5 Reasons Why Summer in Illinois is Awesome

Illinois gets hated on a lot...BUT Summertime is the time of the year where Illinois rightfully deserves a lot of love! Here are the top 5 reasons why summer in Illinois is awesome.

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#1 Weather

Every other season in Illinois is hit or miss (and basically all of winter stinks) but summer in Illinois is perfect. For all of the midwestern states this should be the number one reason why their states rule in the summertime, on the rare occasions it gets into the high 90 degrees, those days don't last long. And when it does storm there is nothing better than a midwestern thunderstorm rolling across the plains in the summer, grab a beer, sit out on the porch, and watch the storm roll by!

#2 Chicago

Chicago is 1000% the best summer city in the USA and honestly in the discussion for best in the world. Spend your days swimming in the beaches of Lake Michigan, meeting animals at the free Lincoln Park Zoo, catch a baseball game on the north or southside, visit world class museums, stuff your face with the best pizza in the world, see a Broadway touring show, go to Lollapalooza (or not), street festivals every weekend, and so much more. Honestly this whole list could just be Chicago, but Illinois is more than just its big city!

#3 Illinois State Fair

The Illinois State Fair (to see their website click here!) is filled with world class entertainment like Kane Brown (pictured above), incredible food, and is centrally located in Springfield for the whole state to get to. It really is a blast whether you are going with friends or family.

#4 State Parks

Illinois is really so much more than just Chicago, there are hundreds of State Parks all over the state (to find some check out the website by clicking here!) and you really can enjoy them in the summertime with the midwestern weather. You can hike with a little to no worries about seeing a bear like in Colorado, and if you haven't been to Starved Rock State Park in Illinois...GO!

#5 Road Trips

Illinois is so big, and there are so many other towns out there in Illinois to explore besides Chicago. From Quincy alone you could take so many Illinois road trips, to Peoria, Springfield, or head up to the unique suburban towns surrounding Chicago like Woodstock, Crystal Lake, Naperville, Evanston, and Oak Park. Or head south from Quincy to get to areas like Carbondale and the wine trail towns in that area.

Illinois rules in the Summertime, which is nice because once January roles around again we will all be wondering "why haven't I moved to Florida yet?"