By Theresa L. Goodrich
Illinois is a land of prairies, rolling hills, farmland, and industry. Founded in 1818, the “Land of Lincoln” has been home to four US presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and Abraham Lincoln. Eighty percent of Illinois is farmland, but with Chicago in the northeast corner, the population exceeds twelve and a half million people.
Portions of four of the country’s most famous scenic highways run through the state, making Illinois a road-tripper’s dream. Route 66 begins its storied adventure in downtown Chicago, and the National Road has been bringing travelers all the way from Maryland to the Mississippi River since the early nineteenth century.
Speaking of the Mississippi, an explorer can get a taste of that thoroughfare—also the state’s western border—with a drive along the Great River Road. And for additional spectacular riverside motoring, the Ohio River Scenic Byway is a winding trail of history and scenic views.
I’ll introduce you to these historic routes and point out several of the best places to stop along the way. We’ll visit one of the most important archaeological sites in North America, see plenty of “World’s Biggest” attractions, and stand where Lewis and Clark began their journey.
From the booming metropolis of Chicago to the small city of Metropolis, from land that feeds the world to innovation that changed it, you’ll get a taste of the state’s complexity, variety, and good ol’ Midwestern heart.

Illinois Road Trips
- Route 66
- Historic National Road
- Ohio River Scenic Byway
- Great River Road
llinois Websites
Links to Illinois destinations. Please note links are subject to change.
Route 66
- Lou Mitchell’s, loumitchells.com
- Berwyn, whyberwyn.com
- Joliet, visitjoliet.com
- Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, fs.usda.gov/midewin
- Dwight, dwightillinois.org
- Odell, odell-il.com
- Pontiac, visitpontiac.org
- Bloomington-Normal, visitbn.org
- Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup, funkspuremaplesirup.com
- Atlanta, atlantaillinois.org
- Logan County, destinationlogancountyil.com
- Springfield, visitspringfieldillinois.com
- Virden, virdenchamber.com
- Carlinville, carlinville.com
- Litchfield, visitlitchfield.com
- DeCamp Station, decampstationil.com
- Edwardsville, cityofedwardsville.com
Historic National Road
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, cahokiamounds.org
- Collinsville, discovercollinsville.com
- Highland, highlandillinois.com
- Greenville, greenvilleilchamber.org
- Vandalia, vandaliaillinois.com
- Dr. Charles M. Wright House, wrightmansion.org
- Ballard Nature Center, ballardnaturecenter.org
- Effingham, visiteffinghamil.com
- Monastery Museum, facebook.com/monasterymuseum
- Greenup, villageofgreenup.com
- Casey, visitcaseyillinois.com
- Marshall, marshall-il.com
Ohio River Scenic Byway
- Shawnee National Forest, fs.usda.gov/shawnee
- Cave-in-Rock State Park, www2.illinois.gov/dnr
- Elizabethtown, facebook.com/VillageofElizabethtown
- Rosiclare, cityofrosiclare.com
- Golconda, mainstreetgolconda.org
- Dixon Springs State Park, www2.illinois.gov/dnr
- Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site, kincaidmounds.com
- Metropolis, metropolistourism.com
- Mound City National Cemetery, cem.va.gov/cems
Great River Road
- Thebes Courthouse, thebescourthouse.com
- Chester, chesterill.com
- Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site, www2.illinois.gov/dnrhistoric
- Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, fortdechartres.us
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, cahokiamounds.org
- Confluence Tower, confluencetower.com
- Camp Dubois, campdubois.com
- Melvin Price Locks and Dam, mvs.usace.army.mil
- Alton, cityofaltonil.com
- Elsah, escapetoelsah.com
- Grafton, graftonlodging.com
- McCully Heritage Project, mccullyheritage.org
- Center for American Archeology, caa-archeology.org
- Quincy, seequincy.com
- Warsaw, warsawillinois.org
- Nauvoo, beautifulnauvoo.com
- Quad Cities, visitquadcities.com
- Port Byron, portbyronil.com
- Albany Mounds State Historic Site, albanymounds.com
- Fulton, cityoffulton.us
- Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, fws.gov/refuge/upper-mississippi-river
- Savanna, savanna-il.us
- Mississippi Palisades State Park, www2.illinois.gov/dnr
- Chestnut Mountain Resort, chestnutmtn.com
- Galena, visitgalena.org