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Illinois offers an abundance of both urban and outdoor recreational activities throughout the state. (Photo courtesy Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.)
Nature lovers can revel in over 60 state parks, managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Children and adults alike will appreciate the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, which offers free admission, as well as the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington and the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield. Attractions managed by the National Park Service include the Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail, the Lincoln Home of Abraham Lincoln, and the Trail of Tears National Historical Trail. History buffs can explore over 1,400 historic sites and districts in the Prairie State. Illinois hosts the Ladd Arboretum and Ecology Center in Chicago, the Morton Arboretum and Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden, and numerous botanical gardens throughout the state.
The city of Chicago prides itself as one of the world’s great cities, and provides every imaginable urban pursuit. Chicago boasts one of the top symphonies in the United States, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which hosts over 150 performances every year. Lovers of plays and musicals will enjoy companies in Chicago such as the Chicago Theatre, with its splendid Baroque design, the Goodman Theatre, established in 1925, and the Steppenwolf Theatre with its permanent ensemble.
Chicago hosts many renowned museums. Most notable among these are the Field Museum of Natural History, which children and dinosaur fans will immediately appreciate for its Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, Sue; the Adler Planetarium; and the Shedd Aquarium. All three museums are located on the Museum Campus, a park on the waterfront surrounding the museums. The Art Institute of Chicago also offers a museum in addition to its school. Other museums in the Windy City include the DuSable Museum of African American History, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Illinois boast several professional teams for sports aficionados to enjoy. The Chicago Cubs play Major League Baseball within the second oldest baseball stadium in the country, Wrigley Field. Chicago also hosts the Chicago White Sox in Major League Baseball, who play at U.S. Cellular Field. Football fans can cheer the Chicago Bears, basketball fans have the Chicago Bulls, and hockey fans will appreciate the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago also offers a remarkable array of neighborhoods, ethnicities, shopping, and dining experiences which enrich both Illinois and the United States with this gem of the Midwest.
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