The state is known for its jazz culture, acquired as a result of European immigrants and African Americans coming to Chicago from the South. Persons of American and British ancestry are found in the south-eastern part of Illinois. Germans and Irish communities also maintain a significant presence in the state’s population

The Burpee Museum of National History at Rockford features the dinosaur fossil of ‘Jane the Rockford T-Rex’. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in the capital city is well worth a visit. The Art Institute of Chicago hosts one of the best art collections in the world. Also in Chicago is the hundred-storied John Hancock Centre, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the more modern Brookfield Zoo and the Millennium Park (home to the McCormick Tribute Ice Skating Rink). The Shedd Aquarium is one of the largest indoor aquariums in the world.

In June, the city of Chicago hosts the Taste of Chicago, an event where delicious ethnic meals and state specialities are served to millions of guests. The Chicago Blues Festival in the same month sees performances by local and national talent, while the 50th Annual Venetian Night in July is much awaited because of the music, fireworks and a parade of around thirty lighted boats. Also experience the magic of the southwest at the Illinois Wine Festival at Aviston.