Illinois Suprises

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: MARCH/APRIL 2007)

You don’t always get what you pay for. Sometimes you get a lot more. Most thrifty travelers know they can stroll along river walks or lounge on lakefront beaches for free, but we’ve found 75 other no-cost attractions that may surprise you: world–class museums, zoos and historic sites, as well as offbeat treasures, such as tours of factories that make jelly beans and blue cheese. Yes, there are parking fees and souvenirs to consider, but last we checked, none of these places charges admission.

Illinois

STATE PARKS ARE FREE! Make sure you see the rock formations at Garden of the Gods and the steep ravines at Starved Rock (217/782–6302; www.dnr.state.il.us).

ALTON National Great River Museum Steer through locks on an indoor barge simulator near the Melvin Price Locks and Dams (618/462–6979; www.mvs.usace.army.mil/rivers/ngrm.htm).

CHICAGO Chicago Cultural Center This Beaux Arts gem is an arts hub and visitors center. Both audio and group tours are available (312/744–6630; www.chicagoculturalcenter.org). Chicago Greeters Volunteers lead two- to four-hour neighborhood walking tours (312/744–8000; www.chicagogreeter.com). Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Money Museum See a cube made from 1 million dollars and learn how to identify fake bills (312/322-2400; www.chicagofed.org). Garfield Park Conservatory One of the nation’s largest, with a two–story daisy–stem slide in the children’s garden (312/746–5100; www.garfieldconservatory.org). Lincoln Park Conservatory Four greenhouses have ferns, palms, cacti and rotating exhibits (312/742–7736; www.chicagoparkdistrict.com). Lincoln Park Zoo See more than 1,000 species at one of the country’s oldest free zoos (312/742–2000; www.lpzoo.com). Loop Tour Train Hop aboard a 40–minute summer rail tour of Chicago’s architecture (312/744–2400; www.cityofchicago.org/exploringchicago). National Museum of Mexican Art The nation’s largest Latino museum features art from both sides of the border (312/738-1503; www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org). Smith Museum of Stained Glass An intimate gallery on Navy Pier with windows by Tiffany, Wright and others (312/595-5024 for tours; www.navypier.com).

COLLINSVILLE Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Climb 100-foot-tall Monks Mound, the largest of the area's 80 surviving ceremonial mounds (618/346–5160; www.cahokiamounds.com).

GLENCOE Chicago Botanic Garden Visit 23 gardens and the Regenstein Center’s new galleries and library (847/835–5440; www.chicago-botanic.org).

MOLINE Deere and Company World Headquarters See farm equipment and a replicated vintage dealership at the John Deere Pavilion and the John Deere Collectors Center, or tour the Deere-Wiman/Butterworth Homes and Gardens (309/765–1000; www.johndeereattractions.com).

NAUVOO A historic Mormon town, with carriage rides and craft demonstrations at the Family Living Center (888/453–6434; www.historicnauvoo.net).

SPRINGFIELD Abraham Lincoln sites The new Presidential Library and Museum charges admission, but Springfield has plenty of free Lincoln sites, including the Old State Capitol and the Lincoln Tomb (800/545–7300; www.visit-spring fieldillinois.com).

WHEATON Cantigny Park Chicago Tribune editor and publisher Robert R. McCormick’s estate includes a 1st Infantry Division Museum (630/668–5161; www.cantignypark.com).

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