Illinois Road Videos

[Flint1979]

Since Wallethub is irrefutable, this is not up for debate. 2022's Best & Worst States for Summer Road Trips

2. Minnesota

15. Iowa
16. Michigan
18. Wisconsin

32. Illinois

Sorry. Wallethub has spoken. Illinois is not a premier road trip destination, and Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa are all better. And Illinois is still flat too.

Looks like the costs metric really impacted the overall ranking. If you sort it by activities or even safety...IL beats those other states.

The gods at Wallethub in their omnipotent wisdom put them 32nd. Nothing else matters.

And if you go by safety, MN, IA, WI, ND, and NE all top Illinois.

Again activities... You know, places to go/things to look at.. IL is #5 in that metric which beats the other Midwestern states. This means that ignoring the cost factor, one will have the best experience in IL of any Midwestern state. This supports the other arguments I've been making too.

LMFAO @ one will have the best experience in Illinois of any Midwestern state. What in the hell is there to experience? You've got Chicago and then the rest of the state. You'll find much more to experience in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota than you will Illinois. For one thing Michigan is a much better place to be in the summer time and if you disagree with that than how come flocks of people from Illinois come to Michigan to vacation in the summer? I'd much rather be in Traverse City, Michigan in the summer than anywhere in Illinois.

Again there's plenty to experience outside of Chicago in Illinois. Here are just a few examples...

Galena
Starved Rock
Cave in Rock
The kickass BBQ scene in Murphysboro
Carbondale
Pretty much any college town will throw down
Springfield
And the Illinois portion of the Ozarks.

Those are just a few. There's a reason Illinois was declared the funnest state in the Midwest. It's obvious that you haven't experienced much of Illinois.

I don't think you've experienced all those places.

Right. I think he's just looking at a map and picking things based on that.

[Crash_It]

Since Wallethub is irrefutable, this is not up for debate. 2022's Best & Worst States for Summer Road Trips

2. Minnesota

15. Iowa
16. Michigan
18. Wisconsin

32. Illinois

Sorry. Wallethub has spoken. Illinois is not a premier road trip destination, and Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa are all better. And Illinois is still flat too.

Looks like the costs metric really impacted the overall ranking. If you sort it by activities or even safety...IL beats those other states.

The gods at Wallethub in their omnipotent wisdom put them 32nd. Nothing else matters.

And if you go by safety, MN, IA, WI, ND, and NE all top Illinois.

Again activities... You know, places to go/things to look at.. IL is #5 in that metric which beats the other Midwestern states. This means that ignoring the cost factor, one will have the best experience in IL of any Midwestern state. This supports the other arguments I've been making too.

LMFAO @ one will have the best experience in Illinois of any Midwestern state. What in the hell is there to experience? You've got Chicago and then the rest of the state. You'll find much more to experience in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota than you will Illinois. For one thing Michigan is a much better place to be in the summer time and if you disagree with that than how come flocks of people from Illinois come to Michigan to vacation in the summer? I'd much rather be in Traverse City, Michigan in the summer than anywhere in Illinois.

Again there's plenty to experience outside of Chicago in Illinois. Here are just a few examples...

Galena
Starved Rock
Cave in Rock
The kickass BBQ scene in Murphysboro
Carbondale
Pretty much any college town will throw down
Springfield
And the Illinois portion of the Ozarks.

Those are just a few. There's a reason Illinois was declared the funnest state in the Midwest. It's obvious that you haven't experienced much of Illinois.

Illinois has never been declared the funnest state in the Midwest by any serious talking person. And what makes you think I can't find anything like that or better in Michigan?

It's been declared the funnest state by again... wallethub

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-states/34665

[kphoger]

"The kickass BBQ scene in Murphysboro" is a three-day cookoff that takes place there in September.  I'm not sure I'd call that a "scene".  I think there may only be two barbecue restaurants in the whole town.

A visit to Cave-in-Rock takes, what? an hour?  Then you're done.

Illinois is hardly unique in having college towns.

Galen and Starved Rock are definitely worth visiting.  The Ozarks/Shawnee National Forest area is as well, though perhaps less so.

[Max Rockatansky]

Since Wallethub is irrefutable, this is not up for debate. 2022's Best & Worst States for Summer Road Trips

2. Minnesota

15. Iowa
16. Michigan
18. Wisconsin

32. Illinois

Sorry. Wallethub has spoken. Illinois is not a premier road trip destination, and Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa are all better. And Illinois is still flat too.

Looks like the costs metric really impacted the overall ranking. If you sort it by activities or even safety...IL beats those other states.

The gods at Wallethub in their omnipotent wisdom put them 32nd. Nothing else matters.

And if you go by safety, MN, IA, WI, ND, and NE all top Illinois.

Again activities... You know, places to go/things to look at.. IL is #5 in that metric which beats the other Midwestern states. This means that ignoring the cost factor, one will have the best experience in IL of any Midwestern state. This supports the other arguments I've been making too.

LMFAO @ one will have the best experience in Illinois of any Midwestern state. What in the hell is there to experience? You've got Chicago and then the rest of the state. You'll find much more to experience in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota than you will Illinois. For one thing Michigan is a much better place to be in the summer time and if you disagree with that than how come flocks of people from Illinois come to Michigan to vacation in the summer? I'd much rather be in Traverse City, Michigan in the summer than anywhere in Illinois.

Again there's plenty to experience outside of Chicago in Illinois. Here are just a few examples...

Galena
Starved Rock
Cave in Rock
The kickass BBQ scene in Murphysboro
Carbondale
Pretty much any college town will throw down
Springfield
And the Illinois portion of the Ozarks.

Those are just a few. There's a reason Illinois was declared the funnest state in the Midwest. It's obvious that you haven't experienced much of Illinois.

Illinois has never been declared the funnest state in the Midwest by any serious talking person. And what makes you think I can't find anything like that or better in Michigan?

It's been declared the funnest state by again... wallethub

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-states/34665

The fact Florida is number two immediately invalidates the list even before getting to Illinois.

But then again I'm not a follower of Wallethubism...

[kphoger]

Looks like the costs metric really impacted the overall ranking.

It's been declared the funnest state by again... wallethub

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-states/34665

I thought we were supposed to dismiss rankings that include criteria like "Movie Costs", "Personal Spending on Recreation Services per Capita", and "Average Beer & Wine Price".  I mean, the costs metric probably impacted the overall ranking.

Also, apparently "Fitness Centers per Capita" is a meaningful metric when it comes to a state's fun-ness.  Seriously?  How often have I been on a fun family vacation and suggested that we all head to Planet Fitness?  Zero.

[JayhawkCO]

Chicago is less great than it would otherwise be because it's in Illinois.

[Max Rockatansky]

Looks like the costs metric really impacted the overall ranking.

It's been declared the funnest state by again... wallethub

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-states/34665

I thought we were supposed to dismiss rankings that include criteria like "Movie Costs", "Personal Spending on Recreation Services per Capita", and "Average Beer & Wine Price".  I mean, the costs metric probably impacted the overall ranking.

Also, apparently "Fitness Centers per Capita" is a meaningful metric when it comes to a state's fun-ness.  Seriously?  How often have I been on a fun family vacation and suggested that we all head to Planet Fitness?  Zero.

I tend to find cities and states more attractive the more they have things like outdoor running opportunities available.  Certainly downtown Chicago has running opportunities, but there aren't many other areas that I can think of that would be worthwhile. 

[kphoger]

Chicago is less great than it would otherwise be because it's in Illinois.

What state do you think it should be in?  You know, instead?

I tend to find cities and states more attractive the more they have things like outdoor running opportunities available.  Certainly downtown Chicago has running opportunities, but there aren't many other areas that I can think of that would be worthwhile. 

You are out of alignment with Lord WalletHub's worldview.  You need to make yourself right with him.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The fact Florida is number two immediately invalidates the list even before getting to Illinois.

But then again I'm not a follower of Wallethubism...

Hell, Nevada at 3. If you're not into the nightlife scene in Vegas (or on a much smaller scale in Reno), how exciting is it? My partly educated guess would be "not very".

[Max Rockatansky]

The fact Florida is number two immediately invalidates the list even before getting to Illinois.

But then again I'm not a follower of Wallethubism...

Hell, Nevada at 3. If you're not into the nightlife scene in Vegas (or on a much smaller scale in Reno), how exciting is it? My partly educated guess would be "not very".

Depends, if you are into rugged outdoors stuff Nevada can be really nice.  Even then I don't know if I would rate it as one of my top ten given much of the Great Basin Desert feels the same character wise.  Either way all of that is clearly not the demographic of Wallethub, so they are obviously referring to luxury/casino experiences around Las Vegas and Reno. 

[Rothman]

The fact Florida is number two immediately invalidates the list even before getting to Illinois.

But then again I'm not a follower of Wallethubism...

Hell, Nevada at 3. If you're not into the nightlife scene in Vegas (or on a much smaller scale in Reno), how exciting is it? My partly educated guess would be "not very".

Depends, if you are into rugged outdoors stuff Nevada can be really nice.  Even then I don't know if I would rate it as one of my top ten given much of the Great Basin Desert feels the same character wise.  Either way all of that is clearly not the demographic of Wallethub, so they are obviously referring to luxury/casino experiences around Las Vegas and Reno.

Right, but Nevada is quite empty.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The fact Florida is number two immediately invalidates the list even before getting to Illinois.

But then again I'm not a follower of Wallethubism...

Hell, Nevada at 3. If you're not into the nightlife scene in Vegas (or on a much smaller scale in Reno), how exciting is it? My partly educated guess would be "not very".

Depends, if you are into rugged outdoors stuff Nevada can be really nice.  Even then I don't know if I would rate it as one of my top ten given much of the Great Basin Desert feels the same character wise.  Either way all of that is clearly not the demographic of Wallethub, so they are obviously referring to luxury/casino experiences around Las Vegas and Reno. 

I think that demonstrates that point that Chicago is why Illinois is where it is on the list. Outside of Chicago, everything Illinois has can be found better elsewhere.

[JayhawkCO]

Chicago is less great than it would otherwise be because it's in Illinois.

What state do you think it should be in?  You know, instead?

Any state that doesn't have so little to do as the rest of Illinois.

[Max Rockatansky]

The fact Florida is number two immediately invalidates the list even before getting to Illinois.

But then again I'm not a follower of Wallethubism...

Hell, Nevada at 3. If you're not into the nightlife scene in Vegas (or on a much smaller scale in Reno), how exciting is it? My partly educated guess would be "not very".

Depends, if you are into rugged outdoors stuff Nevada can be really nice.  Even then I don't know if I would rate it as one of my top ten given much of the Great Basin Desert feels the same character wise.  Either way all of that is clearly not the demographic of Wallethub, so they are obviously referring to luxury/casino experiences around Las Vegas and Reno.

Right, but Nevada is quite empty.

Right, most of the state is well past it's mining heyday.  To that end there is a lot of older mining districts, ghost towns and OHV roads that are fun to explore.  The old Lincoln Highway corridor along US 50 has a lot to offer but requires high clearance and probably four wheel drive.  Nevada has similar huge barriers to fun to be fully unlocked, I don't think most people have the vehicle or self reliance to take advantage.  Nevada does have a couple really top notch state Parks, the problem is that they are being discovered by the Vegas crowd.

[Max Rockatansky]

The fact Florida is number two immediately invalidates the list even before getting to Illinois.

But then again I'm not a follower of Wallethubism...

Hell, Nevada at 3. If you're not into the nightlife scene in Vegas (or on a much smaller scale in Reno), how exciting is it? My partly educated guess would be "not very".

Depends, if you are into rugged outdoors stuff Nevada can be really nice.  Even then I don't know if I would rate it as one of my top ten given much of the Great Basin Desert feels the same character wise.  Either way all of that is clearly not the demographic of Wallethub, so they are obviously referring to luxury/casino experiences around Las Vegas and Reno. 

I think that demonstrates that point that Chicago is why Illinois is where it is on the list. Outside of Chicago, everything Illinois has can be found better elsewhere.

And that's the trouble, it is slim pickings in outside Chicago and it takes some effort to get to the things worth seeing.  Most other states do similar things better and don't require a massive deviation from desirable paths of travel to get to them.

[kphoger]

Chicago is less great than it would otherwise be because it's in Illinois.

What state do you think it should be in?  You know, instead?

Any state that doesn't have so little to do as the rest of Illinois.

How about making it part of New York?

Imagine the arguments...

[JayhawkCO]

Chicago is less great than it would otherwise be because it's in Illinois.

What state do you think it should be in?  You know, instead?

Any state that doesn't have so little to do as the rest of Illinois.

How about making it part of New York?

Imagine the arguments...

Maybe move it to Orleans County.

[kphoger]

Maybe move it to Orleans County.

That would give Orleans County a few beaches, of which it currently has none.

[Crash_It]

Looks like the costs metric really impacted the overall ranking.

It's been declared the funnest state by again... wallethub

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-states/34665

I thought we were supposed to dismiss rankings that include criteria like "Movie Costs", "Personal Spending on Recreation Services per Capita", and "Average Beer & Wine Price".  I mean, the costs metric probably impacted the overall ranking.

Also, apparently "Fitness Centers per Capita" is a meaningful metric when it comes to a state's fun-ness.  Seriously?  How often have I been on a fun family vacation and suggested that we all head to Planet Fitness?  Zero.

I tend to find cities and states more attractive the more they have things like outdoor running opportunities available.  Certainly downtown Chicago has running opportunities, but there aren't many other areas that I can think of that would be worthwhile.

In the county I live in there's a nature preserve within every 5 miles. That presents plenty of running opportunities. Even outside of the county there are an abundance of hiking trails in the state. And all are free especially when compared to the neighboring states.

[Rothman]

"Within every five miles."  The mind boggles.

[Max Rockatansky]

Looks like the costs metric really impacted the overall ranking.

It's been declared the funnest state by again... wallethub

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-states/34665

I thought we were supposed to dismiss rankings that include criteria like "Movie Costs", "Personal Spending on Recreation Services per Capita", and "Average Beer & Wine Price".  I mean, the costs metric probably impacted the overall ranking.

Also, apparently "Fitness Centers per Capita" is a meaningful metric when it comes to a state's fun-ness.  Seriously?  How often have I been on a fun family vacation and suggested that we all head to Planet Fitness?  Zero.

I tend to find cities and states more attractive the more they have things like outdoor running opportunities available.  Certainly downtown Chicago has running opportunities, but there aren't many other areas that I can think of that would be worthwhile.

In the county I live in there's a nature preserve within every 5 miles. That presents plenty of running opportunities. Even outside of the county there are an abundance of hiking trails in the state. And all are free especially when compared to the neighboring states.

And how is they actually attracting people who distance run to the Wisconsin/Illinois State Line area?  Is there an actual can't miss item to see or those preserves just intended largely for locals to enjoy?  I run by the local Metro Park near my Cousin in Detroit, but that's only because it's near her house.  I would never go seek out that Metro Park as a destination run.

Funny, there is a local nature trail in the town I'm at in Mexico too.  I've never seen anyone but locals running on it.  The reason being because it's flat and has nothing really to offer a tourist passing through. 

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I think you're overhyping the "free"  part of it. Just because state parks themselves may not be free in most other states doesn't mean many other parks or nature areas aren't. I don't know how much of the Illinois state budget goes to state parks to keep admission waived, but I did note the Starved Rock visitor center was subpar compared to the visitor centers at paid state parks I've been to in other states. Free can be underwhelming.

[Max Rockatansky]

I think you're overhyping the "free"  part of it. Just because state parks themselves may not be free in most other states doesn't mean many other parks or nature areas aren't. I don't know how much of the Illinois state budget goes to state parks to keep admission waived, but I did note the Starved Rock visitor center was subpar compared to the visitor centers at paid state parks I've been to in other states. Free can be underwhelming.

How many state parks in general even exceed $15 dollars for day use?  Free doesn't have a ton of value when the price of entry typically runs extremely cheap to begin with.

[hbelkins]

Wait ... part of Illinois is considered to be in the Ozarks?

Is that some silly government definition like the one that puts Edmonson County, Ky., in Appalachia?

[JayhawkCO]

Wait ... part of Illinois is considered to be in the Ozarks?

Is that some silly government definition like the one that puts Edmonson County, Ky., in Appalachia?

Or parts of Pennsylvania in the Midwest?