Illinois is a lovely state to visit and there are definite advantages to planning your trip during the fall instead of summer. Most tourists do their traveling during the warmest months of the year, so parks and other popular locations will be less crowded. Illinois also boasts some of the most beautiful fall foliage in the country; visiting in the peak of autumn will give you the chance to experience it firsthand.
The city of Chicago offers visitors many options for tourism and entertainment during the fall season. Travelers can visit the Chicago Botanic Garden, which is one of the most popular public gardens in the country. The garden is open year-round, and is built on 385 acres of rolling hills dotted with small lakes. In the fall, the area takes on the colors of autumn and is a tranquil place to explore or take a walk. Sports fans can catch a hockey game during the fall season at the Blackhawk's United Center Arena, and the seasonal colors of the foliage can be seen throughout the city's 7,600 acres of parkland.
The state capital is fun to visit in the autumn. Tourists often enjoy the old-fashioned trolley that runs through the city and stops at a number of historical attractions. Shoppers can savor the cool fall air and look at golden foliage while wandering the historical downtown area, which is peppered with old-fashioned shops of every variety.
Champaign in the fall offers visitors unique pleasures such as wine tasting in the cool autumn evenings, reindeer ranch tours, corn mazes and hikes through pretty Illinois parkland. For those who like to cuddle up in a tent, campgrounds like the Middle Fork Campground feature fishing, boating, swimming and evening campfires.
