Illinois has challenges as all states do. The state also has lots of things to brag about. There's all that Abraham Lincoln history. If you're a baseball fan, there are the White Sox and Cubs. The one thing I do believe that Illinois should get more credit for is its...beaches. Yes, Illinois really does have some outstanding beaches.

I completely understand that when you think of Illinois, beach life isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Perhaps the division of tourism should rethink that as a new video featuring Illinois Beach State Park is pretty outstanding.

This epic Illinois...beach is kinda buried on the Illinois state website. It's 6 1/2 miles of sand that borders Lake Michigan and is highly underrated. The state's words sure do paint a pretty picture:

The sandy ridges are crowned by black oak forests with an open, savanna-like appearance. For much of the year, a stream known as Dead River is blocked by sandbars formed by waves at the mouth of the river, creating a sluggish marshy habitat.

As this drone video shows, there's plenty of parking near it if you decide an Illinois beach road trip is in order.

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Is it the best beach in America? Nope. Is it worth a road trip at some point? I believe so. Is it wildly underrated and should Illinois make a bigger deal out of the fact that it really does have a beach? Absolutely.

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