Explore Illinois
Illinois has seven scenic byways, among them Route 66, which begins in Chicago, and the Historic National Road, which the Federal Highway Administration describes as the nation's first federally funded interstate highway. The Great River Road runs 550 miles along the Mississippi in Illinois.
Around 53 breweries sit near the stops we cover in Illinois. 19 of them are brewpubs with a kitchen, which off the motorway is often the useful part. The kitchen figure is a floor: the source lists some full restaurants as production sites.
Brewpub locations from Open Brewery DB (MIT)
Historic Sites and Attractions
6 in Illinois, by town.
- Hours
- Open Daily 6 a.m. - 11 p.m., Free Admission source
- Admission
- Open Daily 6 a.m. - 11 p.m., Free Admission source
- Season
- City page gives one year-round daily schedule for the park; only the Welcome Center has seasonal hours.
Cloud Gate, nicknamed "The Bean", is an Anish Kapoor sculpture in Millennium Park that the park's foundation describes as mixing architecture with optical illusion. The park is free and open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- City page notes construction in the park: East and West restrooms by the Jay Pritzker Pavilion closed; Lurie Garden south walkway closed
- Art facts come from the Millennium Park Foundation (nonprofit at the same address), not the city
Run by City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) runs Millennium Park
- Hours
- Monday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm source
- Admission
- Paid parking is available in a number of Chicago Park District lots in the area. source
- Season
- Not stated; same hours listed for all days.
A Chicago Park District park that holds the free Lincoln Park Zoo, a conservatory, the Chicago History Museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and five playgrounds, one with a water spray feature.
- Very large park (page: 1,188.62 acres, Ohio Street Beach north to Ardmore Avenue); zoo, conservatory and museums inside have their own operators and hours
- Park District posted a Lakefront Trail maintenance alert 9/15/26
Run by Chicago Park District
- Hours
- The 606 park and trail system is open every day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. source
- Admission
- Page does not mention a fee or say it is free.
- Season
- Not stated.
An elevated trail set above city streets for biking, running and strolling; it connects four ground-level neighbourhood parks, an observatory and art installations. Open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- No street address or access points on the page (it links to a map)
- Town given as Chicago; the page does not name the neighbourhoods it crosses
Run by Chicago Park District
- Hours
- Mon 11–5 Tue Closed Wed 11–5 Thu 11–8 Fri–Sun 11–5 source
- Admission
- Adult $32 Seniors (65+) $26 Students $26 Teens (14-17) $26 Children Free source
- Season
- No seasonal schedule given; page says it keeps regular hours on Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4th and Labor Day.
An art museum on South Michigan Avenue where children under 14 get in free; its Ryan Learning Center has hands-on creative activities, including making a custom museum tour with JourneyMaker. Free guided gallery tours run daily at 1:00 and 3:00.
- Closed Tuesdays
- Some special exhibitions need an extra paid ticket
- Bags larger than 13 x 17 x 4 inches must be checked
- Hours and fees quotes join table cells with spaces
Run by The Art Institute of Chicago
- Hours
- A street district; the association page gives no hours.
- Admission
- The association page states no fee or that it is free.
- Season
- Not stated.
A downtown Chicago district that its business association promotes for shopping, dining and tourism.
- Only source found is the district's business association, not a city page
- No street extent or boundaries given on the page
Run by The Magnificent Mile Association (non-profit district association; the streets themselves are city streets, not confirmed from a city page)
- Hours
- Monday - Friday Tours from: 10 am - 1 pm Shop Open: 9 am - 5 pm source
- Admission
- $15 General, $13 Trust member source
- Season
- Closed: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year's Day and January 2. source
An 1888 downtown office building by Burnham and Root whose skylit central light court was remodelled by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905; the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust runs weekday guided tours. The Trust says it does not recommend its interior tours for children under 8.
- Visits are guided tours on weekdays only; the Trust advises buying tickets in advance
- Trust does not recommend interior tours for children under 8; all guests need a ticket
- Whether the lobby can be entered outside a tour is not stated on either page
- Hours quote joins separate page lines with spaces
Run by Tours: Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. Building: private office building (therookerybuilding.com footer reads 'MANAGED BY' with a link to Golub & Company)
This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. Opening times and prices here are quoted from each operator’s own page on the date we read it, and both change without notice. Where this list says an operator does not publish their hours or their price, that is what we found on their page — 1 of these publish no hours and 2 state no price. A blank is not “free” and not “always open”, so ring ahead where it matters. Every name above links to that page.
Roadside oddities in Illinois
American Giants MuseumQuirky museumAtlanta
- Cost to see it
- Donation
- When you can see it
- Seasonal — not open all year
- Nearest road
- Route 66 / I-55
Museum devoted to fiberglass Muffler Men and roadside giants.
- Open seasonally, not all year
Read on the page we checked
Paul Bunyon Hot Dog GiantGiant statue / World's largestAtlanta
- Cost to see it
- Free
- When you can see it
- Any time — outdoors, visible from the road
- Nearest road
- Route 66 / I-55
Muffler Man clutching a giant hot dog.
Read on the page we checked
GIGANTARGiant statue / World's largestJoliet
- Cost to see it
- Free
- When you can see it
- Any time — outdoors, visible from the road
- Nearest road
- Route 66
24-foot guitar shaped like a Route 66 shield, lit at night.
Read on the page we checked
Gemini GiantGiant statue / World's largestWilmington
- Cost to see it
- Free
- When you can see it
- Any time — outdoors, visible from the road
- Nearest road
- Route 66 (IL-53)
Space-helmeted Muffler Man holding a rocket, relocated to a park.
Read on the page we checked
These are things you can go and look at, not a recommendation of any of them. Oddities move, get sold and quietly disappear more than anything else we list, so check anything you are driving a long way for. Some sit on private land and can only be seen from the road — please do not go onto anyone’s property. Every entry links the page we read it off.
