Illinois Castles & palaces, Flowers, People + Winter pictures

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The heart of the Midwest’s glittering metropolis has many offerings, from shopping and dining to parks, museums and exciting contemporary public art.

A ferris wheel, shopping, restaurants and more can be found in this waterfront  entertainment district.

A modern metropolis on the shores of Lake Michigan that’s defined by a love for fine art, baseball and the blues.

Browse through over 300 stores, restaurants and specialty shops at Schaumburg’s expansive shopping mall, one of the largest in the United States.

The lodge provides a luxurious base from which to explore trails leading to bluffs and canyons of this riverside park. Try ice climbing and eagle spotting in winter.

Interact with animals and watch them feeding in this eclectic zoo with a rainforest section, a carousel and a Junior Zookeeper Program.

Take a tour of Evanston’s 19th-century lighthouse, which was once used to guide ships into Chicago Harbor and today stands as an eye-catching lakeside landmark.

A modern metropolis on the shores of Lake Michigan that’s defined by a love for fine art, baseball and the blues.

Built by famed 19th-century architects and renovated in 1907 by Frank Lloyd Wright, this early skyscraper is a great stop on a Chicago architecture tour.

Piece together the history of art around the world through the varied galleries of this large museum with a focus on pre-Columbian and Asian art.

Chicago’s front yard is a pretty landscaped park, which is home to public art displays, museums, themed gardens and international music festivals.

The lodge provides a luxurious base from which to explore trails leading to bluffs and canyons of this riverside park. Try ice climbing and eagle spotting in winter.

Leave the skyscrapers of Chicago behind by escaping inland to tranquil gardens that feature model railroads, a vast array of trees and peaceful ponds.

Take a tour of Evanston’s 19th-century lighthouse, which was once used to guide ships into Chicago Harbor and today stands as an eye-catching lakeside landmark.

Imagine the way of life for settlers who moved to the Midwest in the 19th century as you wander around the grounds of a historic village in Naperville. 

A dynamic village and suburb of Chicago with shopping centers, comedy clubs and a restaurant where you can watch medieval jousts. 

Leave the skyscrapers of Chicago behind by escaping inland to tranquil gardens that feature model railroads, a vast array of trees and peaceful ponds.

Learn about one of the most revered presidents of the United States through museum artifacts and presidential papers.

Explore art, science, history and technology exhibits, plus an expansive planetarium and a riverfront sculpture garden, at Peoria’s premier museum.  

This enormous art deco installation gives free regular water and light shows symbolizing the power and might of Lake Michigan.

From barhopping to visiting museums, this college town and Silicon Prairie hub offers plenty to see and do.

Leave the skyscrapers of Chicago behind by escaping inland to tranquil gardens that feature model railroads, a vast array of trees and peaceful ponds.

Imagine the way of life for settlers who moved to the Midwest in the 19th century as you wander around the grounds of a historic village in Naperville. 

Bird life, paved paths and a built-in music venue give one of Chicago’s newest green spaces much to offer to nature lovers, exercisers and music fans.