Illinois

We plan to hit Illinois twice! First at the start of the trip going from Nashville to St Louis, we are going to stop off in the Shawnee Hills. This pretty area has sandstone canyons, dense forests and large gorges, plus it is wine country!! Just in one trail, there are 11 award winning vineyards.

Towards the end of the holiday, we are planning on coming back into Illinois to visit Chicago. This is a place I have visited before (on St Patrick's day) but Lee hasn't. I am looking forward to showing Lee the things I liked when I visited this city such as walking down the river, the view from Willis Tower and learning about the gangster past.

State:	Illinois
Towns of Interest: (FB) = Firebreak	Chicago
National Parks:	N/A
State Parks of Interest:	Cave-in-Rock State Park
Places of Interest: (N) = Night Stay	Shawnee Hills (South)  Smithland Lock & Dam (20 locks and dams that slow the river - visitor center to view and tell you the history) Golconda (Outside the town is the marker for Trails of Tears - route for thousands of Indians on the way to reservations) Elizabethtown (Nice town by the river) Cave-in-Rock (Ferry down the Ohio River) Cave-in-Rock State Park (Campgrounds, overlooks of waterways and trails through groves of oaks and hickory trees) Pounds Hollow Recreation Area (View of Pounds Hollow Lake) (N)  Garden of the Gods (Marked turnoff - oddly shaped sandstone formations)  Chicago (Nx2) Millennium Park (This 24.5-acre park features Frank Gehry's Pritzker Pavilion and serpentine bridge; sculptor Anish Kapoor's 110-ton Cloud Gate (a.k.a. “The Bean”); and Jaume Plensa's Crown Fountain) Wrigley Field (Even when baseball’s not in season, there’s plenty to do at this legendary stadium, erected in 1914) 360 Chicago (Formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory, 360 Chicago offers dining, sights and an interactive tour far above the city streets. From 1,000 feet up on the 94th floor, you can see up to 55 miles out and four states) Chicago Riverwalk (stroll along the Riverwalk) Adler Planetarium (the museum’s real draw will always be the virtual-reality trips through time and space in the Sky Theater) Willis Tower Skydeck (Formally Sears Tower) The J. Parker (rooftop bar is unlike any other in the city: It boasts destination-themed cocktails, seasonal small-plates and sweeping, mesmerizing, breathtaking views of Lincoln Park from the 13th-floor roof of the Hotel Lincoln) Navy Pier (tourist hot spot features shops, eateries, an IMAX cinema and a bevy of sightseeing boat tours) The Magnificent Mile (stretches between Lake Shore Drive and the Chicago River)
Routes of Interest:	Shawnee Hills Byway (Route 146 through Shawnee Hills)
Useful Links: