What to do in Illinois
 

We are travelling across Illinois, problay the southern part next summer, with a teenager.
We will be camping, and like scenic drives, no nightlife, like peace and quiet.

We like to do walking tours, and nice little quait towns to check out, off the beaten path.

What is the must-do's in Illinois?

We are on our way from the east coast, to the North Dakota.

thanks in advance.

Downtown Springfield with its Lincoln and other historic places is interesting. Time your visit for a week day, because some of the most interesting are closed on weekends.

Farther south (near St Louis), Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is pretty cool.

Keith

Da Bearsssss

Check out Giant City State Park near Carbondale:

http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R5/GC.HTM

Bring your deet. My kids got plastered with ticks when we went to a farm near Carbondale. I won't even talk about the mosquitos.

Some of Illinois' most quaint places are at the very southern tip of the state. There are lovely hills and forests, lakes and parks. Having gone to So Ill Univ in Carbondale, I spent a good amount of time in the area.

Giant City is nice, I agree. There is also Bald Knob (highest hill in So. Ill) which is just outside the town of Alto Pass, south of Carbondale. There is a large cross on the top of the Knob. The view is awesome! The town of Alto Pass is very quaint. Crab Orchard Lake is also near C'dale, as is Little Grassy Lake, if your route is really that "southern"... You didn't say. If it is only as far south as the I-70 St Louis area, you will miss these great places.
Enjoy your trip.

A second for Cahokia Mounds. I have family in Vandalia, so I have driven by there a million times. Finally stopped last summer and I loved it! The museum is really in-depth and interesting, with lots of hands-on displays. My then-15-yr-old sister thought it was great! If you go, make sure to hike up the taller "mound" opposite the visitor center/museum for a great view of St. Louis! Also when we were there last summer, there was some sort of festival - American Indian storytelling, beadwork, etc. - kind of a frontier days type of thing.

If you make an overnight stop in the St. Louis vicinity, I recommend the Drury Inn/Suites in Collinsville, IL. We stayed there last summer - very nice hotel, nice pool/exercise room, clean, and very close to Cahokia. Have fun!

Birdie,

Check out this website:

http://shawneetourism.com/index.php

Shawnee National Forest is beautiful. There is a lot of good hiking in that area. Garden of the Gods is serene. Cave In Rock has a nice State Park that borders the Ohio River. I love this area. We frequently work in Harrisburg and I love to drive the back roads in the early evening hours--so peaceful.

Check out Starved Rock State Park in the town of Utica on I-80 at the 81 mile marker exit. It's on the way out west.It's a great park for hiking,camping and exploring.

Metropolis has the big Superman statue and annual festival.

Wow Birdie, you are planning quite a trip for next summer! If you decide to drive along the Ohio River and stop at Ripley and Cincinnati for their Underground Railroad links, I would suggest limiting yourselves to the central part of Illinois.

You must go to Springfield and New Salem so that your teen can see the area where Abraham Lincoln grew up and learn how Illinois shaped this Kentucky born lad for the Presidency. St. Louis is a great city and the SL Arch includes a great museum on the Lewis & Clark expedition and westward expansion. Cahokia Mounds is also worth the detour.

If time allows, you might want to follow the Mississippi River north to Hannibal Missouri noted for its Tom Sawyer/Mark Twain literary connections. By continuing to follow the river northward you could visit Arsenal Island in the Quad City area between Rock Island IL and Davenport IA. Located in the middle of the Mississippi where the river runs east west, this island contains a weapons arsenal (One of Woodrow Wilson's arsenals of democracy in WWI), Lock & Dam #15 Visitor's Center, and a Civil War Cemetary for Confederate dead as it was the location of a prison camp during the Civil War.

By continuing north along the river, you will reach Dubuque Iowa. Less than ten miles to the east is Galena Illinois, a former Mississippi River steamship port, lead mining town, and home to General US Grant after the Civil War before he won the Presidency. Galena is a very touristy town, but it has a rich history and retains many of its red brick buildings that were constructed in the mid 1800's when this boom town's population was greater than the city of Chicago.

After leaving Galena, you're on your own... I might suggest continuing along the Great River Road as far as La Crosse Wisconsin before returning to the interstate. Hopefully someone in Wisconsin or Minnesota will have suggestions for continuing on to North Dakota and beyond.

Just to add to some previous postings. Both Giant City and Starved Rock State Parks have beautiful historic lodges built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Both are very nice state parks for camping and hiking as well.

If you go to Giant City SP, make sure to go to Makanda. It is a small town near there with a few artisan shops on its "boardwalk". The Makanda/Alto Pass area is a must for scenic drives. You can also take Rte. 3 up to Chester (where Popeye's creature is from) for gorgeous views of the river.

Cairo, at the far southern tip of IL, is neat because the rivers meet there. I wouldn't plan to stay over night there. The town is now really run down and can be pretty dangerous. A very poverty stricken area.

Dixon Springs is nice (I believe it is still in Johnson County) with lots of hiking. You can get some good food in golconda and near the entrance to the park, you'll find the Chocolate Factory. They have great chocolate and make it in all sorts of fun shapes.

You should also check out the regional newspaper (www.southernillinoisan.com) for local news. There are loads of festivals in Southern Illinois (we like our area so much, we capitalize it :) in the summer and fall.

Katherine22, how high is the water in Cairo now? I keep reading of the water rising higher and higher..

52'6" as of today. Flood stage is 40'.

Yeah, now is definitely not the time to visit!