Even homebodies roam. Perhaps to a local theater, store, or restaurant. Wherever your meanderings take you, the places speak volumes about what you value. To be clear, we may love our home region and still yearn to explore areas farther flung. During the Covid-19 shutdowns, the message was, Shop local!” That mantra holds true today. Your local stores, eateries, museums (and so on) need your patronage. Your local parks need your volunteerism. And the history of this state waits to be revealed to passersby who stop and read storyboards about the National Women’s Professional Baseball League, the Sauk warrior Black Hawk, the I&M Heritage Corridor, or the Viking ship that sits in a small Illinois town (cared for by volunteers). Every state offers a great deal, and Illinois is no exception. In fact, it is exceptional.

If your time is finite, and we know that it is, how will you spend your next free day or weekend? Will you veg in front of the television? Or hike the well-worn path you’ve trekked a thousand times? These options are surely viable and respectable. Everyone needs downtime. But if you find yourself yearning for something different, I urge you to see Illinois, a state with canyons, a deep national forest, and river towns that offer some of the best vistas, festivals, byways, eateries, and history. Using the Illinois book as your guide, you can learn about the first martyr of a free-press society (Alton), you can sleep inside a zoological park (Peoria area), or dine at cultural a hot spot, including “farm-and-table” restaurants (where they grow what they serve you).

In northern Illinois, the ole groundhog seems to have ushered in an early spring; thus, daffodils push skyward. In central and southern Illinois, where there’s more warmth than the northern reaches of the state, outdoor destinations beckon. I leave you with this spark, as well as my photo album from my 2023 Illinois jaunts. Enjoy! Support local! Shop indie!

Melanie Holmes