Welcome to I Like Illinois

Illinois tourism industry sets new records in 2025

• Tourism
• Economy
• Middle of Everything

From big cities and state parks to rich history and culture, Illinois truly has something for everyone. In 2025, Illinois drew a record-breaking 115 million domestic and international visitors to the state – an increase from 2024.

According to data provided by Tourism Economics, visitor spending grew 3.5% to $50.2 billion, surpassing the $50 billion mark for the first time in Illinois history. As a result of tourist spending and visits in 2025, the total economic impact amounted to $88 billion and produced $4.9 billion in direct state and local tax revenue, reinforcing tourism’s role as a key driver of economic growth in communities across Illinois.

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Illinois in orbit: Urbana native helped design new NASA telescope

• design
• Space
• NASA
• Urbana
• Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

NASA’s newest space telescope was recently launched into the atmosphere, and Illinois had a part to play in making that happen.

One of the scientists involved in building the telescope was an Urbana native, giving Illinois an interesting connection to the new space exploration tool.

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Celebrating the Workers Who Built Illinois This Labor Day

For many Illinoisans, Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, a long weekend filled with cookouts, community events and one last chance to enjoy the season. But behind the holiday is a history of American workers advocating for safer conditions, fair wages and reasonable hours – and Illinois played an important role in that story.

Labor Day traces its roots to the late 19th century, when the labor movement was growing across the country and in Illinois. It was at this time that Chicago became a focal point of the nationwide movement for an eight-hour workday, with tens of thousands of workers joining demonstrations and strikes.

In May 1894, workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company on Chicago’s South Side walked off the job after the company cut wages amid an economic downturn. The Pullman Strike and corresponding lock-out of union workers grew into a major national railroad dispute and became a defining chapter in the history of America’s labor movement, culminating in both the official declaration of Labor Day by President Grover Cleveland amid the strike and the rise of the nation’s first African American union: the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

The legacy of Illinois workers stretches well beyond those historic events. Generations of farmers, factory workers, teachers, tradespeople and countless others have helped build our communities and keep Illinois moving forward.

Today, Labor Day gives us an opportunity to recognize those contributions and remember the generations of workers who fought to improve workplaces for those who came after them.

Looking for some fun? Illinois is the place to be

• Tourism
• Most Fun State
• Rankings

Illinois is known for its accolades and for holding many titles. Thanks to a new WalletHub analysis, Illinois can now boast that it is the third most fun state in the country. Only trailing behind California and Florida, Illinois ranks number three in the “Entertainment and Recreation” category and number two in the “Nightlife”’ category.

In order to determine the most fun states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key categories, “Entertainment & Recreation” and “Nightlife.” With fun and affordability in mind, WalletHub compared 26 key indicators of enjoyable experiences that won’t break the bank. These range from movie costs to accessibility of national parks to nightlife options per capita.

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