Living

Illinois is preparing to head into autumn, which is the busiest time of the year for apple orchards. This month, many different types of apples are in season, from Gala to Fuji to Empire. It is also the time of year when many fall festivals take place, usually featuring apple cider, hayrides and other fall-related activities.

Across Illinois, there are 102 apple orchards in 80 cities – everywhere from Papa’s Sweet Corn & Honeycrisp Apples in Northern Illinois to the Ryder Family Farm in Southern Illinois.

The Mississippi Earthtones Festival, brought to you by Alton Main Street, the Sierra Club Illinois’ Three Rivers Project and Jacoby Arts Center, is a celebration of the Mississippi river through art, music and conservation. This event is held annually on the 3rd Saturday in September.

Located on the banks of the Mississippi River at the Alton Amphitheater, this year’s event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 19 from noon to 10 p.m. Family-friendly activities take place from noon until 6 p.m., and festival goers will enjoy artist booths and live music which continue until 10 p.m.

From big cities and state parks to rich history and culture, Illinois truly has something for everyone. In 2025, Illinois drew a record-breaking 115 million domestic and international visitors to the state – an increase from 2024.

According to data provided by Tourism Economics, visitor spending grew 3.5% to $50.2 billion, surpassing the $50 billion mark for the first time in Illinois history. As a result of tourist spending and visits in 2025, the total economic impact amounted to $88 billion and produced $4.9 billion in direct state and local tax revenue, reinforcing tourism’s role as a key driver of economic growth in communities across Illinois.

Illinois is known for its accolades and for holding many titles. Thanks to a new WalletHub analysis, Illinois can now boast that it is the third most fun state in the country. Only trailing behind California and Florida, Illinois ranks number three in the “Entertainment and Recreation” category and number two in the “Nightlife”’ category.

In order to determine the most fun states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key categories, “Entertainment & Recreation” and “Nightlife.” With fun and affordability in mind, WalletHub compared 26 key indicators of enjoyable experiences that won’t break the bank. These range from movie costs to accessibility of national parks to nightlife options per capita.

For Springfield resident David Butt, what started as a one-time blood donation to learn his blood type turned into donating blood 400 times.

Butt has been donating blood since 1990 and has now reached the 400-donation mark. In honor of that milestone, the Fresenius Kabi National Blood Donation Hall of Fame will recognize him this year.

Twice a month, Butt makes his regular Power Red donation, which removes the platelets from his blood for donation. He used to donate whole blood, which can be done every 56 days, but he switched to platelet donation in 2008.