I will be visiting St. Louis again next weekend. Because I go there so often (I’m from Kansas City and have family in STL), I feel like I have been almost everywhere within city limits. I want to explore more places near by, anywhere within an hour from downtown St. Louis.
Good restaurants? Funny roadsigns or other points of interests? Places with interesting history? Good places to take pictures? Places to avoid?
As you can tell from the number of responses to your thread, there isn’t much to tell about S.W. Illinois. I would advise, due to my travels in Missouri, that you stay in Missouri, and look for a restaurant called “Bandanas”. Try the boiled peanuts.
Illinois comes to a point. As such, there really is no such place as southwest Illinois or southeast Illinois, just southern Illinois which is quite a ways south of St. Louis. Southern Illinois University is in Carbondale, for example, and it’s likely one of the more interesting places in the whole area. I was born in Du Quoin, not far from Carbondale, and I’ve never been back since I moved away at age seven. There simply isn’t anything there.
That said, stay away from East St. Louis. It’s one of the worst places for crime and violence in the midwest.
They’re just “kind of” Illinois down there ;). They wanted to cecede from the rest of the state during the Civil War. The difference between Northern and Southern Illinois is like the difference between night and day.
I drive through there en route to Northern Illinois and the hometown. I’ve always wanted to visit Cahokia Mounds.
SIU-Edwardsville is a nice area, though not bustling. It’s a nice area for a picnic or a nature walk etc. and there’s a historic district. My niece lives there and I think it would be a pleasant place for a home. Glen Carbon, Collinsville, Edwardsville…there’s like a conglomerate of small towns that run together.
Pere Marquette State Park is about an hour’s drive. Looks happening.
A nature-lover’s paradise, this 8,000-acre park is famous for the exceptional beauty of its fall colors and for its bald eagles during the winter. In addition to enjoying the spectacular view of the Illinois River and its backwaters from several points atop the bluffs, visitors can take advantage of a variety of year-round recreational opportunities, including horseback riding, camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and boating.
http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R4/PEREMARQ.HTM
And while I’m thinking of it, I’d watch your ass driving in South(west)ern Illinois. I often see lots of State Troopers down that way.
As Lobotomyboy noted, I would recommend Cahokia Mounds if you’re at all interested in archaeology/anthropology. Don’t plan to spend *too *much time there, though, as it won’t take more than a couple hours even if you go through the whole museum and up to the top of the biggest mound (can’t recall its name).
It may be too far for you, but Shawnee National Forest is spectacular. There is also Mound City, with a civil war memorial and (for all I know–I haven’t been) some Native American sites as well.
The beauty of IL comes from the subtly changing landscape and the smaller beauties of creeks and river banks, rolling hills and deep ravines. Look for bald eagles riding the air vents on the bluffs or just enjoy the early spring.
The beauty of Illinois? I’ve lived in Illinois all my life and never particularly noticed. I don’t find it at all beautiful when I drive through the state – I find it boring. The biggest differences I see are whether the farm is growing corn or soybeans. But maybe that’s just me.
Oh, yes, this is true. Chicago has Jewish delis and German sausage and Du Quoin has fried catfish and cornbread. It’s definitely Dixie as far as the culture goes, whereas Chicago is industrial Northern Midwest.
Get off I-57 and you’ll see prettier scenery. IL has a variety of different regions: the hills and bluffs near Galena contrast with the flatlands of mid-IL, but Shawnee NF puts Galena to shame, IMO.
Boring is Nebraska as seen from I-80. IL is not as bad.
Nope. It’s not just you. Really. It isn’t.
Driving through Illinois is kinda like driving through - well - Indiana. There really ain’t too much to say about either.
Cahokia Mounds is pretty fascinating.
It’s probably more fun in the fall, but Eckert’s Farm in Belleville is enjoyable. You can pick apples there later in the year, which is the main reason for going, but they have earlier fruit-picking schedules and other events you might enjoy as well.
Collinsville, Illinois is the horseradish capital of the world. If you’re back in the area in June, you could check out the International Horseradish Festival. I really want to go to that some day.
It’s not in Illinois, but the old Main Street in St. Charles, MO is about 30 minutes from downtown St. Louis. If you like antique shops and that sort of thing, it’s a good way to spend an afternoon. There is also an old factory that has been turned into an art center and working artist space, which is also worth a look.
Have fun!
I agree. It’s not big and loud like mountains, but there is a lot in Illinois that is beautiful. Soybean fields are monotonous, but streams and trees and hills are everywhere off the interstate.
Yeah, really subtle.