Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
✨ Midwestern Things to Do & Places Worth the Trip
18
items I love finding fun places to eat, explore, wander around, and make a day of! 🚗💕 Here are some of my favorite spots and little adventures around Illinois and nearby areas — from beautiful parks and unique local gems to restaurants, shops, and places...
Map
Sections
3
🌳 Things to Do & Explore
🍕 Places to Eat
🛍️ Shops & Local Finds
🌳 Things to Do & Explore
Beautiful places, attractions, and fun spots to wander, explore, and spend the day.
Washington Park in Springfield, IL has beautiful scenery, gardens, and plenty of peaceful spots to wander around and enjoy. One of my favorite things is the bell tower, which plays beautiful pre-programmed renditions of songs from years past as you s...
Washington Park
Allerton Park is such a beautiful place for a day outing, especially in the spring and summer! 🌷🌿 I’ve visited several times with family and friends and always enjoyed wandering through the gorgeous gardens, colorful flowers, ponds, and beautiful s...
Allerton Park & Retreat Center
Curtis Orchard in Champaign, IL is great to visit any time they are open but especially during the fall! They have wonderful apple cider flavored food and drinks- I recommend the slushies and the sugared donuts! Their Wizard of Oz theme is so quaint ...
Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch
We had a great time going to the St. Louis Zoo. They have so many attractions (and air conditioned spots in certain parts) that you won’t run out of animals to see. The best part is it’s free and you just have to pay $20 for parking. They have multip...
Saint Louis Zoo
Piazza Imo in The Hill was so peaceful to visit and relax in. The fountain is gorgeous and I loved listening to the water trickling out as we soaked up the evening. Nice and quiet area too.
Piazza Imo On the Hill
🍕 Places to Eat
Restaurants, cafés, and other tasty stops that are worth adding to your itinerary.
Sapori is such a fun place to go if you’re craving a great Italian pizzeria experience! 🍕 They have several pizza styles to choose from, including Chicago deep dish and thin New York-style. I can personally vouch for the Moe Green if you’re a pesto ...
Sapori Pizzeria & Italian Market
I loved going to the French restaurant-Bread and Vine in Galena, IL! This was our spot that we chose for our second wedding anniversary dinner together and it was such a cute spot. When we went, it was during the week so it was nice and quiet in the ...
Bread and Vine
Anvil and Forge in Springfield, IL is a great place for get togethers. They have great food, and beer which is saying something coming from a person who isn’t much of a beer drinker. They offer trivia nights as well. We have been to one on invitation...
Anvil & Forge Brewing and Distilling Company
This rolled ice cream shop in Springfield, IL is such a cozy place to visit! The name was too cute to pass up and the inside was even cuter! It is very cafe style meets plant shop! Lots of greenery and they even had books and games. We got some choco...
Oh-Icee
Absolutely loved Bartolino’s in St. Louis, MO! The restaurant is located inside a hotel but has its own space and outdoor patio area (complete with live music). It was probably the fanciest place I’d been to and the service was a big part of that. Th...
Bartolino's The Hill
I love visiting the Courier Cafe in Urbana, IL when I’m in the mood for some soup and sandwiches. Their interior is very nice and gives that transported-to another- time antique vibe. It’s a quiet place to have nice lunch. :)
The Courier Cafe
Lola’s Delia in Elizabeth, IL is a cute little cafe with a unique vibe of old charm and modern gothic style. The food is simplistic but delicious with things like sandwiches and tacos. Inside, it has the original architecture and ceilings that are be...
Lola’s Deli
🛍️ Shops & Local Finds
Cute shops, markets, antiques, and other fun places to browse while you’re out exploring.
Poopsie’s was one of my favorite stores that we visited while in Galena, IL. I had received gifts from family members from there before but it was super fun getting to see it for myself. There is plenty of things to browse through (especially if you ...
Poopsie's
Inside the mall in Springfield, IL, there is a lovely little antique store called Lost World. Its owner is very nice and offers a variety of wares to peruse. Among some of my favorites to browse is the antique china, like the tea cups, and the books....
Lost World
A cute little resale shop with lots of different sections to browse! 🛍️ They have everything from Christmas decor and kitchen items to jewelry and a surprisingly great DVD selection. We ended up spending quite a bit of time browsing the DVDs and fou...
Common Cents Resale
This is a great antique mall to visit when you want to wander and look through so many decades of the past. Nostalgia rules this place and you will find so many things that remind you of part of your yesteryear. It’s inside an old school building whi...
Elizabeth's Grand Antique Co.
Root beer Revelry was such a cute activity to do! They give you little flights to try on a fancy wooden serving board. You hear and read about the flavors in each of them. Basically you get to pretend to be like a judge on a food show and rate your f...
Root Beer Revelry
The Hill Antique Market was the thrift store version of walking through a local store and dropping things into your cart that struck your fancy. It was very chill and I loved the friendly staff. The market was full of small business antique stalls an...
The Hill Antique Market