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|  From the skyscrapers of Chicago and the riverboats along the Mississippi, to the brand new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield and the lush Shawnee National Forest, the opportunities to discover Illinois are endless. Illinois has something for everyone: world-class shopping, historic sights, indoor and outdoor adventures. It’s a geographically, historically and culturally diverse state. Top-ranked scenic golf courses are found in every corner of the state .... as are motels, hotels for every budget, and resorts. In Chicago, the Blues Capital of the world, there is non-stop fun, world-class museums and sights; beyond it is a whole world of culture, shopping and entertainment, charming small towns, the great outdoors where you can follow in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln, get your kicks on Route 66, or experience the Amish way of life, follow the rivers to historic sites, spectacular state parks, sample along winding wine trails and follow in the footsteps of explorers Lewis and Clark. Chicago Metro blankets those areas just outside the city limits; this is the place to discover biking and hiking trails, tree-lined Victorian homes, and over 300 golf courses. Springfield became the Illinois state capital in 1837 with the help of a young lawyer and politician named Abraham Lincoln. He lived in the city until he left to become the 16th President of the United States, in 1861. Springfield (and the surrounding area) has more than 15 different Lincoln-era historic sites which include the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, the Lincoln Home and Neighborhood, Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, Lincoln Tomb, Lincoln’s New Salem, and more. Other attractions include Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House, the Old State Capitol, the Illinois State Capitol and the Executive Mansion. ILLINOIS HOTELS ATTRACTIONS Arcola The countryside here is home to Illinois' largest Old Order Amish settlement, a rural area lined with Amish homes, businesses, and schools, plus horse drawn buggies. Attractions inlcude Rockome Gardens Theme Park, and The Illinois Amish Interpretive Center. ARCOLA HOTELS Bloomington/Normal This area has several attractions inlcuding the Children's Discovery Museum, the Illinois State University Planetarium, Upper Limits, the tallest indoor climbing facility in the world, and the McLean County Museum of History. BLOOMINGTON HOTELS and NORMAL HOTELS Champaign-Urbana Visitors can enjoy the prairie flora at The Arboretum and the Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden, and explore Allerton Park. Sports fans can visit The Olympic Tribute, a monument honoring the achievements of Olympic athletes. CHAMPAIGN HOTELS and URBANA HOTELS | Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut DC Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming | |||
Kids can pick apples and pumpkins at Curtis Orchard, feed the barnyard animals at Prairie Farm, try their luck with the Cornfusion maze at Hardy's Evergreen Acres and Reindeer Ranch, or learn about the stars and planets at The William M. Staerkel Planetarium.
The Navy Pier is a Chicago landmark with over 50 acres of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants and attractions of every kind. Chicago is filled with museums, including the Museum of Science and Industry, The Dusable Museum of African-American History, and The Field Museum, home to Sue, the largest and most complete T.rex ever found. A visit to Chicago is not complete without a stop at popular cultural landmarks like the Chicago Cultural Center, an architectural showplace for the lively and visual arts.  Chicago’s Sightseeing has a broad range of tours and excursions that give visitors the chance to experience Chicago from the vantage of those who know the city best. There are architectural river cruises, the Chicago Music Mart, Chicago Neighborhood Tours, Eli’s Cheesecake World where 30,000 cheesecakes are made every day, and State Street with its specialty stores. The 100 elevators of the Skydeck Observatory take visitors to the 103rd floor of the soaring Sears Tower for spectacular views of the city.CHICAGO HOTELS  Cruising to ChicagoChicago Metro Blanketing those areas just outside the city limits, this is the place to discover biking and hiking trails, tree-lined Victorian homes, and over 300 golf courses. Attractions include the 1800s homes in the Historic Districts of Aurora and its Splash Country Aquatic Center, a water-park and pioneer village, the historic downtown of St. Charles, the 667 rare homes in Elgin’s Historic District, and Six Flags Great America. Joliet, with four riverboat casinos is said to be the Gaming Capital of the Midwest. At Naperville is the 19th-century living history of the Naper Settlement Museum Village, and two famous names are commemorated at Oak Park: Ernest Hemingway Museum and Birthplace and Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. CHICAGO HOTELS Decatur The Prairie Years and the Victorian Era come to life in exhibits at the Macon County Museum Complex. The Children's Museum offers hands on exhibits; and animals from around the world live as they would in the wild in the Scovill Zoo. DECATUR HOTELS Effingham The County Courthouse has not been altered externally. At the Ben Winter Museum at Altamont ten full-scale steam engines and five scale-model steam engines and 12 stationary engines are all in working order. More than 30 rooms are open for viewing in the former Franciscan Novitiate at St. Francis Church. The Teutopolis Monastery Museum has a collection of articles used by the Friars including books from the 1700’s and Bibles in 12 languages. EFFINGHAM HOTELS Galena 85% of Galena (and nearly 100% of nearby Scales Mound) consists of National Register Historic Districts. Attractions include the Galena/Jo Davies County History Museum, The Old Market House State Historic Site, the center of community life during Galena's most prosperous era, and The Old Stockade on Cobblestone Street which provided safety for Galena's earliest pioneers during the Blackhawk War of 1832. One of Galena’s outstanding buildings is the Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site which was presented to the Civil War hero on his return to Galena. GALENA HOTELS Kankakee County There are over 600 antique dealers in Kankakee County including four of the largest Antique Malls in Illinois. Visit the 100 dealers at Carriage Lane Antique Mall in Bourbonnais, Indian Oaks Antique with 165 dealers, Northfield Square, a mega-mall in Bradley, and six antique malls at Kankakee. Peoria Home to the Ronald Reagan Museum, a collection that now numbers over 2,000 items. Near Peoria are the Wheels O'Time Museum with vintage autos and many "hands-on" displays, Wildlife Prairie Park where visitors can discover wolves, bison, black bear and cougar, and the Dickson Mounds State Museum, an on-site archaeological museum. PEORIA HOTELS Quad Cities Rock Island, East Moline and Moline, Hampton and Davenport in the Western Illinois region come alive at a variety of attractions including the Rock Island Arsenal, the Col. George Davenport Home, and in the Black Hawk State Historic Site, the John Hauberg Indian Museum/ Watch Tower lodges an important collection of Sauk and Fox Indian artifacts. Further attractions include the Mississippi River Visitor Center on historic Rock Island, and the Walnut Grove Pioneer Village in Long Grove. ROCK ISLAND HOTELS and EAST MOLINE HOTELS Rockford Located in Northern Illinois, a hop, skip and a jump from the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago, Rockford has many attractions on offer including the Rockford Art Museum, Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum, a rare example of Victorian "exotic" architecture, the Burpee Museum of Natural History, the Discovery Center Museum, and Midway Village and Museum Center, a turn-of-the-century village, with 24 buildings on 137 acres. ROCKFORD HOTELS
There’s Lincoln’s New Salem where Lincoln lived for six years, the Lincoln Home where the Abraham Lincoln family resided for seventeen years, (1844-1861), Lincoln-Herndon Law offices where Lincoln practiced law, the Old State Capitol where Lincoln spoke the immortal words "A house divided against itself cannot stand...", Lincoln Depot from which Lincoln departed his beloved Springfield for an uncertain future in Washington DC, and finally Lincoln Tomb, the final resting place for Abraham, Mary Todd, Tad, Eddie and Willie Lincoln. Other attractions include the Lincoln Ledger at the bank where the Lincoln's paid their bills, and the Lincoln Pew in the First Presbyterian Church. The crown jewel of Abraham Lincoln sites is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum housing the 47,000+ Abraham Lincoln Collection of documents, books and priceless artifacts.The library opens in September 2004, the Museum in Spring 2005. SPRINGFIELD HOTELS Utica This is the hometown of Starved Rock State Park, with waterfalls, bluffs and 18 canyons. Photo courtesy of Mike Gustafson | |||||
| home / United States / regions of America / cities of the United States / hotels and resorts in America / feature articles on destinations in the USA / news snippets / handy links / other resources / About Us: Travel Tidings USA features vacation travel information for the cities and regions of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. General topics covered include dining, lodging, shopping, travel accommodations, attractions, hotels, pet friendly hotels and resorts, AAA 4 Diamond Hotels, AAA 5 Diamond Hotels and more. Do not hesitate to contact us for further information at info@traveltidingsusa.com! | |||||
