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Illinois

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

[edit] Regions

[edit] Cities

These are a few of the main cities in the state that travellers will be looking for. Smaller cities can be found in the smaller region or county articles.

[edit] Other destinations

[edit] Understand

Illinois is a mostly flat plains state, with the majority being farmland except for the south, which is hilly and forested. Most of Illinois is sparsely populated except for the northeast corner where Chicago is.

[edit] Talk

[edit] Get in

  • Road-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
  • Rail-Amtrak lines run through all bordering states one way or another to Chicago
  • Air-Chicago has two major airports, O'Hare and Midway. Midway is smaller and closer to the downtown. There are airports in Springfield and in St. Louis, across the river from Illinois.

[edit] 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.

[edit] See

  • Chicago is a must-see. The third largest city in the country as many major attractions:

-Sears Tower-One of the tallest buildings in the world, it has a fantastic observation deck on the 103rd floor

-John Hancock Tower-Has a rival and slightly cheaper 100th floor observation deck

-Field Museum-Premier midwest Natural History Museum, has one of the best preserved T-Rex skeletons on display

-Alder Planetarium-First North American Planetarium with two theaters

-Shedd Aquarium-Great, but pricy, lakefront aquarium

-Art Institute of Chicago-One of the finest art museums in the country

-The Loop-Chicago's downtown with bustling elevated train tracks and great architecture

-Navy Pier-Pier with many attractions including the Chicago Children's Museum, mini golf, ferris wheel, botanic gardens, and boat cruises

-Museum of Science and Industry-Best science museum in midwest with hundreds of exhibits including a German submarine, high speed 1930s train, Boeing 727 jet, and large train set up, and tons more

-Parks-Grant and Lincoln are the best. Lincoln has one of the country's few free zoos

  • Springfield-The state capital has the capitol building, and probably the best attractions are Abraham Lincoln's tomb, home, and new presidential library

[edit] Do

  • Go to the top of the Sears Tower or Hancock Tower observation decks for views of the whole city and four states

[edit] Eat

Chicago has many specialties, the most famous of which would have to be its deep dish pizzas.

[edit] Drink

[edit] Stay safe

Illinois has a high occurrence of tornados. 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.

[edit] Get out

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