Explore Illinois roadside attractions and other tourist traps, restaurants, stops, and detours to add to your Illinois road trip itinerary.
Chicago is a city known for its baseball. After all, we have two teams: the Cubs and the White Sox. So it’s no wonder Chicago is also home to a giant metal baseball bat titled Batcolumn (or Bat Column). Batcolumn has stood outside the Harold Washington Social Security Administration Building in downtown Chicago since 1977 when it was commissioned by the U. S...
If you drive or walk past the Big Monster Door at Big Monster Toys in Chicago, Illinois, you’ll probably do a double take. That’s what happened to me the first time I went past. “What is that?” I squealed in delight at the giant yellow door with a giant silver knob and a giant green and purple monster peeking through the window pane. That is...
There’s no better autumn activity than visiting a pumpkin patch and picking out that perfect pumpkin to transform into a Halloween jack-o-lantern. One of my favorite Illinois pumpkin patches is Richardson Adventure Farm in Spring Grove, Illinois. Richardson Adventure Farm is best known as being the home of the world’s largest corn maze, but the fun...
How much do you love ice cream? Enough to eat a giant cone? How about enough to eat AT a giant cone? The Twistee Treat franchise offers fast food and ice cream delights in giant ice cream shaped buildings across the US. About the Twistee Treat Franchise In 1983, Twistee Treat was founded in North Fort Myers, Florida. The chain was known for their dipped soft served...
Have you ever found a roadside attraction hidden in your own backyard? I have. Meet the giant cow statue at the Gene’s Sausage Shop rooftop beer and wine garden in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. In 1972, Polish immigrants John and Gene Luszcz, opened a small delicatessen in Chicago. John & Gene’s on West Roscoe Street quickly became...
When I think about finding a home where the buffalo roam in the United States, I think of South Dakota, North Dakota (home of the World’s Largest Buffalo and the National Buffalo Museum), or Wyoming. I don’t necessarily think of Illinois. But you can find roaming bison in Illinois at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington. About Midewin...
Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket is an iconic Route 66 restaurant in Illinois. In Willowbrook, just off the famous route, and present day Interstate 55 (I-55) , this chicken joint has been serving up chicken since the 1930s. In the late 1930s/early 1940s Ervin ‘Irv’ Kolarik started selling chicken sandwiches at a gas station on the Mother Road. One day he...
The De Immigrant Windmill in Fulton, Illinois, is an authentic Dutch Windmill that was manufactured and prefabricated in the Netherlands before being shipped and assembled in the American midwest. It is said to be one of only two Dutch windmills in the United States. De Immigrant Windmill in Fulton, Illinois- Dutch Windmill in the United States. An American Roadside...
Greetings from… I’m sure you’ve all seen those vintage postcards with the name of the city spelled out in big bold letters. Greetings from Austin. Greetings from New York. Greetings from Oklahoma City. But have you ever seen a depiction as big as the Greetings From Chicago mural in Logan Square? This Chicago wall mural was painted in May 2015 as...
Metropolis, Illinois is best known as being the “Home of Superman.” The town is most famous for its Superman Square complete with a Super Museum and giant statue of Superman. But, who would Superman (or his alter ego Clark Kent) be without his right-hand woman? And so, three blocks away from Superman Square is a bronze Lois Lane Statue modeled after...
