Fall has officially arrived in Illinois, The Middle of Everything!
Illinois’ favorite tour guide, Jane Lynch, was at Wrigley Field last weekend, where she threw out the first pitch, sang the ceremonial 7th inning stretch and interacted with fans around the historic ballpark. As always, it was great to see her representing the Illinois tourism brand with her trademark enthusiasm.
Jane is a big part of our autumn tourism campaign, which is well underway. If you haven’t seen the new Middle of Everything fall TV spots (which started airing earlier this month), check them out:
In addition to the entertaining TV ads, the campaign encourages travelers to discover Illinois’ beautiful fall colors when and where they’re at their peak using our newly launched Fall Colors Trip Planner. This dynamic online guide features an interactive state
map that allows users to track fall colors by region and within specific time frames throughout the season. Travelers can also use this resource to access regional road trip itineraries, weekly fall color reports and the top fall activities across the state. Since launch, this new tool has attracted nearly 5,000 website page views and generated coverage in 22 media outlets, including two national outlets. And that is before we’ve even entered the peak fall colors window in most regions! As always, we encourage travelers—and all of you—to share fall color photos all season long using #EnjoyIllinois for a chance to be featured on the Fall Color Trip Planner page or one of the Enjoy Illinois social media channels. With hotel tax revenue for August 2022 jumping seven percent over collections from the same month in 2019, we know the Illinois tourism community’s efforts are making an impact. We expect this new resource and our larger fall marketing strategy to help drive continued growth, brand awareness and visitation in key markets across the state.
If you’re planning to submit entry forms for the 2022 Illinois Excellence in
Tourism Awards, make sure to get those submissions in soon. The deadline for entries is 5PM CT on Friday, October 21. You can submit the form here. We look forward to seeing you at the state’s premiere industry event!
Recognition for a true Illinois gem
The Illinois tourism industry has long known Pere Marquette State Park is an exciting attraction full of natural beauty—particularly during fall colors season. The Grafton destination is now on the national radar as well, having recently been named the eighth best place in the U.S. to see lush fall foliage by the Farmer’s Almanac. Travelers are encouraged to explore the area’s scenic ravines and wooded roadways at the peak of their fall colors, estimated to arrive at the end of October.
New (and reinvigorated) attractions coming to the Mother Road
Construction has begun (or will begin soon) on several projects along Route 66 in Southwest Illinois, including new installations and the renovation of historical landmarks. The West End Service Station in Edwardsville, for example, is being retrofitted into an interpretative and educational museum and Route 66 Visitor Center. Other projects include the development of a Route 66-themed Mural Trail, six new special community monuments and the reopening of the historic Cannonball Jail
in Carlinville. The centennial celebration of Route 66 is coming up in 2026.
We are finishing up filming the latest round of Illinois Made videos
today—we can’t wait to share a behind-the-scenes look at some of Illinois most exceptional creators and artisans with you soon. In other news, we’ve just released two more Illinois Made-themed itineraries to help road trippers incorporate some of the state’s most unique experiences, creative spaces and one-of-a-kind businesses into their travels:
Pouring on the Charm highlights galleries, breweries, wineries, craft shops and other destinations the exude small-town charm from Rockford to Galena.
Small Towns Big Creativity captures the essence of local artists, rustic farms and exceptional restaurants from Kankakee County to Amish Country and Casey.
We’ll be announcing the new Makers class soon, so stay tuned! If someone you know is interested in becoming a Maker, please feel free to nominate them for next
year’s class.
Autumn is here, and there’s not a minute to waste—browse the Enjoy Illinois Magazine for expert advice on which arboretums and nature centers will be exploding with color this month, how to soak in the best fall scenery on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, and the top farms and orchards to target for apple and
pumpkin picking. Order your own copy at the link below or view it online. For bulk orders, please contact Brad.Strauss@illinois.gov.
