Illinois Travel Guide

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Top Things to See

Chicago Pumping Station
Visit the handsome 19th-century Chicago Pumping Station - a landmark that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and houses a tourist information center.

Chicago's observation towers
View the skyline from one of Chicago's many soaring skyscrapers' observation towers, including the Willis Tower (www.willistower.com) and the John Hancock Center (www.hancockobservatory.com).

Chicago's Navy Pier
Take a walk along Chicago's Navy Pier (www.navypier.com), the largest recreational pier in the USA. Attractions include an open-air theater, botanical gardens, the Chicago Children's Museum (www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org) plus a giant ferris wheel standing 15 storys high and offering the best view of the famous Chicago skyline.

Cahokia Mounds
Tour the intriguing earthen burial mounds at Cahokia Mounds (http://cahokiamounds.org), a relic of the most sophisticated prehistoric Native American community north of Mexico.

Springfield
Follow history in Springfield, where Abraham Lincoln married, began his legal career and lived in the only home he ever owned. Attractions include Lincoln's Tomb (a State Historical Site), the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (www.alplm.org/home.html) and the Illinois State Museum (www.museum.state.il.us).

New Salem State Park
Travel back in time at the New Salem State Park and tour a recreation of the pioneer community as it was in Lincoln's day.

Top Things to Do

Attend an American Football game
The Chicago Bears (www.chicagobears.com) play from September to December at Soldier Field.

Take in abaseball game
Illinois's baseball teams, Chicago Cubs (http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com) and Chicago White Sox (http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com), play during the summer months at Wrigley Field and US Cellular Field.

Attend a basketball game
Enjoy the fast-paced action when the Chicago Bulls (www.nba.com/bulls) take to the basketball court from January to April at the United Center, which is also home to the ice hockey team, the Chicago Blackhawks (http://blackhawks.nhl.com)

Tee off on one of the many golf courses
Illinois has the highest number of public and championship golf courses in the USA; there are about 700 of these, 200 of which can be found in the immediate 'Chicagoland' area.

Enjoy the music at the Annual Chicago Blues Festival
International, national and local artists perform on over five stages at the largest free-admission blues festival in the world, held in June (www.chicagobluesfestival.org).

Visit Chicago's top museums
Browse more than 2,000 exhibits at The Museum of Science & Industry (www.msichicago.org) in Chicago. Visit the Field Museum of Natural History, which spans the development of the universe from 4.5 billion years ago to the present day; the John G Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium; and the Adler Planetarium, which features the Sky Dome.

Track down Chicago's outdoor sculptures
Track down Chicago's numerous outdoor sculptures by artists such as Picasso, Miro, Moore, Chagall and Calder. Tour the Art Institute of Chicago (www.artic.edu), one of the world's leading art museums, and savour art ranging from Monet to Warhol and French impressionists.

Enjoy Illinois's theme parks
Ride one of the 12 rollercoasters at Six Flags Great America Amusement Park (www.sixflags.com) in Chicago or cool down in the Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.