While Chicago dominates the state of Illinois with its big skyscrapers and even bigger cultural punch, there's more to the Prairie State than just the Windy City. World Heritage Sites, cypress swamps and famous homesteads number among the state's many worthwhile attractions.
We asked a panel of Illinois travel writers to nominate their favorite state attractions, and for the past four weeks, our readers have been voting for their favorites. The results are in!
The top 10 winners in the category Best Illinois Attraction are as follows:
- American Writers Museum - Chicago
- The Morton Arboretum - Lisle
- Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum - Springfield
- Driehaus Museum - Chicago
- Cantigny Park - Wheaton
- Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio - Oak Park
- Cahokia Mounds - Collinsville
- Main Street - Galena
- Art Institute of Chicago - Chicago
- Chicago Riverwalk - Chicago
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. ExpertsKit Bernardi (KitTravels.com), Rosalind Cummings-Yeates and Nina Hahn were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of travel in Illinois.
Congratulations to all these winning attractions.
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The Experts
Kit Bernardi
Kit Bernardi is an award-winning travel journalist... Read More
Kit Bernardi is an award-winning travel journalist and photographer. Her articles have appeared in USA TODAY GoEscape Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, AAA Publications, Travel Illinois Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, South China Morning Post, FamilyTravelForum.com and numerous other print and online outlets featured on her website KitTravels.com and blog KitChat. Kit has traveled to 55 countries, six continents and 45 of our nation’s states writing and photographing cultural, adventure, artisan and culinary travel stories. She teaches and speaks about travel writing and publishing strategy at industry conferences and universities. Kit is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers Editors Council and North American Travel Journalists Association. Follow Kit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Kit Bernardi

Kit Bernardi is an award-winning travel journalist and photographer. Her articles have appeared in USA TODAY GoEscape Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, AAA Publications, Travel Illinois Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, South China Morning Post, FamilyTravelForum.com and numerous other print and online outlets featured on her website KitTravels.com and blog KitChat. Kit has traveled to 55 countries, six continents and 45 of our nation’s states writing and photographing cultural, adventure, artisan and culinary travel stories. She teaches and speaks about travel writing and publishing strategy at industry conferences and universities. Kit is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers Editors Council and North American Travel Journalists Association. Follow Kit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
Rosalind Cummings-Yeates is an independent... Read More
Rosalind Cummings-Yeates is an independent journalist, blogger and arts critic specializing in travel and lifestyle topics. She’s also a born and bred Windy City girl who penned Exploring Chicago Blues: Inside The Scene, Past and Present (History Press), a guidebook to Chicago blues history and landmarks. Her other credits include Woman’s Day, Hemispheres, MSN, Salon, Brides, Marriott Traveler, Miami Herald, Go Magazine, Relish, Time Out Chicago, Shermans Travel, Allmusic.com, Get Lost, Rough Guide to Women Travel and the Chicago Sun Times, among other publications. She writes a monthly blues column for the Illinois Entertainer, travel blogs for various publications and teaches journalism at Columbia College Chicago.
Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Rosalind Cummings-Yeates is an independent journalist, blogger and arts critic specializing in travel and lifestyle topics. She’s also a born and bred Windy City girl who penned Exploring Chicago Blues: Inside The Scene, Past and Present (History Press), a guidebook to Chicago blues history and landmarks. Her other credits include Woman’s Day, Hemispheres, MSN, Salon, Brides, Marriott Traveler, Miami Herald, Go Magazine, Relish, Time Out Chicago, Shermans Travel, Allmusic.com, Get Lost, Rough Guide to Women Travel and the Chicago Sun Times, among other publications. She writes a monthly blues column for the Illinois Entertainer, travel blogs for various publications and teaches journalism at Columbia College Chicago.
Nina Kokotas Hahn
A writer and editor focused on travel and leisure,... Read More
A writer and editor focused on travel and leisure, Nina Hahn is a Chicago-born native and resident, forever ruined for other destinations by the city’s incredible dining scene. Her work appears in Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Chicago magazine, where she is a contributing travel expert. She also makes appearances on Chicago's WGN TV morning news and 9.15 WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR. Follow Nina on Twitter and Facebook.
Nina Kokotas Hahn

A writer and editor focused on travel and leisure, Nina Hahn is a Chicago-born native and resident, forever ruined for other destinations by the city’s incredible dining scene. Her work appears in Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Chicago magazine, where she is a contributing travel expert. She also makes appearances on Chicago's WGN TV morning news and 9.15 WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR. Follow Nina on Twitter and Facebook.