NORTHERN TOP SPOTS
Soak up the great outdoors or take it easy strolling along a small town Main Street.
Click on any of the highlighted destinations to find the Top Spots in Northern Illinois.
ANDERSON JAPANESE GARDENS
 Find zen in one of the premier Japanese gardens in the country. Discover beautiful waterfalls, formal gardens, koi ponds and a teahouse modeled on 16th century Sukiya-style architecture.
For more information:
CORONADO THEATRE
 Built in 1927 as a movie palace and vaudeville hall, the fanciful Coronado Theatre's design incorporates gilded Spanish castles, Italian villas, Chinese dragons in relief and a faux starry sky. Today the opulent theater plays host to live concerts, national touring shows and performances by the Rockford Symphony Orchestra.
For more information:
BURPEE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
 Make a date to meet Jane at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford. Of course, we're talking about the Jane, one of the 10 most important dinosaur discoveries in the past 100 years. From the Badlands to the Burpee, on display through 2005, provides pictures, videos and a timeline of Jane's historic find. Jane's skeleton is scheduled to be unveiled to the public for the first time ever on June 29.
For more information:
STARVED ROCK STATE PARK
 Hike through lush forests and explore 18 canyons and sparkling waterfalls in a breathtaking setting along the Illinois River. Stay the night in the 1930s stone-and-log Starved Rock Lodge & Conference Center, where you can bed down in the hotel or "rough it" in a modernized cabin.
For more information:
ULYSSES S. GRANT HOME STATE HISTORIC SITE
 On August 18, 1865, Galena honored the return of its local Civil War hero, General Ulysses S. Grant, with the presentation of a handsome furnished home on Bouthillier Street. Today you can take a guided tour of the home to experience what life was like for the man who would one day become president of the United States.
For more information:
RONALD REAGAN HOME AND VISITOR CENTER
 Take a tour of the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan, one of America's most popular presidents. Located in the river town of Dixon, the home has been restored to its 1920 appearance, complete with period furniture. The Reagan Home and Visitor Center is just one of several fascinating stops on the Ronald Reagan Trail.
For more information:
EAGLE RIDGE RESORT & SPA
 Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa boasts 63 holes of championship golf, a new spa offering a variety of massage and body treatments, plus horseback riding, fishing in Lake Galena and hiking trails.
For more information:
MAIN STREET GALENA
 Truly a town that time forgot, Galena's downtown historic district is home to dozens of charming shops and restaurants housed in 19th-century landmark buildings. Stay in one of the many cozy bed and breakfasts around town. Spend a weekend touring wineries, sailing over Galena's rolling countryside in a hot air balloon and golfing at the nearby Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa.
For more information:
ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM
 Train buffs make tracks to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, the largest railway museum in the country. More than 250 railcars and locomotives are on display, including a complete Burlington Zephyr Streamliner.
For more information:
SANDWICH ANTIQUES MARKET
 More than 500 exhibitors sell authentic antiques and collectibles on various Sundays throughout the summer and fall. Held at the park-like Sandwich Fairgrounds, this market offers treasures from the 19th and 20th centuries.
For more information:
|
