ILLINOIS – Looking to plan one last late-summer road trip or look ahead for fall travels? Southern Illinois might be the next destination for you.
A recent report from CNN Travel listed the Southern Illinois region as one of its 22 most underrated destinations for traveling in the United States. The list offers insight on some lesser-known vacation spots around the nation.
The report offered the following description of what makes Southern Illinois underrated:
“Wedged between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the state’s southern tip still looks and feels a lot like Illinois did in the early 1800s when the infamous Trail of Tears passed this way and a youthful Abraham Lincoln was still splitting rails.
Hikers can explore the dark woods and deep canyons of Shawnee National Forest — and maybe have a Sasquatch sighting — on the 160-mile River to River Trail. Shorter hikes penetrate the primeval rocky outcrops of Giant City and Garden of the Gods.
Among the region’s manmade attractions are the Superman Museum and colossal statue in Metropolis, the Cave-in-Rock free ferry across the Ohio River, and the Full Terror Assault heavy metal music festival in September.”
Other nearby destinations referenced were Kansas City, the state of Oklahoma and the Ouchita Mountains in Arkansas.
