Entertainment

When you're not studying or conducting experiments, you may want to enjoy some of the recreational activities available in the central Illinois area. Champaign-Urbana is located almost equal distance from Chicago, IL, Indianapolis, IN, and St. Louis, MO if you are looking for a more metropolitan scene, but there are still a lot of things this immediate area has to offer.

Museums

Other museums in the area that may be of some interest from a historic point of view. For a list of interesting places to see in Illinois visit: www.illinois.gov/visiting/historic.cfm.

Parkland Art Gallery (www.parkland.edu/gallery) Parkland College, X Wing 2400 W Bradley, Champaign 351-2485	Early American Museum (www.earlyamericanmuseum.org) at Lake of the Woods, 600 N Rte 47, Mahomet 217-586-2612 Exhibits of pioneer life.
Spurlock Museum (www.spurlock.illinois.edu) 600 South Gregory St, campus 333-2360 Museum of world history and culture. Various exhibits available for public viewing.	Monticello Railway Museum (www.mrym.org) Exit 63 off I-72, Monticello 217-762-9011 or 800-952-3396 Old trains, cars, rides.
Orpheum Children's Science Museum (www.m-crossroads.org/orpheum) 346 N Neil, downtown Champaign 352-5895 Interactive exhibits for children.	Chanute Aerospace Museum (www.aeromuseum.org) 1011 Pacesetter Dr, Rantoul 217-893-1613 Old Air Force base, largest museum of kind in Il.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum & Library (www.alplm.org/home.html) 112 North Sixth Street, Springfield (217) 558-8882 or 800-610-2094 Reported to be one of the largest collections dedicated to the US’s favorite President.	Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site (www.state.il.us/hpa/hs/Log.htm) 8 miles south of Charleston, R.R. 1, Box 172A Lerna, IL 217-345-6489 The reconstructed log home of Lincoln’s father and stepmother. 86 acre site, living history farm

Theatre-Live

Live Theater is alive and well in Central Illinois. There are a couple theater groups in town, along with groups at Parkland Community College and the U of I. Also, the three local high schools put on performances at least once a year. See the local newspapers for performance announcements.

Virginia Theater (www.thevirginia.org) 203 W Park, Champaign 356-9053 Concerts, plays, and movies including the annual Roger Ebert Overlooked Film Festival.	Station Theater (www.stationtheatre.com) 223 N Broadway, Urbana 384-4000 Performances held in an historic train station.
Champaign-Urbana Theater Co (www.cutc.org) 355-3636 Give several performances a year at various locations around town	Parkland College Theatre (www.parkland.edu/theatre) Parkland College, 2400 W Bradley Champaign 351-2528
Penny Dreadful Players (website link ) Uof I non-theatre student group.

Theatre-Movie

Movie theaters are located throughout the area. There are also reduced price movies shown on campus throughout the school year (watch for shows and times in the campus newspaper, the Daily Illini).

Beverly Cinema 18 (www.carmike.com) 910 Meijer Ave, Champaign 359-5687 Multiplex theaters, with up to 18+ movies showing at a given time. Shows are $8.50.	Boardman's Art Theater (www.boardmansarttheatre.com) 126 W Church, downtown Champaign 355-0068 Foreign films and films by independent film-makers not shown anywhere else in town.
Savoy 16 (www.gqti.com) 232 Burwash, Savoy 355-3456 Multiplex theater with 16 screens. Shows $8.50 and up.

Movie Rentals

If you don't feel like leaving home to see a movie, here are a few places you can join to rent videotapes of your favorite movies. The local libraries also have videos you can borrow.

Blockbuster Video (blockbuster.com) 1907 W Springfield, Champaign 356-1900 105 E University, Urbana 367-2800	Lee's Oriental Foods for Chinese, Japanese, & Korean films 303 Cedar, Champaign 351-8949 Located next to Jerry's IGA on Kirby Ave
Family Video (famvid.com) 1101 N Mattis, Champaign 352-2172 1901 S Philo Rd, Urbana 344-0507	That's Rentertainment (www.rentertainment.com) 516 E John, Champaign (campus) 384-0977
Hollywood Video (www.hollywoodvideo.com) 512 S Neil (Green and Neil), Champaign 355-3511

 

Dance/Live Music Venues

Live music/dancing venues are abundant in the area. Many campus bars and the Illini Union also host bands, just watch the Daily Illini for information. And most bars around have dance floors with music--though not live bands. During the summer months, the local park districts hold street dances in the downtown areas and the parks. Check the local papers for times.

The Canopy Club (www.canopyclub.com/canopy.php) 708 S Goodwin, Urbana (campus) 344-BAND Alternate music scene.	High Dive (www.thehighdive.com) 51 Main Street, downtown Champaign 359-4444 Various bands and DJ’s.
Chief’s Bar 123 S Mattis (Country Fair), Champaign 359-2177 Local Bands.	Zorba's 627 E Green, campus 344-0710 Live Jazz weekly.
Cowboy Monkey (www.cowboy-monkey.com) 6 Taylor St, downtown Champaign 398-2688 Various bands. Tango/Salsa dancing on Wednesdays.

Dancing

Chester Street 63 Chester, Champaign 356-5607 The unofficial "Gay" bar in CU.	Regent Ballroom (www.regentballroom.com) 1406 Regency Drive, Savoy 359-5333 Ballroom and other dance styles. Lessons.
Bradley's II 1906 W Bradley Ave, Champaign 352-8714 Country nights on Wednesdays & Fridays.	Legend's 522 E Green St, Champaign (campus) 355-7674 Swing music and dancing on Tuesday nights.

Dance Organizations

There are many dance organizations on campus. Here are just a few that I am aware of. I was actually president of the Urbana Country Dancers many years ago, and have danced with the CIECD group, too.

Urbana Country Dancers (www.prairienet.org/contra)	Central Illinois English Country Dancers (www.prairienet.org/ciecd)
Swing Society of the U of I (www.cu-swing.org)	Dancing Illini (www.illinois.edu/ro/dancing)

Many of these groups are associated with the University of Illinois. You should visit the Registered Student Organization website (www.illinois.edu/ro) for other activities.  There are hundreds of groups listed with the Registered Student Organization, covering many various interest groups, from dancing to sports to social events.

Parks and Nature Preserves

The State of Illinois has a lot of tourist attractions (www.enjoyillinois.com) to offer, especially pertaining to one of our country’s most famous presidents, Abraham Lincoln, such as the new Lincoln museum and presidential library in Springfield (listed under museums).

For those of you who enjoy nature, the State of Illinois has many beautiful state parks (dnr.state.il.us/lands/LANDMGT/PARKS/) you can visit. There are also several local parks and nature preserves where you can hike, fish, bike, boat, and camp. The local parks present free summer concerts. Call for schedules. The Champaign Park District (398-2550) has 58 parks with a total of 510 acres. The Urbana Park District (367-1544) has 22 parks.

Champaign-Urbana Parks

Urbana (www.prairienet.org/upd)	Champaign (www.champaignparkdistrict.com)
Crystal Lake Park Park and Broadway (1 block N of University) 90 acres. Boats, fishing, picnic areas, playgrounds. Swimming pool open Memorial Day to Labor Day. Champaign County Fairgrounds, located adjacent to the park, have events every summer, including the Champaign County Fair in July, Humane Society Garage Sale in May.	Centennial Park Kirby and Crescent Pool/water slide open Memorial Day to Labor Day. Sledding hill in the winter. Prairie Farm at Centennial Park Kirby Ave 398-2583 Petting zoo with barnyard animals.
Anita Purves Nature Center/ Busey Woods Right next to Crystal Lake Pool. 59-acre preserve. Nice hiking trails.	West Side Park University and State Playground, fountain, picnicking. Taste of Champaign and Arts in the Park events held here every summer.
Meadowbrook Race St, south of Windsor Play area, hiking trail, co-op garden, prairie restoration.	Hessel Park Kirby and Hessel Tennis courts, playground area, picnic areas.
Indoor Aquatic Center 102 E Michigan (between the Urbana Middle School and Urbana High School) 384-POOL	Kaufman Lake 2702 W Springfield Ave Fishing, hiking, picnic areas. Ice-skating in winter.

Central Illinois Area Parks

(www.quincynet.com/illinoisparks/index.htm)

Curtis Orchard (www.curtisorchard.com) 3902 S Duncan Rd, Champaign 359-5565 Open August 1 – December 17. Pick your own apples, pumpkins. Petting zoo and pony rides for children through Halloween. Fresh apple donuts and apple cider! A general store where you can buy apples, Indian corn, gourds, and pumpkins plus arts and crafts and a café.	Wildlife Prairie Park (www.wildlifeprairiestatepark.org) Peoria 309-676-0998 I-74 west, Exit 82, 2-1/2 miles south, follow signs. 2000 acre zoological park. Bison, wolves, cougars, lynx, foxes, black bears, elk, etc, in a restored prairie setting (animals the Pioneers would have come across when coming to Illinois). 1800's Pioneer farmstead. Stay overnight in a cabin or renovated train caboose.
Allerton Park Monticello 217-762-2721 20 minute drive from Champaign. A few miles off I-72, exit 164. 6000 acre estate. Beautiful formal gardens, statues, & architecture.	Kickapoo State Park In Oakwood (east of Danville) About 25 miles east of Urbana. Take I-74 East. Nice trails. Beautiful river views. Canoe rentals. Camping areas available.
Lake of the Woods (www.ccfpd.org/lakeofthewoods) Mahomet. 10 minutes west of Champaign on I-74, Exit 174 or 173. Lake to swim in, fishing, museum, and picnic areas.	Homer Lake Forest Preserve (www.ccfpd.org/attractions/middle_fork.html) Near Homer I-74 east to Rte 49, 5 miles south, follow signs. Hiking, etc.
Moraine View Near LeRoy. 309-724-8032 About 40 minutes west of Champaign. I-74 West to LeRoy (exit 149), head north on Highway 21, follow signs. Nice lake-usually quiet. Can rent boats/swim. Camping areas available.	Middle Fork River Forest Preserve 217-595-5432 5 miles N of Penfield. County Road 2700 E and Rte 136. Wetland bird conservation area, places to camp.
Fox Ridge State Park 18175 State Park Rd, Charleston 217-345-6416 Highway 130 out of Charleston for 7 miles and follow the signs. Hiking, scenic overlooks, picnic, wildlife observation, camping.	Walnut Point State Park 3 miles N of Oakland 217-346-3336 I-57 south to Tuscola (exit 212), Highway 36 east for 15 miles, south on Highway 7 6 miles and follow signs. Fishing, hiking, hunting, camping, picnic areas.

Located in Parke County, Western Indiana

About 1 hour's drive from Champaign and well worth the trip! Indiana has other state parks you may wish to visit. These are my favorites, but you can find others at www.gorp.com/gorp.location/in/in.htm.

Turkey Run (www.indianaoutfitters.com/turkey.html) Marshall, IN 765-597-2635 I-74 east to Crawfordsville; 231 south to 47. Hiking trails; boats; camp or stay at the Inn. Reservations are needed for the Inn 765-597-2211.

Shades Parks (www.indianaoutfitters.com/shades.html) Down the road from Turkey Run, Waveland IN 765-432-2810 Gorgeous trails; nice river; camping. Absolutely beautiful in the fall!

Astronomy

Stargazing is one of the most inexpensive forms of entertainment around... go just out of town to the country and look up! There are several major meteor showers each year: in August, in October, and potentially spectacular ones in November and December. There are other minor showers throughout the year as well. The Milky Way is very visible...as long as the clouds cooperate!

Staerkel Planetarium (website link ) 2400 W Bradley, Champaign 351-2446 Laser light & music show while viewing stars.

U of I Astronomy Dept (www.astro.illinois.edu) Have occasional campus astronomy events.