Historic Sites In Illinois

Visit the many historic sites in Illinois, from the Land of Lincoln and Chicago historical sites, to our most captivating historic towns and the site of an ancient Native American city at Cahokia Mounds.

Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area

LINCOLN'S LIVING LEGACY

Lincoln comes to life in Illinois with hundreds of historic Lincoln sites throughout the state. See where this legendary president lived, worked and made history.

Discover Lincoln Historic Sites

BIG CITY, BIG HISTORY

Chicago Historical Sites

Get to know the windy city better by taking a tour of Chicago historic sites. Browse architecture, monuments, and the places important in the lives of important historic figures.

The Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago, first established in 1879, is a significant part of Chicago's cultural history. Its Beaux-Arts building dates back to the 1893 World's Fair, and houses historic masterpieces like Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte and Wood's American Gothic.
The Art Institute of Chicago
Tribune Tower

Tribune Tower is a Chicago landmark known for its Neo-Gothic design, selected from a global competition in 1922. It features striking buttresses and incorporates stones from famous sites worldwide. As the home of the Chicago Tribune, it's also an important landmark of Chicago's journalistic history.
Tribune Tower
Dearborn Station

Built in 1885, Dearborn Station is Chicago’s oldest remaining railroad terminal, and a National Historic Landmark. Its striking Romanesque architecture with iconic clock tower once welcomed trains from across the country. Today, it serves as a bustling shopping and business hub.
Dearborn Station
Chicago Historic Water Tower

The Chicago Water Tower, constructed in 1869, is one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Its limestone edifice on North Michigan Avenue became a symbol of the city’s resilience and rebirth.
Chicago Historic Water Tower
Chicago Board of Trade Building

The Chicago Board of Trade Building anchors the city's iconic financial district. Its Art Deco design rises majestically at the end of a striking canyon of buildings along LaSalle Street, capturing Chicago’s architectural grandeur and economic heritage in one impressive facade.
Chicago Board of Trade Building
Bronzeville Walk of Fame

The Bronzeville Walk of Fame celebrates more than 100 African Americans who shaped the cultural and social fabric of this community and beyond. Honorees like Ida B. Wells and Gwendolyn Brooks are commemorated with plaques along Martin Luther King Drive, showcasing the area’s enduring legacy.
Bronzeville Walk of Fame
Navy Pier

Navy Pier was part of architect Daniel Burnham's grand vision for Chicago's waterfront. Opened in 1916 as a multi-use pier for shipping, recreation, and public events, it reflected Burnham's belief in creating beautiful, functional civic spaces. It stays true to this legacy more than a century on.
Navy Pier
Merchandise Mart

Merchandise Mart was the world's largest building by floor area when it opened in 1930, spanning more than four million square feet and two city blocks. This Art Deco landmark, once the hub for over 1,800 showrooms, today houses around 350 showrooms along with offices and tech firms.
Merchandise Mart
Victory Gardens Biograph Theater

The Biograph Theater has been a landmark of Chicago’s cultural history since it opened in 1914. It gained notoriety as the site where John Dillinger was captured, and today hosts Victory Gardens Theater, offering a unique blend of history and contemporary arts.
Victory Gardens Biograph Theater
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, built in 1889, showcases Wright's innovative design principles and marks the birthplace of the Prairie School movement. Here you can explore where Wright developed ideas that transformed modern architecture.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
The Rookery

The Rookery features one of Illinois' most impressive interiors, with an intricate lobby and light court renovated by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905. It was listed to the National Register in 1970, and named a Chicago Landmark in 1972 and a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
The Rookery
Chicago Cultural Center

When it opened in 1897, the Chicago Cultural Center served as the city's first public library. It remains an important cultural hub, where you can connect with Chicago's artistic and civic events through free public events. Its stunning architecture includes the world's largest Tiffany glass dome.
Chicago Cultural Center
Adler Planetarium

When it was established in 1930, The Adler Planetarium became the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. A gateway to the stars for nearly a century, its astronomical artifacts and exhibits represent an important part of Chicago's scientific legacy.
Adler Planetarium
Lincoln Park Conservatory

The Lincoln Park Conservatory gives you a tangible glimpse of Chicago's botanical heritage. Built in the late 1800s, this glass house reflects that era's passion for horticulture and remains a living museum of plant life.
Lincoln Park Conservatory
Martin Luther King, Jr. Living Memorial

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Living Memorial in Marquette Park was dedicated on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s 1966 march for fair housing. It features sculptures and plaques that celebrate his enduring legacy and the Chicago Freedom Movement.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Living Memorial
Ernest Hemingway Birthplace

The Ernest Hemingway Birthplace is a beautifully-preserved Victorian-era Oak Park home. It witnessed the birth of the acclaimed writer in 1899, and is now a museum offering a glimpse into Hemingway's early life and the foundations of his literary career.
Ernest Hemingway Birthplace
Douglas Tomb State Historic Site

The Douglas Tomb State Historic Site honors U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas, known for his 1858 debates with Abraham Lincoln. This 96-foot granite and marble monument commemorates Douglas’s influence on American politics and history.
Douglas Tomb State Historic Site
Pleasant Home

Pleasant Home is a stunning example of Prairie School architecture. Designed by George W. Maher and built in 1897, this National Historic Landmark and museum showcases intricate woodwork and stained glass. It's the only Maher building open to the public as a museum.
Pleasant Home
Chicago Portage National Historic Site

The Chicago Portage National Historic Site marks the place where early explorers and settlers navigated the water route linking the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. Today you can walk the same paths that served such a crucial role in the city's founding.
Chicago Portage National Historic Site

Trolley riding through the busy main street of Galena. — Galena Main Street

Brick exterior of post office — Post Office, Nauvoo

Exterior of the Vandalia State House during fall. — Vandalia State House

Historic Towns in Illinois

Explore Illinois' Historic Attractions

Take a journey back in time through Illinois' historic towns. Explore Galena's history with its enchanting 19th century streets and other Galena historical sites like the Ulysses S. Grant Home. Nauvoo brings early Mormon heritage to life with beautifully restored buildings. Alton, nestled along the Mississippi River, offers deep Civil War and abolitionist roots, incluidng Underground Railroad historic sites. Vandalia, Illinois' second state capital, features the historic State House and early statehood trasures.

A boat going down the river and a man walking a Mule down a path

Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Area

VISIT HISTORIC CANAL TOWNS

The Illinois & Michigan (I & M) Canal connects Lake Michigan to the Mississippi. When the I & M Canal was built, it linked New York to New Orleans, and established Chicago as a major hub of trade and commerce. The Canal is now a 100-mile-long national heritage corridor, where you can walk, cycle, fish, kayak, ride on a replica 1840 canal boat and discover the towns along the way.

Learn More About the Canal Trail

Joliet, Lockport, Lemont & Small Towns of the I & M Canal

Joliet, Lockport and Lemont offer a fascinating insight into the history of the canal, from Joliet’s industrial heritage to picturesque Lemont with its downtown boutiques. The three towns are within a few miles of each other, and all have local history museums. Explore their downtown areas on foot or walk a section of the canal trail.

Small towns have popped up all along the famous I & M Canal with quaint shops and antique stores, historic homes and tons of charm. Home to some of the best state parks in Illinois, Ottawa and Utica offer amazing opportunities to explore the Canal from the great outdoors. Follow the trail all the way to Starved Rock State Park.

A large historic tower — Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower, Hartford

The historic cahokia mounds near collinsville — Cahokia Mounds, Collinsville

Lewis and Clark & The Cahokia Mounds

MAJOR HISTORY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site in Hartford commemorates the camp where their historic Midwest to Pacific Ocean adventure began. Main attractions include a 14,000-square-ft. interpretive center and an outdoor replica of the Camp River Dubois structure.

Just south of Hartford, beneath the ground of Collinsville, lies the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico. The Cahokia Mounds UNESCO World Heritage Site is a 2,200-acre tract housing the remains of the pre-Columbian Native American city of Cahokia.

Illinois Heritage and History Events & Festivals

Come make history with us

History isn't only in the past. Join us as we celebrate, remember, and commemorate different eras and historic events with Illinois' heritage and history events. See how history can unfold for you...

Browse heritage and history events