Here’s Our Best & Worst Things From Illinois

Shae and I recently left Illinois having spent about 8 weeks in the 7th state on our 5 year, 50 state road trip.

During that time, we stayed in nine different cities – Savanna, Peoria, Manteno, Chicago, Naperville, Marion, Schaumburg, Springfield and Litchfield.

We’d been told beforehand that, other than Chicago, there wasn’t much to do in Illinois. Even though it wasn’t my favorite state so far on our road trip, we still managed to find a bunch of interesting things to do in the state.

Here’s a look back at some of our favorite – and not so favorite – things from our time in Illinois.

Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At

Stephen – I think I’d have to go for the Kimpton Gray Hotel in Chicago. It’s not normally somewhere we’d be able to afford to stay, but we had some free night certificates from our old IHG credit cards.

I also enjoyed the Airbnb we stayed at in Savanna. It was spacious, the owner was incredibly friendly, there was a fenced-in backyard for Truffles and it was only a few minutes walk to Main St.

Shae – Yeah, I really loved both of those. But Savanna’s Airbnb definitely comes top of my list. James, our host, was really great. I loved being able to just walk down to the river and the town itself was cute and welcoming!

Favorite Meal

Stephen – It’s hardly gourmet food, but it was great getting to eat at Nando’s in Chicago seeing as we miss it from living in the UK. Poopy’s in Savanna also had an incredible 1lb burger that I somehow managed to polish off in one sitting.

Even better than those though was Portillo’s – they’re all over, but we got take out from one in Schaumburg. Their combo beef and char-grilled sausage sandwich is incredible and can’t wait to have it again in the future.

Shae – My breakfast from Meli Cafe in Chicago was pretty special. Mom was visiting, which always makes things taste yummier, and I had a crepe called the Symphony which was just that… a symphony of flavors in my mouth.

Most Disappointing Meal

Stephen – I think I’d have to choose the Nutella Cafe in Chicago. The food itself was great but the service was poor, it was crowded, noisy and so the experience was disappointing. Shae returned there with a friend the following week and had a better experience, so we might’ve just had an unlucky experience the first time.

Shae – Yeah, while the Nutella crepe I enjoyed was good, the overall experience at the Nutella Cafe wasn’t great.

Favorite Free Activity

Stephen – Visiting Garden Of The Gods in southern Illinois. It has beautiful views and it was fun getting to clamber over the rock formations.

Shae – I loved taking the free ferry across the Mississippi River from Savanna to Sabula Island, Iowa. I love boats, so anytime I can be on one is a win.

I also LOVED the Contemporary Photography Museum in Chicago. Megan and I went together when she visited for my birthday. While donations are accepted, it is technically free. I saw some really thought-provoking and beautiful images and I’m so glad I got to spend an hour there.

Favorite Paid Activity

Stephen – Visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. It was far more interesting than I’d expected and had a show that was an incredible production for anywhere, let alone a museum.

Shae – The Canine Cruise was all the things I love. Water, boats, city views and puppers! Hands down one of my favorite paid activities in Illinois.

Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity

Stephen – I’ll go for Garden Of The Gods with this one too. It’s a pet-friendly place to visit and near a bunch of other pet-friendly things to do. Climbing up and over rocks also helped Truffles get some of her energy out.

Shae – The dog beaches! One was at Montrose Dog Beach in Chicago. The other, while technically being in Michigan, fell during our Illinois stay so I’m counting it! Kirk Park Dog Beach was amazing! All the pups at play and Truffles didn’t have a bad time either!

Least Favorite Activity

Stephen – Cornfest in Dekalb. We’d deliberately picked Illinois to visit in the summer so we could visit Cornfest, but it we only ended up spending an hour there. It was a couple of streets of food trucks and that was pretty much it.

They did have a few other things going on over that weekend, but it was uncomfortably hot and humid so we didn’t feel like sticking around to see any of it.

Shae – Haha! Whomp whomp…. yes. Cornfest. However, we went to hang out with Jamey and her family so it was really a win.

Favorite Hike

Stephen – I don’t think Garden Of The Gods can really be classed as a hike, so I’ll pick Little Grand Canyon. OK, so we ended up getting lost while there, but up until that point it was an excellent hike.

Shae – Yes, I agree. We didn’t do a lot of hiking in Illinois but this one was beautiful. So much was near the water – and through it – that it made for a beautiful day out.

Favorite Quirky Thing We Did

Stephen – It’s so hard to decide! Hunting for some of the world’s largest attractions in Casey was great. But so was turtle racing at Big Joe’s in Chicago, as was eating at 2Toots Train Whistle Grill where your food is delivered by train.

Ultimately though, I think I’ll have to choose going troll hunting at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. The trolls were amazing pieces of art and I’m definitely glad we went and found them all.

Shae – Ummmmm…. hubs you listed all the things!!  I too loved all of those. But I really enjoyed the Mermaid Swim with my mom and Megan which I think, when it’s a bunch of grown women acting like mermaids, counts as quirky!

Favorite Memory

Stephen – Spending the day in Chicago for Shae’s birthday. Shae’s mom & stepdad had come to visit, as had our friend Megan. We went for drinks at the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building, dinner at Lou Malnati’s and an enormous shared dessert at Margie’s Candies.

Shae – My birthday was pretty special. But, I can’t leave out meeting Instafamous Pup Extraordinaire, Doug the Pug. I got to pet him and look up close at his mooshie little face! Loved it.

Any memory that includes friends and family is always top of my list. Seeing Patty and Ed in Grand Rapids, Megan, Mom and Steve in Chicago, Jamey in DeKalb and my Uncle Ken in Litchfield.

Funniest Moment

Stephen – Seeing Shae’s reaction to all the toilet humor at Poopy’s in Savanna.

Shae – Again, technically not Illinois but during our time there… Being unable to get back up at obstacle 3 during the Insane Inflatable 5K while in Grand Rapids MI.

Additionally… secret birthday shenanigans at Red Lobster for mom’s birthday that shall remain unnamed.

Thing We Most Regretted

Stephen – Other than getting lost in Little Grand Canyon, I’d have to say spending seven nights in Peoria. It was a pretty boring city to visit, so I’d much rather have spent a few extra days somewhere like Manteno or Marion. Despite being much smaller cities, they each had more interesting stuff to do nearby.

Shae – I regret missing out on the town of Pontiac. It was cute and had a fair bit of Route 66 stuff, murals, etc. I think a couple of days there wouldn’t have gone amiss.

I also regret not getting to the Kankakee Visitor Center sooner. It had lovely ladies inside with great tips, was right by our hotel and we only went as we were leaving town.

Something We Missed And Want To See

Stephen – There isn’t one thing that I can think of in particular. Chicago is an amazing city that we only scratched the surface of, so there’s loads more there I’d like to see in the future.

Shae – Lincoln’s grave. I’ve just now realized that I didn’t get to see it. Sniff… Plus a lot in Springfield. I went off on an adventure to visit with my bestie in Indianapolis and so only had a day or two on each end to see all the things. I’d like to go back and see a few more.

Our Biggest Surprise

Stephen – How much I enjoyed the smaller cities like Savanna, Marion and Manteno compared to the larger cities of Peoria and Springfield.

Shae – How much I enjoyed Illinois overall. I didn’t hold out much hope for it going in but was pleasantly surprised. It started off awesome in Savanna and kept on going (except for Peoria) all the way to Litchfield.

My Illinois Drinking Game Would Be…

Stephen – Take a drink every time you see a cornfield. Seriously, those things are EVERYWHERE, although they were probably more noticeable given we visited from July to September. The good thing is that meant getting to experience a fantastic corn maze at Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch.

Shae – Abraham Lincoln stuff. Love them some Abe in Illinois, so it’s not hard to find something Lincoln-related almost anywhere in the state.

Summary Of Illinois In 10 Words Or Less

Stephen – Visit Chicago and smaller cities; more outdoor stuff than expected.

Shae – Better than expected but still not Alabama. Doug the Pug.

Illinois Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite

Stephen – Chicago, Marion, Savanna, Manteno, Springfield, Naperville, Litchfield, Schaumburg and Peoria

Shae – Chicago, Savanna, Naperville, Springfield, Manteno, Schaumburg, Litchfield, Marion and Peoria.