Who goes there? Illinois doesn’t please true authentics as much as other personality types. It takes a certain kind of person to appreciate the Midwestern states. But Illinois’ boundaries, stretching south from Lake Michigan, offer lots of lakes and rivers that offer excellent fishing and water sports, Native American archaeological sites, and attractions for travelers who don’t need a lot of pampering.

When do they go? Many tourists visit Illinois in early fall when the temperature and rainfall levels are most reliable. But even the long cold winters needn’t keep venturer-leaning travelers from enjoying Chicago and the rest of the state. Though not a mountainous, it still offers some skiing and other options for winter sports.
On the other hand, except for some types of sightseeing, the most popular activities with Illinois’ leisure visitors are of the indoor variety: art exhibits, great museums, dining, entertainment, nightlife and shopping.

Go ice fishing in the Kickapoo State Recreation Area near Danville. Other winter options are cross-country skiing and ice skating.

Do some rock climbing and rappelling in Giant City State Park. Need lessons? Seek out the Vertical Heartland Rock Climbing School in Buncombe.

Rediscover your comic book heroes: Visit the Dick Tracy Museum in Woodstock, the town where this crime stopper was born. But, there’s more: Popeye was born in Chester, home to an annual Popeye Picnic (do you like spinach?); Superman’s hometown Metropolis celebrates its hero with the Super Museum; and Tarzan, believe it or not, was born in a Chicago suburb, Oak Park, where “Tarzan of the Apes” was written. The local historical society maintains a permanent exhibit honoring the ape man and his creator.

Go to the Raging Buffalo Snowboard Park for the obvious reason.

Try a little night skiing at Ski Snowstar Winter Sports Park in Andalusia. Other options: snow tube and snowboard.

Camp along the riverbank in Oquawka’s Big River State Forest.

Overnight in a renovated caboose or lakeside cottage at the Wildlife Prairie State Park at Peoria. Then, hike on paths that offer viewings of resident bison, deer and elk. In winter, take these paths on cross-country skis.

Attend the World Free Fall Skydive Convention in Rantoul in late summer. 2,000 professional skydivers come to town from points around the globe, but if you want to have a go, amateurs can make jumps, too.

Fashion a trip around President Lincoln’s 30 years in central Illinois, with Springfield as your hub. Besides hosting the new top attraction, President Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield is home to the Lincoln Home, the Lincoln Herndon Law Offices and Lincoln Tomb, the burial site for the entire family except for son Robert. The Lincoln Depot tells the story of Lincoln’s move to Washington. The Old State Capitol is a re-creation of the statehouse as it looked when Lincoln lived here. But there is much more. See www.lookingforlincoln.com.

Ride daredevil roller coasters at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee.

Follow the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, which encompasses seven wineries along a 25-mile drive through the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. Walk off those tastings by hiking the bluffs of the forest’s Garden of the Gods.

See the remains of an ancient Mississippian Indian city at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville. A U.N. World Heritage Site, it protects 68 earthen mounds.

Go cross-country skiing at Swallow Cliff in Palos Park, and time this to coincide with the annual Winterfest at the Lake Katherine Nature Preserve in Palos Heights, which features hayrides and a dog sled race.

Hike with a guide through the canyons at Starved Rock State Park at Utica to see its ice falls. Alternatively, for winter fun, seek out the I & M Canal State Trail which offers a 60-mile snowmobile run.

For Midwestern downhill skiing, go to Chestnut Mountain Resort in Galena.

Go horseback riding with a guide through the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. Alternatively, take that ride in Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton in the southwestern part of the state.

Go to the horse races at the Arlington Million in Arlington Heights.

Visit the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. It is a multipurpose facility, with a library meant for research and a museum that dramatizes key events in Lincoln’s life with dioramas that involve reproductions of log cabins, parts of the White House, Lincoln’s funeral train and the Springfield capitol building where he lay in state. The Gettysburg Address is on display in the museum’s Treasure Gallery after nearly a century and a half in a vault.

Hike in the Starved Rock State Park. There are guided hikes most weekends.

Visit writer Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace home and museum in Oak Park. While you are there, look at several of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations in town, including his Home & Studio. All this in addition to the permanent Tarzan exhibit!

Play golf at Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, then treat yourself to some pampering.

See the Lipizzan stallions perform, in a show modeled on Vienna’s Spanish Riding School, at Tempel Farms in Wadsworth. Performances are held twice weekly in summer.

Illinois hosts more than 3,000 bald eagles each winter. See www.enjoyillinois.com for hints on where to find the great creatures at different times of the year.

Illinois boasts five National Scenic Byways, as well as the famed Route 66. Choose one when you plan a driving trip in the state. For example, one takes you from East Dubuque along the banks of the mighty Mississippi to the state’s southern tip at Cairo, with opportunities to stop along the way at river towns or a number of sacred Native American sites.

Tour the home of President Ulysses S. Grant in Galena. Also, Galena is a good place for taking a Mississippi River cruise.

For more information, consult the Illinois Bureau of Tourism at www.enjoyillinois.com
And the Chicago Office of Tourism at www.cityofchicago.org/tourism

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