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Illinois Tourism and Sightseeing
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Where is Illinois?
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Illinois
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Things to do in Illinois, Sightseeing and Illinois Tourism
Illinois Tourism - Planning an Illinois Vacation
Below is a list of Illinois tourist attractions, activities, events, hotels, restaurants and visitor information entries to help you plan an Illinois Vacation! Find detailed information on the Illinois tourism entries by clicking on their links. Narrow your search by selecting from a specific Illinois travel category on the left hand menu.
Narrow Your Search
You can find Illinois tourist attractions and activities in all of Illinois's regions: Champaign, Chicago, Effingham, Joliet, Kankakee, Naperville, Peoria, Quad Cities, Rockford, Rosemont, Schaumburg, Springfield and Other.
Fun Things to do during your Illinois Vacation - Top Illinois Tourist Attractions and Activities
Some of the most popular Illinois tourist attractions that list on our site include Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum , Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor and Lynfred Winery.
Fun activities in Illinois include Tanger Outlet Center at Tuscola, IL, Shawnee Hills WIne Trail and Celebration River Cruises.
Create an online Illinois vacation itinerary
You can use WeGoPlaces.com to plan your Illinois vacation itinerary! To begin, select from our list of Illinois tourist attractions, activities, accommodations, events, restaurants or Illinois vacation & visitor information entries. Click the "Add" button to add individual entries to your online Illinois vacation itinerary.
Featured Illinois Tourist Attractions and Activities
Please visit our Illinois featured listings - Jay-Z at Assembly Hall - IL, Trans-Siberian Orchestra at i Wireless Center, Bill Cosby at Genesee Theatre, Bryan Adams at Rialto Square Theater, Megadeth at Pops, Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, Monster Jam at Allstate Arena and Go Chicago Card.
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Owl Creek Vineyard
Vineyard/Winery
Category: Cobden Recreation in Illinois
User Rating: 
Description of this Illinois Activity: Owl Creek Vineyard is a small winery and vineyard operation owned and operated by family and friends. The winery was founded in 1995 and produces a variety of wines, from dry barrel-aged red wine to late harvest dessert wine. The wines are unique, distinctive and have won many medals since the winery was founded. In 1999, the dry red, Owl’s Leap 1997, won two gold medals and the Best of Show award at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. All grapes used to produce Owl Creek wines are grown in Southern Illinois.
The winery offers free wine tasting year round and a small gift shop. We host several wine festivals and other events every year. Mayfest is celebrated Mother’s Day weekend and Octoberfest on the second weekend in October. We have also begun to host a Grape Stomp in June. We do not serve food but, picnic tables are available around the vineyard and winery for those wishing to bring a lunch or snack or you might wish to just enjoy a glass of wine on the back deck. There are about 4 acres of vineyard surrounding the winery, producing about 60-70% of the grapes used to ferment the wines. The vineyard is beautifully nestled in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest giving it a unique charm and welcome feel.
The winery is located 15 miles south of Carbondale and 7 miles north of Anna. It is just a short 2 ½ mile drive, heading east, up Water Valley Road from U.S. Route 51. We are also just 4 ½ miles south of beautiful Giant City State Park, just off of Giant City Park Road. We are within 10 miles of several B&B’s, numerous hiking and biking trails and lots of antique shops. The winery is also part of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, a series of 5 wineries within 25 miles of one another offering the best wines Southern Illinois has to offer.
Wine is sold by either the bottle or glass. We are open Wednesday-Sunday 12-5 p.m. from May-December and Saturday-Sunday 12-5 from January-April, or by appointment. We are closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Easter.
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TreeHouse Lake Zurich
Indoor Play Cafe
Category: Lake Zurich Recreation in Illinois
Description of this Illinois Activity: The TreeHouse is the absolute best kids' play address in Illinois for playdates and parties.
The TreeHouse was created for kids, but designed for parents' comfort,
convenience, and peace of mind. Kids get to climb,slide,twirl,cross swinging bridges,ramps, maneuver obstacles on a 60 ft. long, 30ft. wide, 3 level themed treehouse soft play structure. There is an enclosed basketball court along with a padded area for babies under 18months. Imaginations run wild setting up their own train track on our lush oriental rug.
Bring a book or your laptop(enjoy our free WIFI) because our average stay is 3 hours (a record 8 hours was recored in Sept. 2009). There are no video games or coin eating arcades. Imagination and physical activity fuel the fun for kids at the TreeHouse in Lake Zurich. We are peanut-free. We have a gourmet coffee bar and cafe. Our focus is on super healthy food choices.
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Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum
Life of Abraham Lincoln
Category: Springfield Museum in Illinois
User Rating: 
Description of this Springfield Attraction: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum is the largest presidential library complex in the US, a fitting tribute to one of the most-written about individuals in history.
The Library contains world’s most extensive Lincoln collection, with more than 47,000 items. They include: nearly 1,500 documents written or signed by Lincoln between 1831 and 1865; handwritten copies of Gettysburg Address and President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address; family documents and artifacts, including the Lincoln’s marriage license, a tablecloth from their wedding reception, the nameplate from the front door of the only home they owned and Mr. Lincoln’s shaving mirror.
The Library is also home to the Illinois State Historical Library with more than 12 million items in its collection. It attracts thousands of scholars, students and history buffs from around the world for research.
The Presidential Museum invites visitors to step into the world of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. From a replica of Lincoln's Indiana boyhood cabin to life in Springfield as lawyer and politician; from his Presidential years and the agony of the Civil War to his funeral homecoming to Springfield, visitors will explore the triumphs and tragedies of Lincoln's life.
State-of-the-art exhibits and advanced technology move the conventional museum experience to a level not experienced before now: theater seats that reverberate from cannon fire and Holavision® 3D images that interact with live actors and then evaporate into thin air.
The Whispering Gallery is a twisted, unsettling hallway where visitors hear brutally unkind things said about Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln during their early months in Washington. Cruel caricatures and harsh political cartoons attacking the Lincoln cover the walls of the gallery.
The Emancipation Proclamation exhibit is a special-effects illusion corridor featuring a gauntlet of dream-like images of people telling Lincoln what he should do. The compilation of varying, sometimes racist, opinions reminds visitors that Lincoln was leading a deeply divided nation.
Visitors can also meet Mrs. Lincoln in the White House; share an intimate scene between the President and First Lady as they sit with son Willie just before his death; overhear war gossip from the servants in the White House kitchen; witness the President and First Lady’s last moment together before he was assassinated.
In addition to these and many more permanent exhibits, the Illinois Gallery with 3,000 square feet of temporary exhibit space will feature Smithsonian-caliber changing exhibits on topics as diverse as America’s First Ladies, Chicago’s gangster era, the architectural genius of Frank Lloyd Wright and other topics illustrating the rich history of Illinois and America.
The Museum drops visitors into Abraham Lincoln's Life in a way no other historic site has been able to do. Why not take the plunge?
Museum: Children (ages 5-15)$4; $10 adults; $7 students/seniors; school groups 15 & more are free, but must pre-register through Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, (217) 789-2360, ext 154. Entrance to Library is free.
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Center for American Archeology Visitors' Center & Museum
Archeological museum and gift shop
Category: Kampsville Culture in Illinois
Description of this Illinois Attraction: The CAA Visitors' Center & Museum, part of our independent non-profit research & education institution, offers exhibits about the prehistory & history of the lower Illinois River Valley, part of the scenic Great Rivers Region. Our gift shop offers a variety of unique items for all ages, including books, jewelry, toys, CAA gear, and much more. Please contact us for information about our educational programs, which include field trips & residential programs, including summer excavation programs for families, teens, and adults!
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Chicago Tours by Segway Experience
See Chicago on a Segway Personal Transporter!
Category: Chicago Aquarium in Illinois
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Description of this Chicago Attraction: Segway Tours are the hottest new trend in guided tours all over the world – and Segway Experience of Chicago has been offering these exciting guided Chicago tours for over two years!
Chicago is particularly accommodating to Segway Personal Transporters because the Mayor of Chicago is an enormous fan of them and has even purchased a large quantity for use in various City divisions, including the Police and Fire Departments.
As a result of the Mayor’s foresight, Segway Personal Transporters are allowed to travel anywhere a pedestrian can go, including sidewalks and bike paths. Segway Experience of Chicago – as the only authorized Segway Touring and Sales dealership for the City of Chicago – has become the largest Segway tour operator in the country, with over two dozen Segways available in our fleet.
Our certified Segway Tour Captains provide our patrons with thorough, professional training followed by an unforgettable guided tour of Chicago’s “front yard.” Our Chicago Tours with Segway Experience include several Chicago skyline photo stops as guests glide around Millennium Park, through Daley Bicentennial Plaza, and southbound along Chicago’s Lakefront Path, seeing Chicago in a whole new way. We glide all the way to Museum Campus – taking in the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium & Adler Planetarium – and visit Buckingham Fountain and the Rose Gardens of Grant Park, all the while hearing fascinating stories and historical information about our Windy City. Faster than walking and more intimate than a bus, Segway Tours are a unique and truly interesting way to see Chicago. And we do it all year long - we even provide snow suits for the colder months!
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Chicago Tours by Segway Experience
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Kankakee River State Park
Enjoy the outdoors along the beautiful Kankakee River!
Category: Bourbonnais Scenic near Kankakee, Illinois
Description of this Kankakee area Attraction: The 4,000-acre Kankakee River State Park surrounds both sides of the Kankakee River for 11 miles. The Kankakee River is a clean river in an unspoiled setting, with surrounding bluffs and woods. The park teems with wildlife, from badgers, beaver, turtles, red fox, coyote, and white-tailed deer to wild turkeys. There are hiking trails, biking trails, canoeing, fishing, camping, cross country skiing, snowmobile trails, picnic areas, hunting, boat launches and much more! In addition there are several shelters available for your next picnic event.
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McCully Heritage Project
940 acre nature preserve
Category: Kampsville Aquarium in Illinois
Description of this Illinois Attraction: The McCully Heritage Project is a 940 acre natural area located one mile south of Kampsville, Illinois. The Project offers 15 miles of trails, open to hiking and horseback riding. The trails travel through various ecological areas including hardwood forests, wetlands and prairies. Scenic overlooks are located along the trails. A restored wetland area includes a boardwalk and interpretive signs. The site also has two fishing ponds, a nineteenth-century log cabin, a demonstration prairie plot and a pavilion, with parking and restrooms. The Project is perfect for picnicking, bird watching, nature photography and turtle watching. Visitors can expect to see abundant wildflowers and wildlife, such as songbirds, wild turkeys, blue heron, butterflies, white-tailed deer, fox, bobcats, muskrats and turtle and more.
The McCully Heritage Project is open from dawn to dusk. Visitors are required to sign in at the Main Kiosk in the parking area. Horseback riders should also sign an insurance waiver.
Primitive camping is available with advanced arrangements and potable water is available on site. The pavilion and grounds are open for events such as family reunions or outdoor weddings. School groups and clubs are welcome. Groups larger than family size should call in advance to make arrangements before their visit.
Hunting or removal of any plant or other material is prohibited without express written permission.
The McCully Heritage Project is a non-profit facility with no funding from state or federal sources. Donations are encouraged, and all donations are used for upkeep of the site
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Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
Category: Gurnee Theme Park near Schaumburg, Illinois
Description of this Schaumburg area Attraction: Six Flags Great America is the ultimate Midwest family escape and the thrills keep getting better! In 2005, Six Flags Great America introduces a brand new, Caribbean themed water park, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. This massive new water park is free with Six Flags Great America admission and gives guests the opportunity to explore nearly 120 acres of wet and dry theme park fun, all for one great price.
The new Six Flags Hurricane Harbor features 25 exhilarating water slides, a gigantic family water playground with the world’s largest interactive water play structure, a massive wave pool, half-mile long adventure river, and so much more. Guests also can enjoy Six Flags Great America’s 100 thrilling attractions including 13 world-class coasters, two interactive children’s areas and exciting shows for the whole family. It's two great parks in one great place!
Six Flags Great America theme park and the new Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park are located midway between Chicago and Milwaukee off I-94 in Gurnee, IL.
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