Ilinois is a popular tourist spot. Chicago alone welcomed 55.3 million visitors in 2024 — with 2.2 million visiting from abroad. A new campaign for the city — “Never Done, Never Outdone” — is fitting for a place with so much to show off.
“Chicago is great at hosting big events,” said Hannah Loftus, vice president of research at World Business Chicago.
In November, rugby fans can watch Ireland continue its rivalry with New Zealand at Soldier Field in a much-anticipated match. The Chicago Fire FC also announced plans to start construction in early 2026 on its own privately funded soccer stadium in downtown Chicago in the South Loop. It will seat 22,000 fans.
“Water lovers can set sail on Lake Michigan — the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is one of the most prestigious races in the world, try dragon boat racing in Chicago’s Chinatown, go fishing in spots like the Illinois River, cruise the Mississippi River or admire the waterfalls at Starved Rock State Park,” says Amanda Vinicky, vice president of communications at Illinois EDC.
The city has its share of staple attractions like Navy Pier, Millennium Park and its famous Bean, shopping and dining options while strolling down the Magnificent Mile and views and recreation on Lake Michigan. And for those looking for flare outside of the Windy City, Illinois has plenty to offer visitors traveling from any place.
Sasquatch Festivities
A little over 300 miles south of Chicago, the southern Illinois town of Harrisburg has a unique annual tradition that is sure to be fun for family, friends and anybody looking to walk in the steps of Bigfoot himself.
With a population of nearly 8,000, the former coal town is holding its annual Shawnee Sasquatch Festival in October. The event will have free carnival rides and live band performances along with 100 craft vendors, eight food trucks, family-friendly activities, a car show and the Run Like A Squatch 5K/Walk. A sasquatch calling contest has also entered the schedule — with the winner earning a crisp $100 bill.
“They come from all over because they love that sasquatch,” Harrisburg Mayor John McPeek says. “It brings the community together. It’s really good to see young kids getting out and enjoying the festival.”
McPeek says the celebration originated with a small group of 10 who in 2020 came up with an idea to bring crowds to the town and do it in the great outdoors at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We had a roundtable the first year about sasquatch encounters,” McPeek said. “We had guys from Kentucky come in — ‘sasquatch hunters.’ The auditorium was completely full.”
What started as an event with 250 to 300 attendees and a little live entertainment gradually grew into a celebration that saw 5,000 to 6,000 attendees in 2024, with higher numbers expected in 2025. Visitors hail from Iowa, northern Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and elsewhere.
“Our little town is making a comeback. We have the Sasquatch Festival, Christmas in the Courtyard and Boo in the ‘Burg,” McPeek says. “Harrisburg is a small town with great schools. We have a lot of banks. We have a good hometown spirit and we are a great community to live in.”
Now, the festival is primarily organized by Mayor McPeek, City Treasurer Alex Jackson and City Clerk Terri Jenkins with the help of local businesswoman Kim Gibbs and is funded by sponsorships and donors so no cost is imposed on Harrisburg citizens.
The town will celebrate a Sasquatch September, with each weekend preceding the festival featuring a sasquatch-themed event (Harry and the Hendersons amphitheater screening, a Jeep poker run and tournaments in golf and soccer).
A big pull of the legendary creature-themed event is the neighboring Shawnee National Forest, which has a history of sasquatch sightings and folklore.
“We have a lot of tourism for hiking, horseback riding and trail riding,” McPeek says of Harrisburg and the nearby national forest. “It’s great for promoting tourism for southeastern Illinois.”
A Forest Stands Tall
The Shawnee National Forest is one of 155 national forests in the U.S., the only national forest in Illinois and the single largest publicly owned body of land in the state. Its 289,000 acres are nested in the Ozark and Shawnee Hills and perfect for outdoor recreation, with October a particularly busy time as the leaves turn and fall color comes through.
The national forest that covers much of southernmost Illinois between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers touts natural beauty and resources that include wild and scenic rivers, wilderness areas, several natural landmarks, beautiful rock formations and four heritage resource sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can hike, fish, rock climb, mountain bike, zipline, ride horses and exercise their bird and nature watching skills.
Sommeliers and casual wine lovers also love raising their glasses along the winding Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, which is celebrating 30 years this year.
“The Shawnee Hills Wine Trail is a top destination driver,” says Carol Hoffman, executive director of the Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau.
Right off the vine, the trail features 12 lauded wineries along a 35-mile drive down highways 127 and 51 in the Shawnee National Forest. A winter passport program also incentivizes visitors to enjoy the wineries and vineyards in January and February. The trail was the first of its kind in the state of Illinois when it opened with three winery members in 1995.
The nearby city of Carbondale, which has a vibrant music scene thanks to the presence of Southern Illinois University, is known as the gateway to the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. For Shawnee visitors who want to venture out to Carbondale, there is also a privately owned park worth checking out for those seeking a little whimsical fantasy — Castle Park.
Opened to the general public, Castle Park was established in 2005 in the memory of Jeremy “Boo” Rochman. As a child, Rochman played with toy action figures and painted wizard figures as a hobby when he grew older. Several of the fantastical statues found throughout Castle Park are based off his creations and include dragons, a griffin, fairies and more. Themed after Dungeons and Dragons, visitors can admire the battlements of the maze-like wood and stone castle at the center of the park that houses hidden passageways, gargoyles and treasures that can be found by anyone eager enough to hunt for them.
Stormtroopers invade Main Street in downtown Joliet each year on Star Wars Day, a fun festival for the whole family.
Photo courtesy of Visit Joliet.
May the Force Be in Illinois
An hour’s car ride away from Chicago is the city of Joliet, Illinois, that celebrates Star Wars Day every summer in June. A free event for all, the celebration includes costumes, food trucks, merch vendors, games and artist and author alleys. A parade of stormtroopers can be seen marching in downtown Joliet each year for fans of the space opera franchise.
Brewing Up Something Good
Started by Oak Park trio and lifelong friends Rich Bloomfield, Greg Williams and Zack Day, Funkytown Brewery in Chicago got its start in a family garage and is now lauded by several craft beer awards bodies and served in over 100 locations near Chicago. Black-owned and inspired by the Chicago craft scene and ‘90s hip hop and R&B, the company features a tasting menu with a large variety of hops to suit any palate. Funkytown won gold in the best American style pale ale beer category at the Tasting Alliance World Beer 2023 Competition with its flagship beer — Brewery Hip-Hops and R&Brew, a smooth sip with notes of citrus zest, strawberry and lychee that can be enjoyed any time of year.
The Brewers Association documents 296 craft breweries in Illinois, 13th most in the country, with a $2.8 billion annual economic impact.
Revelry in Rockford
The state’s Tourism Attractions & Festivals Grant Program was launched in 2023 to support local governments, not-for-profit organizations, promotion groups and for-profit businesses to develop and improve tourism attractions and festivals.
The city of Rockford used support from the grant to host the first-ever Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Illinois in June 2025. Over 2,500 entries sold out five months before the event, which will return to the city in 2026 and 2027. For hockey fans, the Rockford IceHogs will host the 2026 American Hockey League All-Star Classic in February 2026. The AHL Skills Competition and All-Star Challenge will be held at the newly renovated BMO Center in downtown Rockford, which received a $27 million investment from the state, the city and other public and private partners.
STAR Bond Project Gets Start in Marion
In May, shovels hit the ground on a 550,000-sq.-ft. retail, entertainment and hospitality development in the southern Illinois city of Marion, the first Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond project in the state. In early 2025, the Marion City Council approved $112 million in STAR bonds for the development, which is anticipated to directly support schools, infrastructure and essential community services through increasing local tax revenue.
