Northern Illinois is home to Chicago, one of the world's great cities. Marvel at iconic skyscrapers, explore renowned museums and galleries, stroll along the vibrant lakefront, and experience a dining and entertainment scene that attracts visitors from around the globe. But the adventure and excitement in Northern Illinois continues beyond the city limits.

Enjoy wine tasting in picturesque vineyards, before exploring stunning state park canyons and waterfalls. Relax on the beaches of Lake Michigan, and get warm welcomes from charming small towns. Culture and history await, too, along with family fun and adventure. There's no shortage of excitement in Northern Illinois.

Image: Cloud Gate in Downtown Chicago
Credit: Daniel Bartolo - Courtesy of the Illinois Office of Tourism

Walk through Lincoln's home in Springfield, cruise original Route 66 pavement, and discover university towns that buzz with energy year-round. Here, prairie meets history, culture, and innovation. You'll find world-class museums steps from working farms, craft breweries in historic downtowns, quirky roadside giants guarding small-town main streets, and Amish buggies clip-clopping through the modern world. Every town tells a story worth hearing, and locals always have time to chat.

Image: A woman takes a photo rubbing Abe's nose at the Lincoln Tomb
Credit: Ryan Donnell for Meredith Corporation

Western Illinois follows the Mississippi's curves, with river towns that celebrate the past and dramatic bluffs from which you can look to the future. This is Great Rivers Country, where morning means farm-fresh breakfasts, freshly baked pastries and locally roasted coffee in Galena, lunch happens at a riverside winery, and evening brings riverboat music drifting upstream.

From Galena's brick-and-limestone Main Street to Alton, where two of America's most iconic road trips, the historic Route 66 and the Great River Road meet, historic houses cling to hillsides, artists create amazing things, and Mississippi sunsets paint the waters gold.

Image: Main Street Galena.
Credit: Great Rivers Country

You'll know you've reached Southern Illinois when the familiar prairie gives way to sandstone cliffs rising 150 feet above your windshield.

Here, ancient forests and rolling hills create terrain unlike anywhere else. Hike to hidden waterfalls, rappel down cliffs, paddle quiet rivers, and watch the sunset paint ancient rock formations.

Artists have colonized small towns, award-winning wineries dot the landscape, and BBQ champions smoke world-class ribs. Every day offers a new opportunity, every season a new outlook, every trail a new adventure.

Image: Devils Backbone_Bell Smith Springs_ Ozark_Trails to Adventure
Licence: Default Licence