A Travel Guide to Illinois
Illinois is a Mid-Western state lying towards the easternmost side of the USA. It has many neighbours. Wisconsin forms its most northerly border with Iowa to its northwest. Missouri runs down the western border until it touches finger to finger with Kentucky on the south and finally Indiana completes the neighbourhood on its eastern side. The only un-landlocked reprieve exists to the northeast where its most populous city of Chicago shares the area of the Five Lakes with seven other US states and Canada.
The numerous inland lakes besides the Northern lake region lends itself naturally to boating and fishing. These are looked after by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The IDNR also overlook historic trails such as the section of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail which details one of the most important passages to be carved by early pioneers running from the Midwest of the United States to the Pacific Ocean. These paths are often enjoyed by hikers, bikers and those on horseback. There are also numerous Parks and Reserves dedicated to birds, animals, and flora, indigenous and migrant. The list is numerous in Illinois due to its controls, though licenses can be bought for hunting as well as fishing. There are many recreational activities including improving your outdoors skills and when the season turns colder then you can always turn your hand to snowmobiling.
Illinois has been a fortunate state for several eminent politicians. It has been responsible for the election of three presidents who were living here at the time: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and the current president Barack Obama and not forgetting President Ronald Reagan who was born in Dixon and raised in Tampico, Illinois. There is a museum dedicated to this president in Tampico and there are plans to further commemorate him in Dixon too. One of the most significant presidents of the United States is undoubtedly Abraham Lincoln and he is commemorated too with many exhibits in Springfield – the State’s capital. In other towns near the capital there are also other exhibits and historical references to this prestigious president.
For those who seek more hedonistic pursuits then there is no better place to revel than the north-eastern side of Illinois, where the famous Lake Michigan spills out onto the freshwater beaches of Chicago. The Magnificent Mile is filled with shops that fill the bags with fashion items. Michelin starred restaurants beckon the gourmet with exquisite global and local cuisine. Then as the day fades and falls into night, the cabaret and nightclubs light the Chicago landscape reflecting off the lapping shores.
There is plenty of rental accommodation available in Illinois from rustic log cabins near the Reserves, State Parks and Shawnee National Forest to period style townhouses and apartments in the State capital of Springfield, as well as other major cities and towns and of course Chicago.
