Tourism

With President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday coming up on Feb. 12, what better way to celebrate than by taking a stroll through the New Salem State Historic Site in Petersburg, a reconstruction of the village where Honest Abe lived and worked from 1831 to 1837.

New Salem was originally founded in 1829 when a flour mill was built on the Sangamon River. Soon, lots surrounding the mill were sold for businesses and homes, and the town grew rapidly.

Right outside Lewistown in central Illinois lies Emiquon, one of the Midwest’s largest floodplain restoration projects. At nearly 6,000 acres, the wildlife refuge contains a diverse array of native plant and animal species in a complex system of wetlands and lakes. Additionally, Emiquon’s proximity to Dickson Mounds and its own 149 documented archaeological sites make it one of the richest Native American cultural sites in the country.

A typical haunted house features actors in creepy masks and spooky costumes, jumping out to startle guests—but there are places in Illinois where the scares aren’t just entertainment. You’re in for a real fright at these haunted homes.

Tinker Swiss Cottage, Rockford 

This unassuming cottage is purported to have served as a home for terminally ill children. Some people claim they hear humming, as well as the voices of the children once housed there. But that’s not all: The spirits of the whole Tinker family are said to linger around the cottage, too.

Upset that you can no longer watch Friends reruns on Netflix? Don’t worry! Warner Bros. and Superfly have opened the FRIENDS Experience in Chicago to give fans a chance to reenact all their favorite moments from the classic sitcom.

Visitors can walk through twelve rooms and explore set recreations, original props and costumes, and interactive moments. You can even hang out in Joey and Chandler’s apartment or take a seat on the famous orange couch from Central Perk.

Pumpkins are a fall necessity! The pumpkin has been a North American staple since long before the arrival of European settlers, and Illinois farmers continue the big orange squash’s long tradition by growing more pumpkins than anywhere else in the world. Illinois grows 90-95 percent of the processed pumpkins in the U.S. Most of the processing takes place in Morton, Ill. – which has claimed the title of “Pumpkin Capital of the World” since 1978.

In 1967, the Morton Chamber of Commerce organized the city’s first Pumpkin Festival to celebrate the beginning of the pumpkin harvest and canning season at the local Libby’s pumpkin processing plant. Today, the festival includes over 30 special events and venues hosted and organized by over 2,000 volunteers. The festival welcomes an estimated 70,000 visitors every September.

Libby’s Morton plant has about 5,000 acres of fertile farm land devoted to producing pumpkins. In 2012, Libby’s became the official sponsor for the Morton Pumpkin Festival!