Illinois’ state parks offer more than 700 miles of hiking trails, from Chain O’Lakes State Park near the Wisconsin border to Dixon Springs State Park in deep Southern Illinois. Many of the trails connect to camping areas, lookout spots and other outdoor activities.

Bird enthusiasts should check out Matthiessen State Park in Utica, home to more than 200 species of birds and more than 100 types of woodland flowers. Looking for a good workout? Starved Rock State Park, also in Utica, has more than 15 miles of moderate to difficult trails along the beautiful Illinois River.

Looking for something closer to home? Local communities throughout the state have developed extensive networks of walking, running and biking trails, many of which are located on converted railroad lines.

Learn more:
Click here for a listing of hiking, mountain biking and running trails in Illinois
TrailLink – Offering a list of walking trails in Illinois
Trails located in the Metro-East Park and Recreation District
Trails located in Cook County Forest Preserves

Harold’s Chicken Shack, with dozens of locations across Chicagoland, was founded by the late Harold Pierce more than 60 years ago. Pierce opened the first location in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood in 1950, and today the chain has grown to include stores across the region, predominantly on the South Side and in the south suburbs. Recently, Harold's has expanded nationwide to Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Milwaukee and Las Vegas. 

Harold’s is known for their authentic southern-style fried chicken, fried in half beef tallow and half vegetable oil. Harold’s also offers their mouth-watering mild sauce to complement their made-to-order juicy fried chicken.

Learn more:
Looking for a Harold’s location close to you? Click here for a Yelp listing
Harold’s Chicken Shacks – About Us

The 4th of July offers families across the state the opportunity to celebrate our nation’s independence with parades, live music and fireworks.

In Chicago, fireworks can be found on Saturday at Navy Pier beginning at 9:30 p.m. Patriotic music will accompany the lakefront display that regularly draws thousands of spectators.

Learn more:
Looking for a place to watch fireworks with your family? Statewide fireworks display information can be found here
Here is a listing of Chicagoland fireworks displays

After noticing Illinois did not have a state flag on display while visiting Continental Memorial Hall in Washington D.C., Ella Park Lawrence, then the State Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution, began lobbying the Illinois General Assembly to adopt an official state flag.

On July 6, 1915, the Great Seal on a white background became Illinois’ official state flag. The flag was modified in 1970, including the word “ILLINOIS” under the seal to ensure those unfamiliar with the seal knew the flag was the official state flag of Illinois.

Learn more:
Illinois State Flag – Illinois Secretary of State
Illinois State Flag – 50States.com

Aurora became the nation’s first city to utilize electric streetlights to publicly light the city in 1881. At the time, the city was a growing industrial powerhouse thanks to its location on the Fox River and the extension of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Throughout the early 20th century, Aurora attracted immigrants from all over the world, who were drawn to plentiful jobs in the manufacturing sector.

Today, Aurora is a rapidly growing city connected to the Chicago metropolitan area by mass transit and a highly-efficient network of interstate highways.

Learn more:
Aurora History – A Rapidly Growing City
Looking for something to do in Aurora? Visit the Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau