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Illinois Holiday - 'Chicago, Illinois' - courtesy digging90650 - CC-BY

Being a Midwestern state, one thing Illinois can offer is a plethora of Summer and Autumn festivals, a common tourist feature of the Midwest and Western Appalachia.  There are food festivals, wine festivals, pumpkin and squash festivals and an assortment of county fairs, each with a uniqueness of its own.

You can also check out international events such as the NASCAR Busch and the Craftsman Truck Series.  Visit the John Hancock Observatory in Chicago or how about the Superman Museum in Metropolis, Ilinois.

While in Chicago there are attractions for history buffs such as the Field Museum and the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago with its great archaeological collections.  Chicago also offers all the amenities of a large city and a vibrant night life.

Northern Illinois is a region of sweeping landscapes, forested vistas, idyllic farmlands and small friendly towns.  You will find such things as the Albany Indian Mounds State Historic Site, and the Forest Preserve District of Kankakee River Valley.  Northern Illinois is great for the nature lover.

Southern Illinois has a rich historic heritage, spectacular national forest, and two great rivers, The Ohio and Mississippi.  There are unique shops, great restaurants, and riverboat gambling.

Western Illinois, sometimes called “River Country,” has the Mississippi River as its western boundary and the Illinois River bordering it on the east. The oldest European settlement in Illinois, Creve Coeur, is on the Illinois River. You will find hiking and biking trails, winter roosting places of the bald eagle, and scenic drives. Western Illinois also has many historic settlements, antique shops and specialty shops.

This only skims the surface of what there is to see and do during an Illinois vacation.

For more information about Illinois travel and tourism