Illinois

Illinois gets a lot of attention for Chicago, but the state is full of smaller towns where daily…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 17

Some places make you earn the view with miles of sweat and blisters. This one hands you sweeping…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 17

There is a spot in the western suburbs of Chicago that quietly wins people over, night after night,…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 16

Illinois has a lot more to offer than just deep-dish pizza in Chicago. Scattered across small towns and…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 16

Some restaurants serve dinner. This one serves a whole afternoon you will remember for weeks. Families load up…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 16

Some places make you want to slow down and stay a while, and this old diner in Springfield…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 15

Tucked into the far northwest corner of Illinois, there is a town where 19th-century brick storefronts still line…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 15

Some of the best morning meals in Illinois hide in towns you might drive past without a second…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 15

Somewhere along the old Mother Road in Illinois sits a diner where the walls tell stories older than…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 14

Somewhere along the old ribbon of Route 66 in Illinois, there is a small roadside spot that has…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 14

Illinois is full of quiet main streets where the best meal of the day might be a slice…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 14

If you have ever daydreamed about slowing down in a place where your dollar goes further, one Illinois…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 13

Illinois is full of small towns where the best meal in town comes from a diner that has…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 13

Illinois has plenty of famous pizza spots, but not all of them sit in the middle of Chicago.…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 13

Somewhere just southwest of Chicago, a growing neighborhood has become a favorite landing spot for people entering their…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 12

Some places don’t need flashy signs or trendy makeovers to earn a following. On a busy Chicago street,…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 12

Somewhere in the rolling farmland of southern Illinois, a set of steep stairs drops down into a sinkhole…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 12

Some places wear their age like a badge of honor, and this little corner spot in rural Illinois…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 11

A short drive from Chicago hides a stretch of Illinois where sandstone canyons, seasonal waterfalls, and wide river…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 11

Some restaurants feel like they belong to another era, the kind where dinner was an evening out rather…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 11

Fried lake perch is one of those Midwest classics that Illinois folks will happily drive across a couple…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 10

Illinois gets a lot of attention for Chicago, but the real slow-down happens in its smaller towns. If…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 10

Tucked into the rolling farmland of western Illinois sits a village of just over a hundred people where…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 10

Central Illinois has a spot where the coffee never runs dry and the corner booth fills with regulars…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 9

Not everyone wants the rush of Chicago traffic or the noise of a big-city commute. Across Illinois, there…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 9

Illinois has more riverfront than most people realize, and some of the best small towns in the state…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 9

Most folks driving through north-central Illinois head straight for the famous sandstone cliffs everyone talks about, never realizing…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 8

Some of the best outdoor spots in Illinois never make the headlines, and this quiet canyon is one…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 8

Somewhere in the quiet suburbs west of Chicago sits a dark, buzzing maze where the video games never…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 7

Some of the best afternoons happen slowly, rolling along at the speed of an old railcar built more…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 7

Just a couple of hours from the noise of Chicago, there is a stretch of Illinois where sandstone…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 7

Most travelers heading to north-central Illinois aim straight for the famous canyons everyone talks about, then drive right…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 6

Somewhere in the Chicago suburbs sits a place where little kids can run a grocery store, bandage a…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 6

Some places in Chicago have been rolling along quietly for decades, keeping the same low-key charm they had…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 6

Tucked along South Neil Street in Champaign, Illinois, Merry Ann’s Diner has been feeding hungry locals and travelers…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 4

Tucked along the highway in Le Roy, Illinois, Woody’s 50’s Diner is the kind of place that makes…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 4

Tucked away in McHenry County, about 51 miles northwest of Chicago, Woodstock, Illinois is a charming small city…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 3

Tucked away in Lake County, just northwest of Chicago, Wauconda, Illinois is a small village with a big…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 3

Tucked above the legendary Second City comedy club on North Wells Street in Chicago, Utopian Tailgate is unlike…

By Lincoln Avery · Aug 2