Top Camping Places to Go in Illinois

Camping Gems - Places to Go in Illinois Springfield - the Land of Lincoln Take a history tour by visiting the Lincoln Home at 8th and Jackson in Springfield. As you tour this simple home where the Lincoln's lived for 17 years (1844-1861), keep in mind that this is the only home President Lincoln ever owned. Next you can head to the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices (6th and Adams, 217-785-7289). Lincoln worked here with his partners from 1843 until he became President. (Tickets available on a first come, first serve basis, at the Lincoln Home Visitor Center, 426 South 7th Street, 217-492-4150) Illinois and Michigan Canal Completed in 1848, the Illinois & Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River watershed along a longstanding Indian portage route. The 97-mile canal extended from the Chicago River near Lake Michigan to the Illinois River at Peru, Illinois. The towpath trail along the canal is a State park that runs through a rural and wooded landscape linking a number of towns laid out by the original canal commission. Art Institute of Chicago Here you will find the Galleries of Ancient Art, the Galleries of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Art, the Galleries of Modern Art (1900-1950), and the Thorne Miniature Rooms. They also feature an internationally recognized collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. (111 S Michigan Ave, 312-443-3535) Adams Wildlife Sanctuary, Springfield As you stroll their 1 mile nature trail, you'll discover a historic 1857 house, a woodland area, and a restored prairie right in the heart of downtown. (2315 Clear Lake Ave, 217-544-5781) Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Tracing the courses of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail stretches through 11 states. The Trail winds over mountains, along rivers, through plains and high deserts, and extends to the wave-lapped Pacific coast. Washington Park Botanical Gardens, Springfield Here you'll find a domed conservatory bursting with tropical foliage, formal rose gardens, perennial gardens, and scent and texture gardens. While you are in Washington Park, you'll want to stop by the Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon to see lovely gardens, a reflective pool, and the 3rd largest bell tower in the world. (1740 W Fayette Ave 217-753-6228) Adler Planetarium, Chicago Enjoy an astronomy and space exploration museum, ride the "Stairway to the Stars" special-effects escalator up to the Sky Theater, and then watch one of the sky shows that will whisk you by planets, moons, stars, and distant galaxies. If you want to plan your visit so you attend the 8:00 p.m. Friday night Sky Show you can even get a live telescope view of outer space from the Adler observatory. (1300 S Lake Shore Drive, 312-922-7827)