Have you heard about the Seven Wonders of Illinois recently released by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism? Seven interesting sites around the state have been selected, and you can watch a video that introduces them here. Each of the sites are listed below, with links to more information about them. Much of the information is available from sources in the Todd Library. Take a look; you may discover your next summer road trip!

Wrigley Field, Chicago – The historical home of the Cubs is one of the wonders in our area. The Todd Library has a book with many photographs, Wrigley Field: A History of the Friendly Confines that will give you a better look at the location.

Baha’i House of Worship, Wilmette – This distinctive house of worship is another area wonder. To learn more about the Baha’i community in Chicago, check out the entry in one of our e-reference sources, Encyclopedia of Chicago.

Starved Rock State Park, Utica – Starved Rock State Park offers hiking, camping, boating, and lots of other activities. The park has 18 canyons and many interesting rock formations. To learn more about the geology of Starved Rock State Park, stop by the Todd Library and take a look at the book Time talks: the geology of Starved Rock and Matthiessen state parks.

Allerton Park and Retreat Center, Monticello – Run by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It features a Georgian-style mansion on 1,500 acres of land. It was once the private estate of a family with connections to Chicago. A complete history of the site is available online, and the homepage features some great photos.

Black Hawk State Historic Site, Rock Island – This site includes a nature preserve, hiking trails, and a prairie restoration. To learn more about the man it is named for, take a look at the biography of Black Hawk available from one of the Todd Library’s databases, American National Biography.

Rend Lake, Benton – Rend Lake is located about five hours south of the Chicago area. It was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Conservancy District. Rend Lake’s demographics page includes a timeline and many facts and figures about the project.

Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway, Alton, Grafton, Hartford, and Elsah – This is the area where the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois rivers meet. Did you attend any of the Lewis and Clark events at Waubonsee? The byway begins in an area with some Lewis and Clark history. Stop by the Todd Library to check out one of our books on Lewis and Clark, including Lewis and Clark through Indian Eyes.

We have lots of information on these and other interesting travel locations available in the library. Stop by and let us help you learn more about the wonders that interest you!

The Todd Library is now a part of AskAway Illinois, the new statewide cooperative reference service. This means that anyone, students, faculty, staff, and the public, can get help with information needs 24 hours a day on any day of the week. The service is available every single day of the year. When you use AskAway, you will be connected to a professional librarian to help answer your questions. Afterward, you’ll receive an email transcript of your session. Questions can be referred to local and national experts for follow-up when appropriate. AskAway is staffed by librarians in Illinois and around the United States, including librarians from the Todd Library.

To use AskAway, click on the librarian on duty or send a message to a librarian link. Select 24/7 Assistance from AskAway Illinois, and fill out the form to begin chatting with a librarian. You will still have option to chat with Todd Library staff when our library is open. The AskAway option is available any time, and allows you to chat with a librarian even when the Todd Library is closed.

When you aren’t chatting with us online, stop by the library to pick up AskAway promotional items, like bookmarks, magnets, and pencils.