Illinois

Illinois
Arcola
Rockome Gardens (America’s only Amish amusement park)

Charleston
Abe Lincoln (world’s biggest)

Chicago
Giordano's (1st Chicago-style stuffed pizza; since 1974)
Marshall Fields (gourmet cafe- 7 oz steaks)
Twinkie factory
The Backyard Bistro (culinary school dining, lunch)
Navy Pier (summer fireworks, amusement rides, cruises, IMAX, Shakespeare)
Sugar (dessert bar)
Carol’s Cookies (enormous, slightly undercooked)
Bobak Sausage Co (Polish food)
Goose Island Shrimp House (fried)
Vee Vee’s (stewed goat)
Lincolntown Gyros (gyros, souvlaki)
Potbelly Sandwich Works (Italian deli)
Irazu (Costa Rican rest)
Museum of Science and Industry (model trains)
Gino’s East Pizzeria (deep-dish)
Greek Town (Halstead St)
Greek Islands (restaurant)
Myron and Phil’s (steak, fresh-garlic burnt onions)
Calvin’s BBQ (side dish- spaghetti w/ barbecue sauce, ribs)
Hot Doug’s (many varieties of meat)
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
Zephyr (ice cream)
Field Museum (walk thru Egyptian pyramid, man-eater lions of Tsavo)
Ditka’s (Mike Ditka’s restaurant, smashed potato)
White Palace Grill (24/7, homemade; huge menu: veal, Greek chicken, blue plate)
Grinders (choose your own combinations)
Paradise Pub (Polish sausage, Chicago dogs, chedder burgers, Italian meat)
Glenn's Diner (breakfast all day: pancakes, 35 cereals; 16 kinds of fish: catfish, barramundi, walleye, sturgeon, trout, tilapia; sandwiches, sea scallops)
Cemita Pueblas (cemitas, carne asada, taco arabe)3
Pizzeria Uno (the original one is at Navy Pier; deep-dish pizza)
Vito & Nick's (thin crust, Italian beef pizza, egg and fried pepperoni pizza; since 1946)3
Kuma's Corner (burgers with unusual toppings and named after metal bands: Rollin' a Slayer, eggs, poached pears, chili)3
Ed Debevic's (waiters with attitude, jukebox on table; burgers, cheese fries, sundae)
Nick's Pizza
Al's Italian Beef (since 1938; the Polish, dipped Italian beef sandwich--mild)
Sear's Tower
Lucky's Sandwich Co. (large sandwiches, coleslaw, onion rings, fries)


Collinsville
World’s Largest Ketchup Bottle

Dahinda
The Barn (room w/ continental breakfast)

Gays
Double-Decker Outhouse

Glen View (outside Chicago)
Hackney’s on Harms (Inside-out burger, Hackney burger, onion rings)

Harvard
Milk Drinking Contest (June)

Lincolnwood
Lou Malnatti's (deep-dish pizza, chocolate-chip pizza)

Mattoen
Bagel Festival (home of Lenders, free bagel breakfast, July)

Moline
Whitey’s Ice Cream (26 thick milkshake flavors)

O'Fallon
17th Street Bar and Grill (award-winning, apple wood used)

Pontiac
Old Log Cabin Restaurant

Rantoul
Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch (corn maze)

Rockford
Rosie's Diner (from Bounty commercial; fried bologna sandwich, cobblestone French toast, biscuits and gravy, pies, desserts; mini-golf motif)

Rockland
Jim’s Rib Haven

Shawshay
GCS Ballpark (cheeseburger with bacon in between Krispy Kreme donut)

Springfield
Cozy Dog (hot dog on stick)
Illinois State Fair (Aug)
Shea’s Gas Station Museum
State Military Museum (General Santa Ana’s prosthetic leg)
Charlie Parker's (breakfast)

Willowbrook
Dell-Rhea's Chicken Basket (since 1930s; mashed potatoes, corn fritters, chicken: fried, potpie, gizzards, roasted, dumpling, wings)3


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Chestnut Mountain Resort (indoor pool, sleigh rides, snowshoeing)
Starved Rock State Park (sandstone canyons)