Stroll the shopping mecca of Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Explore the roots of French colonists in historical Ft. Massac. Whether you're a city slicker or an outdoor enthusiast, there's plenty to do right here, right now in Illinois!

Imagine strolling along the Lake Michigan shoreline, biking through classic Chicago neighborhoods, visiting picturesque small towns and vibrant cities. Or hiking 19th-century towpaths and savoring the Mississippi River’s majesty. Imagine The Grand Illinois Trail as it loops 475 miles between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. The Trail joins together existing and proposed state and local trails to create the state’s longest continuous trail. It hugs historic canals, crosses unglaciated hills, parallels the Rock and Fox Rivers, and includes one of America’s first rail-trails. There is something for everyone on the Grand Illinois Trail.

Southwest
Some of the state's most significant and scenic wonders lie far beneath the surface—in Illinois caves. With more than 100 recorded caves, Monroe County has more caves than any other county in Illinois. Illinois Caverns is located in southwestern Illinois, in Monroe County, about 35 miles south of St. Louis. The entrance to the cave (which also has been known as Burksville Cave, Manmmoth cave of Illinois, Egyptian Cave and Eckert Cave) is located on a 9.25-acre tract that was purchased by the Department of Natural Resources in 1985.

North and Northwest
In the rolling hills of northwest Illinois is a corridor of 8 counties (Boone, Winnebago, Stephenson, Whiteside, Carrol, Lee, Jo-Daviess, and Ogle) known as the Northwest Passage Heritage Corridor. The unique immigrant history of these counties has had a profound effect on the culture of Northern Illinois. A variety of ethnic groups are represented, from Native Americans to Italians, Swedes, Germans, and numerous others. All left their enduring marks on the landscape. These counties have combined forces to develop the Immigrants and Ingenuity Heritage Tourism Project, which focuses on tourism sites and projects based on this unique heritage.

Chicago became home to the world's tallest building in 1973 when the Sears Tower was topped off. The Sears Tower remained the tallest building in the world until February 13, 1996, and today the Sears Tower continued to be the tallest building in North America. Sitting on two city blocks and rising one-quarter mile (1,454 feet) above the ground, the Tower's 110 stories comprise some 4.5 million gross square feet of office and commercial space. It was designed by the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and was constructed in a little less than two and half years.

Beachfront
The Illinois Beach State Park is the only remaining beach ridge shoreline left in the state. There are more than 650 species of plants in the dunes area alone, making for wonderful sights while on a nature stroll. During the 1700's, this area was part of the "Three Fires" of the Algonquin Nation, the Potawatomi, Chippewa and Ottawa Indians. In 1948, Illinois acquired the lands for preservation and have left them in their natural splendor. Experience the sound of the loon in the marshland, or follow a family of white-tailed deer along the shore as you approach the lodge.

Historic Sites
Bishop Hill provides a glimpse of an America that nineteenth-century religious dissidents from Sweden saw as a potential "utopia on the prairie." From 1846 to 1861 more than one thousand immigrants arrived from Sweden to join the colony established by their leader Erik Jansson. Much of the colony remains today, as evidenced by such historic buildings as the Colony Church and Bjorklund Hotel. You should begin your tour of Bishop Hill by visiting the new museum located on the southern edge of the village. More than ninety paintings by Olof Krans, one of America's foremost folk artists, are displayed at the museum. The paintings are Olof's remembrances of life as a young man in Bishop Hill. A variety of special celebrations highlighting the heritage of Bishop Hill are held from April to December. The September annual harvest festival, "Jordbruksdagarna," features crafts, music, food, and demonstrations of traditional harvesting.

Cahokia Mounds preserves the remains of the central section of the only prehistoric Indian city north of Mexico. Covering nearly 4,000 acres, the Cahokia site was first inhabited around 700 A.D. and grew to a population of nearly 20,000 by 1100 A.D. Sixty-eight of the original 120 earthen mounds are preserved within the historic area. At the center is Monks Mound, which, at 100 hundred feet, is the largest prehistoric earthen mound in the New World. Cahokia Mounds has been designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization. The site features a variety of special events, craft classes, lecture series, tours and other programs year round.

Springfield’s Dana-Thomas House is the best preserved and most complete of Frank Lloyd Wright's early "Prairie" houses. More than one hundred pieces of original Wright-designed white oak furniture are still in place along with two hundred fifty art glass doors, windows, and light panels. Unlike most houses designed by Wright, the Dana House project involved the complete restructuring of a thirty-year-old Italianate brick house built by Susan's father, Rheuna Lawrence, a wealthy businessman and former mayor of Springfield who died in 1901. Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was thirty-five in 1902, the year he began work on the Dana House. Already well known for his innovative design, Wright was revolutionizing American domestic architecture in the Midwest.

The Ulysses S. Grant Home, set in one of America's best-preserved nineteenth-century towns, was constructed from 1859-1860 in the Italianate Bracketed style. This grand home was presented to Grant by a group of Galena citizens on August 18, 1865, when he returned as the victorious Civil War General. The home is completely restored and decorated with the original Grant family furnishings. Evening tours are offered on special weekends each June and September to showcase the Ulysses S. Grant Home by lamplight. Picnicking facilities are available at the U.S. Grant Home Park located across the street from the site. Be sure to also visit the Old Market House and the Washburne House on your tour of historic Galena.

The Lincoln Tomb is located in beautiful Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. The original receiving vault in which Abraham Lincoln was buried on May 4, 1865, can be seen, as well as monuments to four Illinois governors, poet Vachel Lindsay, and Lincoln's law partner William Herndon. The 114th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry stages a Flag Retreat ceremony on Tuesday evenings at 7:00pm in June, July, and August. The Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial is also located on the grounds of Oak Ridge Cemetery.

The Old State Capitol, center of Illinois government from 1839 to 1876, is among the most important 19th century buildings in the United States. Here Abraham Lincoln served as a state legislator, pleaded cases before the Supreme Court, and delivered his famous "House Divided" speech. On Fridays and Saturdays (except in May) site interpreters offer a special interpretive program: "Mr. Lincoln's World." The program uniquely blends the traditional guided tour with actors dressed in period clothing portraying characters from the 1850's. The Illinois State Historical Library is housed on the level beneath the Old State Capitol.

The Vandalia State House is the oldest surviving Illinois capitol building. Vandalia became the second capital of Illinois in 1820, replacing Kaskaskia. The first of three capitol buildings to stand in Vandalia was a plain two-story frame structure. Residents who feared removal of the capital to another town built Vandalia’s second statehouse during the summer of 1824. Again, due to fear of relocation by an 1834 referendum to relocate the capital, Vandalia residents constructed a third statehouse, the one that stands today. Work began in the summer of 1836 with efforts to salvage material from the old building. The last session of the Illinois General Assembly to meet in the Vandalia Statehouse closed on March 4, 1839. In the 1930s and 1940s the State of Illinois carried out a major effort to restore the building to its Lincoln-era appearance. Spectators' galleries were reconstructed in the Senate and House chambers in the 1970s, and restoration continues today.

The Lincoln Log Cabin is the last home of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, parents of Illinois' favorite son Abraham Lincoln. Today, the Lincoln Log Cabin site is being expanded with the addition of Sargent Farm, a living history experience from the 1840's. 19th century rural life is shown through first person interpretation, giving visitors a glimpse into the daily lives of the Lincoln's and their neighbors. The Lincoln Log Cabin hosts many historic and traditional events throughout the year. In true pioneer spirit, each October, the annual Harvest Frolic provides a weekend of traditional harvesting demonstrations, food preparation, crafts, and music.

Black Hawk was inhabited from 1730 to 1830 by the Sauk and Mesquakie (Fox) Indian Nations. Saukenak was one of the largest Indian centers in North America and home of the famous Sauk warrior-leader, Black Hawk. In the late 1820's, white settlers began to move into the area, and by 1831 all Indians were forced to cross the Mississippi River. Black Hawk returned in 1832 with fifteen hundred followers in an unsuccessful attempt to regain their homeland. The Hauberg Indian Museum depicts the daily life and seasonal activities of the Sauk and Mesquakie tribes through life-size dioramas, traditional bark-covered summer and winter houses, and material culture artifacts.

Area: 57918 sq.mi, Land 55593 sq. mi., Water 2325 sq.mi., Great Lakes 2,546 sq.mi.

State Capital: Springfield.

Population: 12,128,370.

Largest Cities: Chicago, Rockford, Aurora, Springfield, and Peoria.

State Bird: Cardinal.

Agriculture: Corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products, wheat.

Industry: Machinery, food processing, electric equipment, chemical products, printing and publishing, fabricated metal products, transportation equipment, petroleum, coal.

Flag: The Illinois flag is a simple representation of the Great Seal of Illinois against a white background. In 1969, the General Assembly voted to add the word "ILLINOIS" under the Great Seal of the flag. The State's name was added to the flag to ensure that people not familiar with the Great Seal of Illinois would still recognize the banner.

State Motto: State sovreignty, national union.

Topography: Prairies and fertile plains throughout. Open hills in the southern region.

State Flower: Purple Violet - Viola.

State Nickname: Prairie State.

State Tree: White Oak - Quercus alba.