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Illinois Conventions, Trade Shows, Conferences and Meetings:
Finding Conventions in Illinois can be quite time consuming. At Conventions.net, we provide you with an easy to use, efficient means of searching for event planning resources for trade shows, conferences, meetings, and conventions all in a manner of seconds. You have the opportunity to choose from a vast selection of convention centers and meeting facilities in Illinois. We developed Conventions.net to make the search for event planning resources easier than ever.
Locating Convention Centers and Trade Shows in Illinois:
At one time the most efficient way to locate Convention and Trade Show planning resources in Illinois was to call company after company simply based on their yellow page ad. Now, when you use Conventions.net you can find meeting planning resources in Illinois that meet your specific needs. Not only is this a convenient way to quickly locate convention and conference planning resources, but it is also an excellent resource to find industry suppliers such as hotels, resorts, event speakers, convention centers, and convention visitor bureaus.
We are affiliated with both large nationwide trade show planning companies as well as smaller local convention industry suppliers, which offer trade show and convention planning resources in Illinois. So, if you are looking to plan a meeting, convention, or trade show in Illinois you have nothing to lose, and only time and money to gain by letting Conventions.net help you fill your event planning needs.
For travelers coming from any direction the wind blows, Illinois may well be one of the easiest states to get to, with several major airlines and Amtrak using it as a central hub, and Lake Michigan making the city of Chicago not only windy, but also a fairly major port of call. This easy accessibility is one of the many reasons that Illinois has historically attracted large groups of emigrants -- notably, Germans, Polish, Irish, and Mexicans, and African Americans escaping slavery -- to settle within its boundaries, looking for work and a new home.
Illinois fell to the side of its most favored son, Abraham Lincoln -- who spent all of his adult pre-presidential years calling the state home -- and thus was an anti-slavery state prior to the Civil War. However, there was a sad smear on this status when in 1853 Illinois state senator John Logan helped the local legislature to pass the appalling Black Codes, prohibiting African Americans, particularly those escaping slavery in the South, from immigrating into the state. Despite his success with the legislature, though, Logan clearly didn't have the support of his entire state. Because of its location on the Mississippi River, Illinois became one of many active Underground Railroad states in the Union, with the cities of Alton and Jacksonville in southwestern Illinois being particularly notable spots. Today, many of those sites and their artifacts have been preserved and are open to visitors year-round.
Known as the Prairie State, there is indeed much in the form of natural beauty to check out, whether driving any of Illinois' five scenic byways where you can witness river, lake, prairie, and acres and acres of bucolic farmland, or traversing one of the more than 50 state parks and myriad wildlife and nature centers. But Illinois is also home to the third-largest city in the country, Chicago (no, it's not the capital -- that would be Springfield, Lincoln's home city), birthplace of skyscrapers and its own brand of the blues, and home to Wrigley Field and fantastic arts and food scenes, with great pockets of authentic Greek, Swedish, Italian, German, Chinese, and Mexican eateries creating a veritable smorgasbord of culture to explore.
When most people think about Illinois vacations, they think about Chicago. Needless to say, Illinois getaways to Chicago should definitely be part of your Illinois travel plans. However, when you tire of the big cities, you will find a number of interesting ideas for Illinois vacations. Here are a few of them.
Illinois Getaways for Families: It's All Happening at the Zoo
Families who are planning Illinois vacations will have a number of great zoos to choose from. In Bloomington, the Miller Park Zoo is home to a rain forest exhibit with free flying birds, the new Zoo Lab exploration center, which includes an indoor butterfly and birds exhibit (butterflies from April-October), sun bears, snow leopards, red wolves, Sumatran tiger, and a new Children's Zoo. The Brookfield Zoo has over 400 species of animals. At the Glen oak Zoo in Peoria, you and your family can participate in the Zoo Snooze, a unique experience that allows you to spend the night at the zoo. Your adventure begins at 7:00PM. It includes an up-close animal encounter and guided tour, as well as pizza and breakfast the following morning.
Illinois Travel to Theme Parks
In Dundee, Illinois, The Three Worlds of Santa's Village has been a popular family vacation destination for over 40 years. The park features a variety of rides and live shows. You can hang out with the animals down on Old McDonald's Farm or enjoy the thrilling rides at Coney Island. Thrill seekers who enjoy getting wet will love Racing Rapids Action Park, which is also located in Dundee, Illinois.
Illinois Travel to National Parks
At the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, you can take a tour of the two-story home of Abraham Lincoln. This was the only home that Lincoln ever owned. The house was constructed in 1839 as a 1 1/2-story cottage. Abraham and Mary Lincoln resided in the cottage from 1844 until Mr. Lincoln's election to the Presidency in 1861. You can also take a trip back in history by exploring the Lewis and Clark National Trail.
Illinois Travel to Museums
Be sure to set aside a portion of your Illinois travel plans to explore the state's excellent museums. In Aurora, the SciTech Hands on Museum features exciting exhibits on weather, biology, sound, physics and astronomy. In Big Rock, Illinois, the traveling Roberts Armory Museum specializes in the acquisition and display of light armored vehicles and artillery used by the U.S. Army in World War II. In Champaign, Illinois, the Staerkel Planetarium is open year-round, provides science education programs and fascinating light show entertainment. Perhaps the oddest of these museums is the Chicago International Museum of Surgical Science, whose collections span over 4,000 years of surgical history.
Illinois has a lot to offer. Make the most of your Illinois travel by seeing as much of the state as possible. |
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