Hey friends.....any tips on the best things to do/see in Illinois. Our home base will be Decatur where my boyfriend has family. I am driving up from Texas.....just to let you know from what direction.

We do intend to stay overnight in St. Louis. I have driven through St. Louis before and saw "the arch" but I want to visit it.....take the elevator.

While at the Arch, see if the Cardinals are playing the same day. The Busch stadium is great and is a great experience - within walking distance of the Arch. The museum at the Arch is fascinating as well.

The Lincoln Museum in Springfield is fantastic - a must see. Make sure you go to both "shows." If you are really into Lincoln, you might be able to be there a full day, but a half day should be more than plenty.

Have fun in the Land of Lincoln!

Make sure you don't keep going and end up in East St. Louis.

Are you redlining, RJ?

No.....just watching out for Swiggles' safety....i think East St. Louis is the murder capital of the country....or it used to be.

I was told it was, though I had no trouble when I accidentally stayed the night there a few years ago...

Jim - Have you seen the St. Louis redlining case study from several years back? It is quite interesting as the Fed made a bank put 2 branches in the high crime area...

I was considering the Drury Southwest as an overnight stay because it is on the highway we come in on and is west of the arch. The hotels near the arch are too expensive.

Yes! I WILL mark down the Lincoln museum as a stop!

If I recall correctly, the Drury SW is in a good spot, and near a casino. There are several other Lincoln spots in IL, but the museum is by far the most interesting/entertaining.

I second all the St. Louis ideas. We are about 4 hours away from St. Louis and normally make about 4 trips down there a year. How many day will you be in St. Louis?

The Arch is really neat and has gone through some improvements and the museum under the Arch is finally back open. I have not seen the new one but my in-laws were there a few weeks ago and said it was really nice.

Also walking distance from the Arch is Leclede's Landing. Its a nice area to walk with some great eating places.

We love the St. Louis zoo! There are several neat attractions and its free to get in! If you park on the street parking is also free.

You can tour Anheuser-Busch brewery and get some great American beer samples at the end. If you're lucky, the Clydesdale horses maybe there or they maybe at Grant's Farm.

My last experience in the St. Louis area about 9 years ago. I walked from my hotel to a restaurant and was approached by 4 different panhandlers. On the way back, a group of very aggressive teenagers rushed me, got in my face and attempted to intimidate me. At the time I was going through a divorce and those kids were not any way near as scary as my ex-wife so I'm sure I shocked them all when I didn't blink and walked away.

Don't know if kids are in the equation but if so, the City Museum is great. Let them run and climb and do all the stuff there until they're so tired they will pass out in the car. The St Louis Science Museum is also good.

Thanks, everyone!! One day on the way up.....maybe one day on the way back from Decatur. Fabulous ideas! Will consider all of them!

Any ideas for Springfield other than the Lincoln museum?

Any ideas for Chicago?

if you're going through St Louis, you should tour the Budweiser plant, all you can drink. then you won't really care what you do after...

i second the museum under the arch, it was awesome...

East St. Louis is too depopulated to be the capital of anything, except vacant building. In fact, I think St. Louis is now the US murder capital. Most of the killings are in the underprivileged neighborhoods. Tourists are more likely to be carjacked than murdered.

The St. Louis Zoo is a gem, and it's free. The extras like the kiddie train cost money, but the zoo itself is free. Just a short walk uphill from the zoo is the St Louis Art Museum, which is also free. Currently there is an exhibit of treasures recovered from two Egyptian cities that sank ages ago. From the top of Art Hill, in front of the museum, you get a great view of Forest Park. Forest Park is beautiful and huge, bigger than Central Park in NY. Try the Boathouse for lunch.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is beautiful, and the not too expensive. We have a membership, so we go several times a year.

Laclede's Landing has gone to [censored], although they are trying to bring it back. Many vacant buildings and the once quaint cobblestone streets will tear up your undercarriage. Washington Avenue, where the City Museum is located, is better than the Landing, having great restaurants and bars. Just don't wander too far north from there, and pay to park in a secured lot. Don't leave anything in plain view inside your car.

If theater is your thing, check out what's on stage at the Fabulous Fox.

If you have small children, the Magic House in Kirkwood is lots of fun, and they'll learn a lot about science too. Speaking of Science, the Science Center, across Hwy 40 from the zoo, is also free.

There are a load of good microbreweries in town, despite the looming presence of AB/InBev. St. Louis is also becoming known more than ever for BBQ. Try Bogart's in the Soulard neighborhood south of downtown, and while there, wander through the Soulard Farmers Market across the street. Pappy's on midtown is good, too, as is Sugarfire, with multiple locations.

Stay off MetroLink after dark, unless you're with an after-ballgame crowd.

Despite the East St. Louis comments, you can drive down to the Casino Queen, park for free, and walk across the Eads Bridge to downtown. You'll get great views of the Arch. It comes out on Washington Avenue, at the edge of Laclede's Landing.

Just on the border of St. Louis is Unversity City. There are good restaurants, art galleries, music venues, and bars there. One of these years, they will get their trolley to work. The St. Louis Walk of Stars is in U City.

We live in Illinois, 25 minutes from St. Louis, and despite its growing crime problem, we are over there at least once a week for dining, shopping, or seeing the sites. Just watch your surroundings and possessions.

Other than the Lincoln Museum, the best thing about Springfield is leaving it.

MBH......i was through East St Louis about 20 years ago, and i most decidedly did not want to stop......it looked rough. Have things changed? Has the loss of population occurred in the last 20 years?

This is a pretty close statement.

If you are looking to spend time in Chicago, you will want a few days at least. The main strip and pier will take a day. The architectural boat tour is fabulous. Going up the Sears (whatever they call it now) tower is a must. The museums and aquarium are fantastic. Ed Debevic's (where the servers are grumpy and rude) is worth the wait. Chicago could easily be a week trip by itself - it just depends on what you enjoy.

link

Got curious, so i googled it...according to this, East St. Louis still has the highest murder rate in the country.

And St Louis MO is 4th!

I was in Springfield not too long ago. The area around Lincoln's home is a National Park, within walking distance of the museum, and interesting to wander through. The buildings were closed on the Sunday night I was there, but there were informational signs. The old Route 66 runs through Springfield as well.

i believe they are currently closed undergoing some changes...at least that is what their website says

I don't go to bars and don't like noisy (especially loud music), crowded, peoplely places.....especially when the people are loud and obnoxious. Unfortunately, I have to put up with noise at most restaurants. We do have several restaurants locally where people can experience a relatively quiet meal.

"MBH......i was through East St Louis about 20 years ago, and i most decidedly did not want to stop......it looked rough. Have things changed? Has the loss of population occurred in the last 20 years?"

There are just a little over 25,000 people left in a city that used to have over 100,000. That skews the murder rate. The street my wife grew up on now has more vacant lots than houses. There is still some industry, mostly in rail and trucking. The federal courthouse is in downtown ESL, so that adds a little life during the day. City officials claim that some of the murders recorded there are bodies dumped from St. Louis. It's a shame. 60 years ago it was a nice place.

That is a shame when a place that was once a nice place to live deteriorates to where it's not.