Illinois

Craving crispy schnitzel, house-made sausages, and a plate of sauerkraut that tastes like home cooking? Illinois has a…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 11

Illinois does not usually come to mind when people picture covered bridges, yet the state quietly keeps a…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 11

Some places make sweets, and some places turn sweets into a tradition that families pass down like heirlooms.…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 10

Everyone races to Starved Rock, but the smarter crowd slips down the road to a park where the…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 10

Cars roll in, a speaker crackles to life, and within minutes a red cardboard box arrives at the…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 10

Illinois has taco spots on nearly every corner, but only a handful earn the kind of loyalty that…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 9

Illinois has plenty of big-city dining, but some of the best steaks in the state sit in towns…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 9

Some Illinois towns are small enough to drive through in a minute, but their breakfast spots have people…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 9

There is a small shop along the Illinois River in Peoria where the flavor list keeps changing and…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 8

There is a certain kind of place where the parking lot tells you everything before you ever open…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 8

Supper clubs feel like a slice of the Midwest that refuses to go out of style. In Illinois,…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 8

Illinois hides some of its best doughnuts in towns you might drive right past. These small bakeries open…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 7

Illinois may be a landlocked state, but that has never stopped its towns from serving some seriously good…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 7

Downtown Alton hides a little cafe that has been feeding hungry regulars for more than two decades, and…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 7

Deep in the rolling hills of southern Illinois sits a short trail that rewards a light walk with…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 6

Illinois hides some of its best pie behind screen doors in towns you might blow right past on…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 6

Highway signs have a funny way of planting an idea that just will not leave. For years, travelers…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 6

Somewhere in the middle of Illinois sits a county seat where the streets stay quiet, the neighborhoods stay…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 5

Fried catfish has quietly become one of the tastiest reasons to take a road trip across Illinois. From…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 5

Illinois has a serious sweet tooth, and some of the best proof lives in small towns where family…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 5

Pie is one of those foods that turns an ordinary drive into a reason to hit the road.…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 4

Some roadside stops promise a quick bite and nothing more, but a certain little diner in Illinois hands…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 4

Illinois grows a lot more than corn and soybeans, and a handful of restaurants make sure you taste…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 4

Illinois has plenty of grocery store meat counters, but a handful of small-town markets still do things the…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 3

Some places do not chase trends. They just keep doing what they do well, decade after decade, until…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 3

Some families set an alarm on autumn weekends just to beat the crowds to a sprawling orchard where…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 3

Illinois has more shoreline than most people expect, and not all of it comes with a big-city price…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 2

Fall in Illinois goes by fast, and apple season is one of the best reasons to get outside…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 2

Illinois may be famous for corn and deep dish pizza, but the state also takes its cheese seriously.…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 2

Central Illinois holds a place where floors creak softly under your feet, colored glass filters the afternoon light,…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 1

Somewhere in northern Illinois, a wooden pathway floats over water so still that it seems to hold its…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 1

Illinois might make you think of cornfields and city skylines, but the state quietly grows some serious grapes.…

By Lincoln Avery · Sep 1

Illinois takes its sandwiches seriously, and the best spots are not the ones you see on every corner.…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 31

A great Reuben is a simple idea done right. You need good corned beef or pastrami, tangy sauerkraut,…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 31

Some of the best meals in central Illinois hide behind plain storefronts that give away almost nothing. A…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 31

Friday fish fry season is basically a full-time hobby in Illinois, and everybody seems to have a favorite…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 30

A fast burger does not have to mean a frozen patty and a long wait. Across Illinois, plenty…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 30

A sandwich so drenched in savory juice that people willingly wrap it in four layers of paper before…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 30

There is a small shop on Chicago’s Southwest Side where the line often stretches out the door, and…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 29