Illinois

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

Deep-dish pizza is one of the things Illinois is truly famous for, and Chicago basically wrote the rulebook…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 29

Some of the best road-trip meals in Illinois are hiding behind fuel pumps. Across the state, gas stations…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 29

Some places measure their success in decades, and a certain lunch counter in central Illinois has been building…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 28

A tiny town where two great American rivers meet has quietly become a favorite landing spot for people…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 28

There is a spot in southern Illinois where riders roll in with a shopping list and roll out…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 28

Some places sell food. Others sell a full-on comedy act with a side of fries. There is a…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 27

Some autumn spots make you plan the whole day around them, packing snacks, comfy shoes, and a camera…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 27

Some desserts are worth a short car ride. This one is worth an hour behind the wheel, and…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 27

Just a short road trip from the towers of downtown Chicago, a stretch of land trades city noise…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 26

Illinois has a quieter side that many drivers zoom right past, and it centers on the Amish communities…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 26

Tucked into the southern tip of Illinois sits a 2,430-acre stretch of woods where sandstone bluffs rise out…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 26

Brass keys still open the doors here, and creaky wooden floors greet you before the front desk clerk…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 25

Illinois barbecue does not always live in the big cities. Some of the best ribs come from small…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 25

Some places barely need a sign because the parking lot fills up on its own. In one Illinois…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 25

There is a stretch of northwestern Illinois where high rock bluffs rise straight up from the water and…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 24

Central Illinois hides a family farm where kids feed goats for a quarter, wagons roll through rows heavy…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 24