ABOUT ILLINOIS

llinois has numerous museums. The state of the art Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield is the largest presidential library in the country. These numerous museums in the city of Chicago are considered some of the best in the world. These include the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Science and Industry. The Museum of Science and Industry is the only building remaining from the 1893 Columbian Exposition held in Chicago to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of the new world.

The Illinois state park system began in 1908 with what is now Fort Massac State Park becoming the first park in a system encompassing over 60 parks and about the same number of recreational and wildlife areas. Areas under the protection and control of the National Park Service include the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor near Lockport, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, and the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Illinois has something fun for everyone. Take a ride to the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago. The top of North America's tallest building gives you a panoramic view of the architecture, neighborhoods and lake that make Chicago unique. Catch a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, one of America's smallest, oldest, and best-loved ballparks. Find just about anything you can imagine along The Magnificent Mile, Chicago's upscale shopping district on North Michigan Avenue. Catch a glimpse of history at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and National Historic Site in Springfield or the Ulysses S. Grant State Historic Site in Galena. This brick house, with original furnishings, looks very much as it did in 1865 when a group of townspeople presented it as a gift to Ulysses S. Grant on his victorious return from the Civil War. Plus no camping adventure would be complete without a refreshing stop at Magic Waters Waterpark in Cherry Valley. Towering skyscrapers, colorful neighborhoods, wonderful museums, friendly local folk-is it any wonder that the Windy City crops up on so many "Best City" lists? Visit, or re-visit, Chicago's premier attractions at Museum Campus on the Lake Michigan shorefront: Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium/Oceanarium (the largest indoor aquarium in the world), and the Field Museum of Natural History. Later, collapse on a bench in Grant Park and take in a free concert or watch the passing parade of in-line skaters, bikers, joggers, and kite-flyers.