Pilcher Park Nature Center
Pilcher Park Nature Center is a must-see for anyone who enjoys nature. Bring the whole family out for a day of hiking, biking, or cross-country skiing. The Nature Center has several scenic trails. Pilcher Park is an excellent place to learn about the great outdoors. Rent the Nature Center, bring a group for an overnight […]
Channahon State Park
The Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail officially begins at Channahon State Park. Channahon is an Indian word that means “meeting of the waters” and refers to the confluence of the DuPage, Des Plaines, and Kankakee Rivers. The Channahon Access was designated as a state park in 1932 and is now known as the Channahon […]
Old Joliet Prison
Old Joliet Prison is both beloved and despised by its community. For nearly 150 years, it provided steady local employment and inspired the name of Joliet’s minor league baseball team, the Slammers. But, as in Leavenworth, Kansas, and Attica, New York, the prison became synonymous with the city, and the moniker “Prison Town” irritated many […]
Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Nature Preserve
The Renwick Lake, The Heron Rookery Visitor Center, is part of the Lake Renwick Preserve — Heron Rookery Nature Preserve, which includes the following amenities and activities: Hiking/running observing wildlife The nature preserve does not allow fishing, bicycles, or pets. Great blue herons, great egrets, black-crowned night herons, and double-crested cormorants are among the many […]
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is the largest island in the archipelago of protected areas that make up the Chicago Wilderness. It includes a diverse range of species and natural processes typical of the region’s tallgrass prairies, including the reintroduction of bison. The Midewin is a compelling vision for landscape-scale restoration because it transforms a landscape […]
Harrah’s Joliet
In Joliet, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, there is a riverboat casino called Harrah’s Joliet, which is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. There are 1,138 slot machines, 204 hotel rooms, and four restaurants at the casino. It was in 1990 that the city launched a downtown revitalization project known as Joliet City Center. According […]
Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen (DQ) is an American network of soft serve ice cream and fast food restaurants owned by Berkshire Hathaway. International Dairy Queen Inc. also owns Orange Julius and Karmelkorn. The first DQ opened in Joliet, Illinois. Sherb Noble ran it and it first opened on June 22, 1940. It served soft serve ice cream […]
Louis Joliet Mall
Louis Joliet Mall (Westfield) Louis Joliet Mall in Joliet, Illinois. This shopping center has JCPenney, Macy’s (previously Marshall Field’s), a 14-screen Cinemark movie theater, and two vacant anchors from Carson’s and Sears. Cajun Boil & Bar and TGI Fridays are among its eateries. Louis Joliet has Macy’s and JCPenney on one level and Bergner-Weise and […]
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 mile tri-oval track in Joliet, Illinois. Until 2019, the speedway held NASCAR races, including the Cup Series. Until 2010, the track hosted the IndyCar Series, with several thrilling finishes, including the closest in IndyCar history. NASCAR owns and operates the speedway. In late 1995, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George […]
Rialto Square Theater
The Rialto Square Theater located in Joliet, IL (U.S.). Originally a vaudeville cinema palace, it currently hosts musicals, plays, concerts, and stand-up comedy. It can also be hired for events. The Neo-Baroque style building is one of the American Institute of Architects’ “150 Great Places in Illinois. Shiny scagliola columns soar into a heavenly dome […]
