| u and your family are planning to go on a | | | | as the John G. Shedd Aquarium located in Chicago. |
| vacation, or may be you're looking for a place to | | | | It was opened only last May 30, 1930 and for a |
| move in, check-out Illinois. With its ethnically and | | | | period of time was the biggest aquarium there is. |
| culturally diverse community, great economic hub | | | | It has been ranked as the second most visited |
| and breathtaking scenery, many have said that | | | | place in Chicago with over 2 million visitors |
| Illinois is the most accurate description of the rest | | | | annually. Shedd Aquarium was the first ever |
| of the United States. Accordingly, the following | | | | aquarium to have its own collection of inland |
| are some details and must-see sights of Illinois. | | | | saltwater fishes with over 2100 different water |
| Illinois ( is home to approximately 12,831,970 | | | | and land species in attendance totaling 25,951 |
| ethnically diverse population ranking as the fifth | | | | animals in all. |
| most populated place in the United States with an | | | | The Shedd Aquarium is a great place to bring |
| area of 57,918 square miles being the 25th largest | | | | your kids with its own recreation of the Amazon |
| place in America. | | | | jungle and a 90,000-US-gallon circular tank that |
| Illinois was admitted in the Union on December 3, | | | | allows maximum view of the underwater. The |
| 1818 being the 21st state to have been so. Aside | | | | Shedd Aquarium has received various awards |
| from being the most populated state in the | | | | such as the Best Exhibit Award from the |
| Midwest, Illinois also offers a variety of world | | | | Association of Zoos and Aquariums. |
| class and historical tourist destinations and premier | | | | Field Museum of Natural History |
| colleges and universities. | | | | The Field Museum of Natural History or FHMN, |
| The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and | | | | also located in Chicago, was hailed by many as |
| Museum | | | | the most popular tourist attraction in all of |
| Probably the most historical and often visited | | | | Chicago. The museum was founded on 1906 and |
| place in Illinois is the The Abraham Lincoln | | | | offers a collection of artifacts and exhibits |
| Presidential Library and Museum located at | | | | covering the subjects of Geology, Zoology, |
| Springfield. This library and museum has been said | | | | Anthropology and Botany. It is most famous for |
| to be the biggest presidential library in the country. | | | | its Tyrannosaurus rex fossil collection being the |
| As the name might suggest, the Abraham Lincoln | | | | most complete and largest collection ever. |
| Presidential Library and Museum was built to | | | | Aside from the T-rex, the museum also offers a |
| commemorate the life of the 16th United States | | | | wide variety of dinosaur collection as well as |
| President, Abraham Lincoln. It also presents many | | | | artifacts featuring Native Americans, the Pacific |
| of the important events during the American Civil | | | | Northwest, ancient Egypt, and Tibet. "Fieldiana", a |
| War. | | | | journal reviewing the museum is also published |
| The library and museum opened in April of 2005 | | | | four times a year and is available online. |
| and after only six months of opening it already | | | | Art Institute of Chicago |
| raised one million dollars. After a year, this tourist | | | | If you are interested in art then the Art Institute |
| destination was visited by approximately one | | | | of Chicago is for you. Hailed as the United States' |
| million visitors. No wonder many believe that it is | | | | foremost museum of fine arts, it was established |
| the United States' most frequented | | | | in 1879 and has over 1,441,000 visitors yearly. |
| government-controlled presidential museum. | | | | This art museum garnered popularity by exhibiting |
| Aside from the life-like replicas of President | | | | Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art as well as |
| Lincoln's home, some areas in the White House as | | | | American paintings. |
| well as important events in President Lincoln's life | | | | Among those exhibited are the Water Lilies and |
| are exhibited in the museum. It also features two | | | | Haystacks by Claude Monet, Piere-Auguste |
| theatrical shows called Ghosts of the Library and | | | | Renoir's Two Sisters (On the Terrace), Henri de |
| Lincoln's Eyes. The presidential museum received | | | | Toulouse-Lautrec's At the Moulin Rouge and the |
| the Themed Entertainment Association's Award | | | | Self-portrait, 1887 and Bedroom in Arles by |
| for Creative Excellence as well as cited by the | | | | Vincent Van Gogh, among others. |
| Lincoln Group of New York as "the greatest | | | | Illinois offers more than great museums and |
| achievement in America to encourage the study | | | | historical places. It also offers a friendly |
| and appreciation of Abraham Lincoln and the times | | | | neighborhood, a booming economy and premier |
| in which he lived." | | | | universities. If ever you're interested in visiting |
| John G. Shedd Aquarium | | | | Illinois or making it your home, check out |
| Aside from the fabulous presidential museum, | | | | illinoisatoz for available listing of properties for sale |
| Illinois also offers other world class museums such | | | | in the state. |