Top Things to do in Illinois
Top Hotels in Illinois
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The 10 Best Historic Sites in Illinois, United States
Discover the best top things to do in Illinois, United States including Cantigny Park, Lyon Farm, Dana-Thomas House, Wright Plus Architectural Housewalk, Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, U.S. Custom House, Old State Capitol State Historic Site, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple, Baha'i House of Worship.
Restaurants in Illinois
1. Cantigny Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 575 reviews
Welcome to Cantigny!Discover a world of beauty, learning and fun just around the corner! Cantigny was Colonel Robert R. McCormick’s gift to the community and all 500 acres are yours to enjoy. Plan your visit today!
Reviewed By kdav123452017 - Wheaton, United States
Cantigny Park and the area is a great place to go for a ice walk in nature, visit an ornate mansion, and learn about military history. It’s got to be one of the top places to visit in the Chicago west suburbs.
2. Lyon Farm
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
3. Dana-Thomas House
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,124 reviews
Reviewed By RetiredTravelerTN - Nashville, United States
The introductory video presented the history of the Dana-Thomas House, and the guide gave an informative tour of the beautiful FLW house which has been wonderfully preserved with original furnishings. We appreciated the attention to details that were highlighted during the tour. Photos are not allowed inside, but we were able to take photos from the street and inside the courtyard. We arrived early for the first tour of the day and had no problem parking in the free lot next door accessed from E Cook St. Railroad tracks run between the parking lot and the carriage house where tours begin. A $10 per adult donation was certainly reasonable.
4. Wright Plus Architectural Housewalk
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 114 reviews
Join the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust on May 22, 2021 for the annual Wright Plus Architectural Housewalk. Wright Plus celebrates architecture, design, Frank Lloyd Wright's innovative vision and the talents of his fellow architects. It is an enjoyable day featuring rare interior tours of private homes and public buildings designed by Wright and his contemporaries.
Reviewed By VacationDays365
We had a guided tour of the Oak Park neighborhood and the Frank Lloyd Wright houses and found the tour to be very informative. We learned so many interesting details about the buildings and had the unexpected bonus of chatting with one of the owners about his home and perspective on the area. This was an easy walking tour through beautiful streets, and our guide was engaging and never made us feel rushed.
5. Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,305 reviews
To ensure the health and safety of our guests, tours at the Home and Studio return on June 11 and are limited to nine guests per time slot. (Updated 6/2/20) The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, Illinois served as Wright's private residence and workplace from 1889 to 1909--the first 20 years of his career. Today, Oak Park is home to the world’s largest collection of Wright-designed buildings. Wright used his first home to experiment with design concepts that contain the seeds of his architectural philosophy. In his adjacent studio, Wright and his associates developed a new American architecture - the Prairie style. Enjoy guided tours of the museum complex and neighboring historic district seven days a week. Trained interpreters offer insights into Wright's family life and architectural legacy. Tour details are available on the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust website
Reviewed By 1blah1
Traveling through the house, each room showed FLW’s developing style in Prairie Architecture. This tour was so fascinating, I had seen Falling Water several years ago and to see how he developed to that home was amazing. Don’t miss the homes he designed through Oak Park and also LaGrange, Illinois.
6. U.S. Custom House
7. Old State Capitol State Historic Site
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 879 reviews
Painstakingly rebuilt after being disassembled in the 1960s, this Greek Revival masterpiece saw Lincoln serve as a lawyer and legislator. In 1858, Lincoln delivered his landmark "House Divided" speech in the Capitol's Representatives Hall.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
For historians and curious tourists like, a trip to Springfield, Illinois, to visit the many sites associated with the life of Abraham Lincoln wouldn't be complete with a tour of the Old State Capitol State Historic Site. Located at 5th and Adams Streets in downtown Springfield, not far from Lincoln's home and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, it was constructed in the Green Revival style in 1937-1840 and served as Illinois' fifth capitol building from 1840 to 1876. It is easily recognizable for its large domed cupola and four massive columns at the front entrance. The building was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1961, primarily for Lincoln's association with political rival Stephen Douglas, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Walking through the halls, from chamber to chamber, from floor to floor, a visitor is struck by the historic events associated with the building...where Lincoln announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 1858 and for the presidency in 1860, where Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency in 2007 and introduced Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate in 2008, where Lincoln served his final term as a state lawmaker in 1840-1841, where he pleaded cases as a lawyer before the State Supreme Court in 1841-1860, where he made his memorable House Divided speech in 1858 and where his body lay in state in 1865 prior to final burial in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery. In fact, our knowledgeable tour guide informed us that Lincoln was one of nine Illinois lawmakers who led the effort to move the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield in 1837. In Springfield, Lincoln's foot prints are everywhere.
8. Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,751 reviews
The only house Abraham Lincoln ever owned is the centerpiece of this four-block historic neighborhood. Lincoln and his family lived in the two-story house from 1844 until 1861, when their address changed to the White House.
Reviewed By X7472TVtomk
This site, run by the National Park Service is well maintained and restored, with a visitor's center, a free guided tour of Lincoln's home, and several other restored homes. We spent two hours which included a 20 minute tour of the home. The book store in the visitor's center is very comprehensive.
9. Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 201 reviews
Unity Temple (1905-08) is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the 20th Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright List, and represents a defining moment in Frank Lloyd Wright’s early career. Designed in Wright’s Oak Park Studio for his own Unitarian congregation, it is one of the first public buildings in America to feature exposed concrete and is Wright’s greatest public building of his Prairie era. The harmony of the building’s strikingly geometric architecture and decorative elements exemplifies Wright’s theory of organic design. Unity Temple announced a new era of innovation in modern architecture.
Reviewed By Naples64 - Wellington, New Zealand
This concluded our day at Oak Park and our immersion in all thing FLW. We had an excellent tour where we were the only people so we benefited from our guides undivided attention. Excellent guide who had such knowledge and love for the building. Nothing like I have ever seen before.
10. Baha'i House of Worship
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 463 reviews
A special mix of quartz and white cement was developed for the intricate ornamentation on the nine-sided, domed structure.
Reviewed By suuubeee999
An oasis of quiet for prayer and meditation in the temple; friendly volunteer guides, displays, brief videos and a non-pressure bookstore in the Welcome Center.
