds
Tour the intriguing
earthen burial mounds at Cahokia Mounds (http://cahokiamounds.org),
a relic of the most sophisticated prehistoric Native American community north
of Mexico.
Chicago Blues Festival
International, national
and local artists perform on over five stages at the largest free-admission
blues festival in the world, held in June (www.chicagobluesfestival.org).
Chicago Pumping Station
Visit the handsome
19th-century Chicago Pumping Station - a landmark that survived the Great
Chicago Fire of 1871, and houses a tourist information center.
Chicago's Navy Pier
Take a walk along
Chicago's Navy Pier (www.navypier.com), the largest recreational pier in
the USA. Attractions include an open-air theatre, botanical gardens, the
Chicago Children's Museum (www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org)
plus a giant ferris wheel standing 15 stories high and offering the best view
of the famous Chicago skyline.
Chicago's observation towers
View the skyline from one
of Chicago's many soaring skyscrapers' observation towers, including the Willis
Tower (www.willistower.com)
and the John Hancock Center (www.hancockobservatory.com).
Enjoy Illinois's theme parks
Ride one of the 12
rollercoasters at Six Flags Great America Amusement Park (www.sixflags.com)
in Chicago or cool down in the Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.
New Salem State Park
Travel back in time at the
New Salem State Park and tour a recreation of the pioneer community as it was
in Lincoln's day.
Springfield
Follow history in
Springfield, where Abraham Lincoln married, began his legal career and lived in
the only home he ever owned. Attractions include Lincoln's Tomb (a State
Historical Site), the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (www.alplm.org/home.html)
and the Illinois State Museum (www.museum.state.il.us).
Take in a baseball game
Illinois's baseball teams,
Chicago Cubs (http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com) and Chicago White Sox (http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com),
play during the summer months at Wrigley Field and US Cellular Field.
Tee off on one
of the many golf courses
Illinois has the highest
number of public and championship golf courses in the USA; there are about 700
of these, 200 of which can be found in the immediate 'Chicagoland' area.
Track down
Chicago's outdoor sculptures
Track down Chicago's
numerous outdoor sculptures by artists such as Picasso, Miro, Moore, Chagall
and Calder. Tour the Art Institute of Chicago (www.artic.edu),
one of the world's leading art museums, and savour art ranging from Monet to
Warhol and French impressionists.
Visit Chicago's top museums
Browse more than 2,000
exhibits at The Museum of Science & Industry (www.msichicago.org)
in Chicago. Visit the Field Museum of Natural History, which spans the
development of the universe from 4.5 billion years ago to the present day; the
John G Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium; and the Adler Planetarium, which features
the Sky Dome.
REFERENCE SITES:
We in Illinois are very fortunate to have a number of
historic structures that have added immeasurably to the cultural life of the
state, to the tourism industry of the state which by the way is our number one
industry.
James R. Thompson
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