Experts Say the Best State Park to Visit in Illinois is a Beach?

When you think about getting outside and enjoying nature in Illinois, what comes to mind? Experts say that if you're really looking for the best state park to visit in the Land of Lincoln, you need to go to a beach. Really.

If you made me guess what place in Illinois would be named the best state park, I probably would have said Starved Rock. That park did make the list just shared by World Atlas, but it's not the top choice. Nope. The top choice according to the travel geniuses at World Atlas is a beach in Illinois that I always somehow forget about.

Congratulations to Illinois Beach State Park which is next door neighbors with Lake Michigan. I will blame my oversight of this spectacular part of Illinois on the fact that I'm more of a downstate Illinois fan (no offense intended, Chicago).

The handful of times I've visited Chicago, it's been for city things and not beach time. My bad on that. It really is on my family's "want to" list, but it just doesn't come to mind often since beaches isn't the first thing to come to mind when you think of Illinois. The fact that the World Atlas folks have chosen it now as Illinois' best state park means it should.