Midwest focus: TravelAmerica highlights top tourist attractions in nine states

Travel America, May-June, 2005 by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann

ILLINOIS LAND OF LINCOLN

The history of Illinois is intertwined with that of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president. With much fanfare, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened in April in Springfield, the state capital. Lincoln's home and tomb and the restored Old State Capitol are among other Springfield sites that are part of the Lincoln Heritage Trail, as is the nearby New Salem State Historic Site, a living history village that recalls his young adult years. In the town of Lincoln, the Lincoln College Museum houses a large collection of memorabilia relating to Abe Lincoln's life in central Illinois.

Heading east of Springfield, you find the Amish towns of Arthur and Arcola, where horse-drawn teams plow the fields, quilts hang on clotheslines, and delicious home cooking is served in simple restaurants.

In the scenic hills of northwest Illinois, the well-preserved 19th century town of Galena offers dozens of restaurants, shops, and B&Bs.

In the south, there's the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, a string of wineries in and around Shawnee National Forest. Hike the forest's Garden of the Gods Trail with its 200-million-year-old rock formations. Top off a day's excursion with dinner and a good night's sleep in the timber-and-stone lodge at Giant City State Park.

The Mississippi River town of Alton, near the confluence of the Missouri River and just 20 minutes from St. Louis, abounds with historic homes and boasts several sites associated with Lewis & Clark, who made their first fortified encampment in the area. Alton draws browsers and serious collectors to its 40-shop antique district. The Alton Belle riverboat casino is another draw. In autumn the river bluffs blaze with color.

And, of course, there's Chicago. City highlights include the observation decks of Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Art Institute of Chicago, Navy Pier, and shopping on North Michigan Avenue, the "Magnificent Mile.'"

Northwest of Chicago, in the northern Fox River Valley, Elgin offers great dining and shopping, an intriguing historic district, a lively cultural scene, and riverboat gambling.

INDIANA THE HOOSIER STATE

Explore the Amish Country of northern Indiana on the scenic Heritage Trail, a 90-mile loop that includes Amish Acres historic farmstead in Nappanee, the Midwest's largest outdoor flea market in Shipshewana, and Das Dutchman Essenhaus family-style restaurant in Middlebury. Covered bridges hark back to a simpler time, too, and Parke County has 32 of them. The west-central Indiana county celebrates with a 10-day Covered Bridge Festival each October.

Nashville, a quaint town in south-central Indiana, is known as the art colony of the Midwest, with dozens of specialty shops and restaurants. Brown County State Park, the state's largest, is near Nashville. Hoosier National Forest in far southern Indiana has four lakes ideal for fishing, swimming, and camping. A beautiful section of the Ohio River Scenic Byway, between Tell City and Leavenworth, passes through parts of the forest. Attractions near this National Scenic Byway include the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial at Lincoln City, where Abraham Lincoln lived from age 7 to 21; the town of Santa Claus, where Christmas is in season all year at Holiday World theme park: and Historic New Harmony, site of an early 19th century communal society.

Be sure to visit West Baden Springs National Historic Landmark to see the restoration-in-progress of what has been called the Eighth Wonder of the Architectural World. The beautiful domed atrium is part of the 1902 former spa resort. You can take a tour, have tea. and stroll around the restored formal gardens. Just down the road is French Lick Springs Resort and Spa, a vintage grand hotel also built in 1902.

Indianapolis, the state capital, overflows with attractions, including the outstanding Children's Museum. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway offers a narrated bus tour for race fans. Bordering downtown is White River State Park, an urban treasure with trails, grassy areas, and waterways. The park is home to the Indianapolis Zoo, White River Gardens, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indiana State Museum, and NCAA Hall of Champions. On the northeast side of Indianapolis in Fishers, you'll find Conner Prairie, an open-air living history museum and frontier village where the year is always 1836.

IOWA THE HAWKEYE STATE

The bridges of Madison County are famous, thanks to the Robert Waller novel and Hollywood film of that name. The five covered bridges, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, are scattered around the county near Winterset, not far from Des Moines. The big news in Des Moines is the new $60 million Science Center of Iowa, which features six dynamic learning areas and changing exhibitions, plus an IMAX dome theater. Train enthusiasts will enjoy a 15-mile ride on the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad through the Des Moines River Valley and across two towering trestle bridges.