Things to do in Illinois
23 places worth stopping for and 1 places to stay on a road trip through Illinois.
See and do
- Walk
Walk · Oglesby
Starved Rock State Park
Sandstone canyons and winter waterfalls on the Illinois River.
- Walk
Walk · OglesbyHidden gem
Matthiessen State Park
A quieter canyon system next to Starved Rock, with a dells and a lower falls.
- History
History · St. Louis
Gateway Arch
A 630-foot stainless steel arch on the Mississippi, with a tram to the top.
- Town
Town · Galena
Galena
A beautifully preserved 1800s river town in the hills, home of Ulysses Grant.
- Walk
Walk · Chicago
Chicago Lakefront Trail
A 18-mile path along Lake Michigan with skyline views.
- Museum
Museum · Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The classic start of Route 66, with a world-class art museum right at the marker.
- History
History · Springfield
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Abraham Lincoln's only owned home, in a restored four-block neighbourhood.
- History
History · Collinsville
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
UNESCO-listed remains of a huge Native American city across the river from St Louis.
- Walk
Walk · SavannaHidden gem
Mississippi Palisades State Park
Tall limestone bluffs over the Mississippi with views up and down the river.
- Walk
Walk · MakandaHidden gem
Giant City State Park
Sandstone bluffs and a "stone fort" trail in southern Illinois.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · GraftonHidden gem
Pere Marquette State Park
River bluffs on the Illinois River, with a stone lodge and bald eagles in winter.
Roadside oddity · Chicago
Cloud Gate (The Bean)
A giant mirrored steel bean in Millennium Park.
History · St. LouisHidden gem
Chain of Rocks Bridge
A mile-long Route 66 bridge over the Mississippi, now a footbridge with a kink.
Nature reserve · WilmingtonHidden gem
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Restored tallgrass prairie with a small bison herd, a few minutes off the road.
- History
History · DwightHidden gem
Ambler's Texaco Gas Station
Restored Texaco station that pumped gas for 66 years and now doubles as a visitor centre.
Museum · Springfield
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Big, well-made Lincoln museum with immersive exhibits, a good rainy-day stop.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · VoloHidden gem
Volo Museum
Hundreds of cars and movie vehicles in a roadside museum.
- Town
Town · PontiacHidden gem
Pontiac
A Route 66 town with murals, a museum and a Hall of Fame.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · Wilmington
Gemini Giant
A 30-foot fibreglass spaceman holding a rocket on Route 66.
- History
History · JolietHidden gem
Rialto Square Theatre
A 1926 movie palace in downtown Joliet, restored and worth a look even without a show.
- History
History · OdellHidden gem
Standard Oil Gasoline Station, Odell
Restored 1932 Standard Oil station on the old road, a neat photo stop.
- History
History · Mount OliveHidden gem
Soulsby Service Station
Restored 1920s house-and-canopy service station in Mount Olive, run by one family for decades.
Museum · Joliet
Joliet Area Historical Museum
Local history museum in an old church, with Route 66 exhibits.
Food stops
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Springfield
Cozy Dog Drive In
The home of the corn dog on a stick, on Route 66.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Litchfield
Ariston Cafe
The oldest family-run Route 66 restaurant, serving since 1924.
- Farm shop
Farm shop · ShirleyHidden gem
Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup
A family maple syrup farm on Route 66, selling "sirup" since the 1800s.
- Café
Café · Chicago
Lou Mitchell's
The classic Route 66 breakfast diner, with donut holes while you wait.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · ChicagoHidden gem
Superdawg Drive-In
A 1948 drive-in where carhops deliver Chicago-style hot dogs.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Willowbrook
Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket
Family chicken-basket roadhouse on the old road, going since the 1940s and still busy.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · BraidwoodHidden gem
Polk-A-Dot Drive In
1956 walk-up burger drive-in with a lot full of pop-culture statues.
- Café
Café · AtlantaHidden gem
Palms Grill Cafe
Route 66 cafe reopened in 2009 inside a historic Arch Street storefront in tiny Atlanta.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · McLean
Dixie Travel Plaza
One of Route 66's oldest truck stops, going since 1928 as the Dixie Truckers Home.
Places to stay
More regions
- California
- Texas
- Oregon
- Colorado
- Florida
- Washington
- Utah
- Arizona
- Michigan
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Hawaii
- Montana
- Alaska
- Wyoming
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- Georgia
- Kansas
- Virginia
- Idaho
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- Maine
- South Carolina
- Nebraska
- New York
- Kentucky
- Pennsylvania
- North Dakota
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Ohio
- Indiana
- New Hampshire
- Mississippi
- Vermont
- Massachusetts
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- New Jersey
- Rhode Island
- West Virginia
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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