This marks the fifth year that luxury and lifestyle magazine Condé Nast Traveler has ranked Chicago as the No. 1 big city in the U.S. for its vibrant restaurants, museums, and architecture.

Traveler also published a list of the top hotels in Chicago. The Gwen, a luxury collection hotel on Michigan Avenue, was ranked as the No. 1 hotel in Chicago, followed by the Hotel Julian, Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, as well as Nobu Hotel Chicago in Fulton Market.

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The Old State Capitol building in Springfield will once again be accepting visitors to take tours of its historic interior beginning Oct. 7. The building has been closed since last spring to facilitate work on repairs.

Many of the repairs, managed by the Illinois Capital Development Board, involve installation of a new roof on the drum that supports the Old Capitol dome, along with restoration of the drum columns and drum windows.

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This year, at the 2021 Illinois State Fair, more than 472,000 visitors walked through the gates, marking the second highest attendance since the Illinois Department of Agriculture began tracking the numbers back in 2014. This year’s attendance was surpassed only by the historic record set in 2019.

The first week of the fair, more than 15,000 more people joined the celebration in 2019. Grandstand ticket sales and revenue saw over 40,000 tickets sold, generating $1.5 million in revenue.

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Residents and tourists looking to beat the heat this summer have a great selection of city pools and waterparks across Illinois. Here are some of the state’s popular waterparks.

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Fort Massac State Park in Metropolis has been preserved and maintained since 1908, when it became Illinois’ first state park. Located at the southern tip of the state, the park overlooks the Ohio River and is home to 1,500 acres that offer camping, hiking, fishing, boating and hunting opportunities.

The park is also well known for its annual Fort Massac Encampment festival in October, which recreates the lifestyles and atmosphere of the late 1700s, attracting approximately 200,000 people every year. Historically, the site of the park was home to multiple military forts throughout the nation’s early years, playing a role in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

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