"Venture Beyond the Airport" Illinois by DueSer

Yes, okay, I think they have the best pizza outside of Italy. New York's is soggy:-( But besides that, Illinois has a long history to share with visitors.

Most people's introduction to Illinois is by visiting Chicago. Since it's such a large city and has so much to offer, it's the perfect place to go to get a sense of the middle of the USA. So many people miss the middle and that's a shame.

Chicago also makes a good place to fly into and start a tour of the center of the U.S. Chicago is only a short drive to Milwaukee and St Louis as well as all parts of Indiana, most of Iowa and the southern part of Minnesota.

The Lincoln Home

If one were to only visit Chicago, you wouldn't get a very good idea of what Illinois is really like. Most of it is farmland. The capital, Springfield, has a lot of Lincoln history so if I was to recommend just one other city to visit besides Chicago, it would be Springfield. I remember during my first visit to Washington, D.C., I was near the Lincoln Memorial when I heard someone with a British accent say, "So what's the big deal with this Lincoln fellow?" Obviously news of one of our greatest presidents hasn't traveled beyond the US shores (at least it hadn't before the Spielberg movie came out) so a visit to Springfield might be in order if you're also wondering what the big deal is about Lincoln;-)

Memorial in Springfield

As I said, the majority of Illinois is farmland but there are some hidden gems in there. There's the quirky charm of Metropolis, down by the Kentucky border, the small town gem, Galesburg, just across the river from Iowa, and hidden out in the middle of what is, for all intents and purposes, nowhere - the place that many people claim makes the best hamburger in America, Martinsville. All worth checking out.

See? The middle of the USA isn't exactly midtown Manhattan or Hollywood but it isn't boring!

• Pros:A wide variety of things to see and do.
• Cons:Winters are brutally cold.
• In a nutshell:Illinois really should not be missed.