List of Must-Visit Illinois Attractions for 2022 Forgets About Northern Illinois

With a new year comes new plans or plans we didn't get to in 2020 or 2021. Day trips, weekend trips, vacations; all of these have been in limbo for the past two years, it seems.

A 2022 edition of a list promoting must-visit places in Illinois straight up neglected what the Rockford area has to offer. Only one spot in Rockford made the list out of the 25 mentions.

If you were to base it off of this list, there isn't much to do outside of Chicago and its surrounding area.

Yes, it is safe to assume there are a lot of tourist spots in and around the windy city but there is so much more Illinois has to offer.

The travel website, familydestination.com, published a list of 25 best things to do in Illinois with Chicago landing on the list 10 times, not including 3 things pretty much in the same area.

Shopping

Maybe it's because I live within a short drive but why is Woodfield Mall listed as the #5 "best" attraction in Illinois? Yes, it is a shopping mecca for the area but should it really surpass natural beauty like Anderson Japanese Gardens?

Anderson Japanese Gardens, which has been accredited with the title of 'Finest Japanese garden in North America' did not make the list, but two other similar Chicago spots did.

Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens/Sinnissippi Lagoons and Gardens

Another gem in Rockford with so much beauty and so much to offer yet didn't make the list unlike Grand View Drive, which isn't that exciting.

Size doesn't matter on this list.

Despite being the most complete adolescent tyrannosaurus rex discovered so far, Jane's home, Burpee Museum did not make the list, but a library in Gurnee did. So did Gurnee Mills Mall and Six Flags Great America.

Worthy of being on the list?

Some of the locations on the list are deserving while others are head-scratchers in that, while they are unique, do they qualify as the best in the state?

Sears Willis Tower landing on the list is certainly deserving. The building in synonymous with Chicago and offers a truly unique view.

How could they fail to mention these places?

Tourist spots like Rock Cut State Park, Rockford Speedway, Klehm Arboretum, Tink Swiss Cottage, and countless others are contenders for must-visit attractions in Illinois.

The only Rockford attraction to make this list? Discovery Center Museum.