#32 best destination in the world
Cloud Gate, Chicago
Best time to travel: April-May, Sept-Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$
- Public sculpture that is the centerpiece of AT&T Plaza at Millennium Park
- Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed “the Bean” because of its shape
- Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams
- The design was inspired by liquid mercury and the sculpture’s surface reflects and distorts the city’s skyline
Art Institute of Chicago
Best time to travel: April-May, Sept-Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $
- Museum founded in 1879 in Chicago
- One of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States
- Has a permanent collection of nearly 300,000 works of art
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Best time to travel: April-May, Sept-Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $
- Museum in Chicago that is one of the largest natural history museums in the world
- The museum and its collections originated from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the artifacts displayed at the fair
- The museum maintains collections of over 24 million specimens including gems, meteorites, and fossils
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Best time to travel: April-May, Sept-Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $
- Museum housed in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition
- Among the museum’s exhibits are a full-size replica coal mine, German submarine U-505 captured during World War II, a model railroad, the command module of Apollo 8, and the first diesel-powered streamlined stainless-steel passenger train
Six Flags Great America, Gurnee

Best time to travel: April-May, Sept-Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $
- Amusement park located in Gurnee, originally opened in 1976
- It features four themed areas and fifteen roller coasters, as well as a 20-acre water park called Hurricane Harbor Chicago
- It is ranked among the top 20 amusement parks in North America for attendance
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield

Best time to travel: mid Oct-late Nov
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $
- Museum that documents the life of the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War
- Combining traditional scholarship with 21st-century showmanship techniques, the museum ranks as one of the most visited presidential libraries
- The library and museum is located in the state capital of Springfield
Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield

Best time to travel: April-June, mid Oct-early Nov
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $
- House that preserves the Springfield, Illinois home and related historic district where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861, before becoming the 16th president of the United States
- The presidential memorial includes the four blocks surrounding the home and a visitor center