The Sights and Sounds of Illinois

If you and your family are planning to go on a vacation, or may be you're looking for a place to move in, check-out Illinois. With its ethnically and culturally diverse community, great economic hub and breathtaking scenery, many have said that Illinois is the most accurate description of the rest of the United States. Accordingly, the following are some details and must-see sights of Illinois.

Illinois is home to approximately 12,831,970 ethnically diverse population ranking as the fifth most populated place in the United States with an area of 57,918 square miles being the 25th largest place in America.

Illinois was admitted in the Union on December 3, 1818 being the 21st state to have been so. Aside from being the most populated state in the Midwest, Illinois also offers a variety of world class and historical tourist destinations and premier colleges and universities.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Probably the most historical and often visited place in Illinois is the The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum located at Springfield. This library and museum has been said to be the biggest presidential library in the country. As the name might suggest, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was built to commemorate the life of the 16th United States President, Abraham Lincoln. It also presents many of the important events during the American Civil War.

The library and museum opened in April of 2005 and after only six months of opening it already raised one million dollars. After a year, this tourist destination was visited by approximately one million visitors. No wonder many believe that it is the United States' most frequented government-controlled presidential museum.

Aside from the life-like replicas of President Lincoln's home, some areas in the White House as well as important events in President Lincoln's life are exhibited in the museum. It also features two theatrical shows called Ghosts of the Library and Lincoln's Eyes. The presidential museum received the Themed Entertainment Association's Award for Creative Excellence as well as cited by the Lincoln Group of New York as "the greatest achievement in America to encourage the study and appreciation of Abraham Lincoln and the times in which he lived."

John G. Shedd Aquarium

Aside from the fabulous presidential museum, Illinois also offers other world class museums such as the John G. Shedd Aquarium located in Chicago. It was opened only last May 30, 1930 and for a period of time was the biggest aquarium there is. It has been ranked as the second most visited place in Chicago with over 2 million visitors annually. Shedd Aquarium was the first ever aquarium to have its own collection of inland saltwater fishes with over 2100 different water and land species in attendance totaling 25,951 animals in all.

The Shedd Aquarium is a great place to bring your kids with its own recreation of the Amazon jungle and a 90,000-US-gallon circular tank that allows maximum view of the underwater. The Shedd Aquarium has received various awards such as the Best Exhibit Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Field Museum of Natural History

The Field Museum of Natural History or FHMN, also located in Chicago, was hailed by many as the most popular tourist attraction in all of Chicago. The museum was founded on 1906 and offers a collection of artifacts and exhibits covering the subjects of Geology, Zoology, Anthropology and Botany. It is most famous for its Tyrannosaurus rex fossil collection being the most complete and largest collection ever.

Aside from the T-rex, the museum also offers a wide variety of dinosaur collection as well as artifacts featuring Native Americans, the Pacific Northwest, ancient Egypt, and Tibet. "Fieldiana", a journal reviewing the museum is also published four times a year and is available online.

Art Institute of Chicago

If you are interested in art then the Art Institute of Chicago is for you. Hailed as the United States' foremost museum of fine arts, it was established in 1879 and has over 1,441,000 visitors yearly. This art museum garnered popularity by exhibiting Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art as well as American paintings.

Among those exhibited are the Water Lilies and Haystacks by Claude Monet, Piere-Auguste Renoir's Two Sisters (On the Terrace), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's At the Moulin Rouge and the Self-portrait, 1887 and Bedroom in Arles by Vincent Van Gogh, among others.

Illinois offers more than great museums and historical places. It also offers a friendly neighborhood, a booming economy and premier universities. If ever you're interested in visiting Illinois or making it your home, check out illinoisatoz for available listing of properties for sale in the state.