Do you sparkle in the sunlight? Do you crave blood? Is your arch nemesis named Van Helsing? Whether you identify with Edward Cullen from Twilight or Dracula himself, Chicago is welcoming to all of vampire kind. Lawn Love ranked Chicago as 2022’s second best city for vampires. Cities were ranked for having large populations with diversity in blood types, vampire friendly dwellings, nightlife options, vampire tours, and lack of sunshine. While vampires are welcome, Chicago residents and tourists should beware of the city’s hospitality to them.

Spooky season is upon us as vampires get to run wild in all of the haunted and mysterious places of the city. Potential victims who find themselves in Chicago’s Alley of Death, location of the Iroquois Theatre fire, might find their names whispered by the ghosts of those burned in warning, right before a vampire can strike. Tourists to the city at this time should look out for the Vampire population, carry garlic and holy water as the ghosts and ghouls come out to play. Tourists wanting to avoid the onset of vampires should also avoid the Congress Plaza hotel, known as one of the most haunted hotels in Chicago history.

Halloween is approaching, the one night of the year all monsters are celebrated, but vampires are welcome in Chicago year round. Residents be wary, not all may resemble Twilight.

Chicago’s beautiful skyline, vast assortment of arts and cuisine, and welcoming atmosphere for families and young adults alike makes it no surprise it has been named the best U.S. city to visit. Chicago won this title from the 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards of the Conde Nast Traveler magazine. The city’s first win came back in 2017, making this the sixth year in a row readers have voted for Chicago. No other city has been voted the best big city in the U.S. for more than three straight years in the history of the awards. This year, more than 240,000 readers cast their vote. Chicago’s continuous ability to earn this title shows how the city is ever evolving and adapting to the needs of its residents and tourists.

Chicago’s enduring rank as the number one city to visit has led to a boom in the tourist industry. Leisure and business travel numbers are returning to pre-pandemic levels. Chicago is host to world-class restaurants, gorgeous lakefronts, stunning architecture, great hotels, and a multitude of museums and activities. It is no wonder tourists come to enjoy everything the city has to offer. Hotel room demand in the summer months this past year exceeded 3 million rooms a night, almost 90% of what the 2019 pre-pandemic levels were. Chicago is coming back to life after years of strife and worry caused by the pandemic. The soul of the city is being rejuvenated, and people all around the world are visiting to experience the city’s great food, festivals, institutions and more.

Chicago is made up of 77 diverse neighborhoods, making the city and its people unique. Anyone who visits the city can find their own niche where they will feel welcome. Chicago celebrates its individuality with a multitude of festivals and events, for example summer’s Taste of Chicago celebrates different foods and winter’s Christkindlmarket celebrates German and European tradition. The city welcomes anyone in any season, making it a great city to visit year round.

To read more about Chicago and the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, click here.

The Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park in Springfield was voted Best Collegiate Summer League Stadium last week by Ballpark Digest.

Robin Roberts Stadium went head-to-head with Newport, Rhode Island's Cardines Field in the final round of voting, where the Springfield stadium took the cake with more than three quarters of the vote.

The 2022 Best of the Ballparks contest is based on criteria like the stadium's history, geographic factors, editors' personal evaluations of the ballparks, and performance in prior fan contests.

The near century-old stadium on Springfield's north side first opened for use in 1925 under the name Reservoir Park, when the team was named 'The Springfield Senators'. The Senators played in Springfield for a number of years, ultimately retiring in 1951, leaving the Capital City without a professional baseball team until 1978, when the Springfield Redbirds came to town.

In the 1970s, the park was renamed to Robin Roberts Stadium after baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts, a graduate of Lanphier High School in Springfield who played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1950 to 1955. 

The current league was founded as the Springfield Sliders in 2008 and has been the Stadium's longest tenant. They began playing again in 2022 after a change in ownership in 2021 - now under the name 'Springfield Lucky Horseshoes'. The new name is a nod to a local favorite, the famed Horseshoe Sandwich.

Learn more about the Robin Roberts Stadium on the Springfield Park District's website here.

Mid-July is here – making it the perfect time to see sunflowers during their peak. If you’re a sunflower lover, there are plenty of places in Illinois to explore the beautiful, yellow seasonal flower:

• Stade’s Farm and Market, McHenry, Illinois: This location features “U-Pick” and has two acres of 18 different varieties of sunflowers to choose from. You can also pick fruits ad vegetables at this McHenry-based location.
• Von Bergen’s Country Market, Hebron, Illinois: A sunflower festival is hosted here that goes on now through Sept. 5. They have over 30 acres of sunflowers to walk through.
• New Life Bible Church, Pecatonica, Illinois: Last year, this location had 13 acres of sunflowers around the church and decided to do it again this year! It is free to pick the flowers and take pictures throughout their fields.
• Kuiper’s Family Farm, Maple Park, Illinois: This sunflower farm has an attraction that opens on Aug. 27, called Kuiper’s Sunflower Experience, where visitors can walk through and pick over 20 different kinds of sunflowers among the seven acres the farm occupies.

All of these sunflower fields are worth the drive to other parts of our beautiful state. Make sure to go visit one or more of these locations while sunflowers are in full bloom!

Next year, downtown Chicago will be the site of a new partnership between NASCAR and the city – for the organization’s first ever street course. 

For the first time in NASCAR’s 75-year history, city officials confirmed that Chicago will hold street course races beginning July 2023.

The proposed course is just over two miles long and will cover Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue, Columbus Drive and other streets near Grant Park and the lakefront. The new track will bring drivers past some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, including Soldier Field, the Field Museum, Buckingham Fountain, and, of course, the Chicago skyline.

At the partnership announcement this week, NASCAR officials said the size and demographics of Chicago were some of the factors that drew them to the city, adding that the company was excited to take center stage in the heart of a large metropolitan market.

NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race Weekend is scheduled to take place over the weekend of July 1, 2023. Those who would like to view the full proposed course layout from NASCAR can visit this page for details.

Tickets will go on sale starting Nov. 10, 2022. To purchase tickets, visit www.NASCARChicago.com or call 1-888-629-7223.