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North America : United States of America : Midwest : Illinois

Illinois

Illinois [1] is a state in the Midwest of the United States of America.


Regions

Cities

  • Springfield, the capital of Illinois
  • Alton, near St. Louis, MO about middle of western state border
  • Bloomington-Normal, home of Illinois State University, Illinois Weslyan University and the grave site of Adlai Stevenson.
  • Carbondale, home of Southern Illinois University
  • Champaign-Urbana, home of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Chicago, the largest city in the Midwest, and other cities in the Chicagoland area
  • Galena, charming historical town
  • Joliet, with casinos, a speedway and the state's most infamous prison
  • Peoria, the classic Midwestern "Everytown"
  • Rockford.

Other destinations

  • Casino Queen and the Gateway Geyser - Both are located on the Mississippi River in East St. Louis, IL
  • Ferne Clyffe State Park
  • Kickapoo State Park
  • Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail - Between May 1804 and September 1806, 32 men, one woman, and a baby traveled from the plains of the Midwest to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. They called themselves the Corps of Discovery.
  • Pere Marquette State Park
  • Shawnee National Forest
  • Starved Rock State Park

"Anna, IL" - located along Shawnee Hills Wine Trail

Understand

Illinois is a mostly flat plains state, with the majority being farmland except for the river valleys and the south, which are hilly and forested.

Talk

English is the dominant language in the state of Illinois. Spanish is also widely spoken in the Chicago Metropolitan area by its large Hispanic population. Outside of Chicago, Spanish is rarely spoken and not well understood. Polish is also spoken within Chicago.

Get in

By car

Illinois is accessed through interstates 90 & 94 through Wisconsin, 80 through Iowa, 55, 57, and 70 through Missouri, 24 through Kentucky, and 70, 74, and 80 through Indiana

By train

Amtrak serves many different areas of Illinois. All routes start and end in Chicago. You can get into Chicago from virtually all directions, east coast and west coast, north and south. There are numerous daily trains to and from Milwaukee and it is reasonably fast and reliable. There is daily service to/from from Seattle/Portland, Oregon by way of Milwaukee. You can also get in from Washington DC, New York, and Boston on various daily trains. There are many local trains that serve downstate and southern Illinois that also serve long distance locations. Those routes are as follows:

The UP line from Chicago-St. Louis serves Summit, Joliet, Dwight, Pontiac, Bloomington-Normal, Lincoln, Springfield, Carlinville, Alton, and finally St. Louis. There are 4 trains each day, each way. One of those trains that serves this route is the Texas Eagle, and it will bring you into Illinois from San Antonio, Dallas, Arkansas, and Missouri.

The BNSF route from Chicago-Galesburg-Quincy. Only local service serves the quincy portion of the line. The other service is provided by 2 daily long distance trains coming from either Los angeles or San Fransisco via Salt Lake City and Denver.

The CN route from Chicago-Carbondale has 3 trains each way daily. One long distance train is provided each way daily and will take you to/from New Orleans via Jackson, Mississippi and Memphis.

There is also a daily train to and from Indianapolis with continuing service on certain days of the week to/from Washington D.C. There is regular daily service to/from Washington D.C. via Toledo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Philidelphia.

By plane

Chicago has two major airports, O'Hare and Midway. Midway is smaller and closer to the downtown. There are many other airports with regional service in the state, including in Springfield, Rockford, Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, and in St. Louis, across the river from Illinois.

Get around

Car travel is best for the majority of the state, easily accessed by interstates. Numerous highways closer to Chicago are tollways, but the rest of the highways are free. EZ-Pass users from the eastern U.S. can use their transponders on the Illinois Tollway at all toll booths. The price for EZ-Pass and I-Pass Users is half the cash price listed on the sign at the toll booth.

Train travel is another way to get around Illinois, as it serves many parts of the state, but the trains run late frequently. Inquire with Amtrak before you go.

See

Chicago

In the Loop, Chicago's commercial district with bustling elevated train tracks and great architecture:

  • Sears Tower - one of the tallest buildings in the world, it has an observation deck on the 103rd floor
  • Grant Park for musical performances and Millennium Park for summer fun
  • The Art Institute of Chicago - one of the finest art museums in the world

In the Near North:

  • John Hancock Center A bit shorter, but with a better observation deck
  • The Magnificent Mile Put simply, shoppers' paradise.
  • Navy Pier Entertainment center with many attractions including the Chicago Children's Museum, mini golf, ferris wheel, botanic gardens, and boat cruises

In the Near South, including the Museum Campus:

  • The Field Museum The premier natural history museum in the Midwest, with one of the best preserved T-Rex skeletons on display
  • The Adler Planetarium The first planetarium in North America
  • The Shedd Aquarium Great lakefront aquarium

On the South Chicago Shore:

  • Museum of Science and Industry The best science museum in the Midwest, with hundreds of exhibits including a German submarine, high speed 1930s train, Boeing 727 jet, and an immense train set.
  • The University of Chicago The premier institution of learning in the Midwest

Elsewhere

  • Springfield - The state capital has the capitol building, as well as Abraham Lincoln's tomb, home, and new presidential library. Be sure to check out the Old State Capital as well, notable for its Lincoln heritage and also as the site of U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama's declaration of Joe Biden as his running mate in the 2008 presidential race.
  • Champaign-Urbana is one of downstate Illinois's most prized cities. It is the regional capital of Illinois. It is a very urban oasis in the middle of the prairie. Outside of Chicago, it holds the state's largest ethnic population. There are many museums there. Champaign-Urbana is known for historic Memorial Stadium, where Illini Football plays, and for its nightlife.

Do

Eat

Chicago has many specialties, the most famous of which would have to be its hot dogs and its deep dish pizza.

Drink

Alcohol is readily available and esay to obtain. Gas stations and supermarkets that sell liquor and liquor stores are not hard to find.

DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE IN ILLINOIS!!!!!! Illinois has very harsh punishments for drinking and driving. A 1 year suspension of your license is more like 3 or 4 years. They will make you jump through every piece of red tape they can throw at you in order to get it back. If you must get drunk in Illinois, have a designated driver, or call a cab. Do not even think about drinking any amount of alcohol and operating a vehicle if you are under 21. You will lose your license until you turn 21, no exceptions.

A note about the water..... The rural water downstate, excluding municipal water but including untreated spring water has a "sulphur" taste and odor to it. It is safe to drink, but the odor and taste can be hard to swallow.

Stay safe

Areas of Illinois away from Lake Michigan — e.g., places other than Chicago — have a high occurrence of tornadoes. You might want to check the Tornado safety page if you are visiting Illinois. In March of 2006, Springfield was hit with a tornado and the city was apparently affected in every area. East St. Louis is one of the worst crime cities in the country and has little touristic interest except for the casino riverboat. Chicago is generally safe except for certain neighborhoods that are generally along the South and West sides.

Get out

  • Wisconsin - The Cheese State borders Illinois to the north.
  • Iowa - Rural Iowa lies along Illinois' northwestern border and provides the opportunity to explore America's agricultural heartland.
  • Missouri - The home of St. Louis, the gateway to the west, is just a short journey across Illinois' southwestern border.
  • Kentucky - Located southeast of Illinois, Kentucky is known for its rolling hills, horses, and rural inhabitants, offering travelers a less-visited but tremendously beautiful destination.
  • Indiana - Illinois' eastern neighbor is home to the football tradition of Notre Dame and the Indianapolis 500.

This page was last edited at 23:07, on 18 March 2009 by Wikitravel user Davieschool. Based on work by Ryan Holliday, Marc Heiden, Peter Fitzgerald, M. Hogue and D. Guillaume, Wikitravel user(s) Mlh56880, KatiePhelps07, Episteme, Nareek and Chuck the grey, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.