(Zion, Illinois) — I asked my Facebook followers what the first word they thought of when they hear “Illinois.”
Some negative remarks said “high taxes,” “corruption” and “pot holes.”
The positive statements said “family,” “home” and “corn.”
Well, just like corn, I believe in growing where you’re planted. I’m a Missouri boy, born and raised, but this season of life has had me in Illinois for the past 5+ years. A large part of these articles I write are to show people the beauty and adventure our State possesses.
Nestled alongside Lake Michigan, roughly an hour north of Chicago, sits the Illinois Beach Hotel. Thea IBH is the only beachfront resort in the Prairie State, and I had a blast taking a family adventure there for the weekend this September.
The hotel is a part of Illinois Beach State Park, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
With five hiking trails, you can escape into a wetlands oasis perfect for outdoor adventurers. We started at the “Dead River Trailhead” and headed into the Illinois savanna.
The above photo was as far as we could go on the trail we took, because we would’ve been met with the river!
The cool fall breeze was met with a perfectly sunny day, and we trekked across the trail and walked right up to the Dead River. A calm, peaceful view made for picture-perfect moments.
My other favorite parts? The sunrises and the views of Lake Michigan. This was an amazing opportunity to see the Lake that I haven’t experienced before.
I’ve traveled to Michigan (Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon) and Wisconsin (Port Washington and Lake Geneva) where there are some great sights. The Lake Michigan views at the Illinois Beach Hotel are right up there with those and might be hard to beat.
We stayed in the 3rd floor suite of the hotel, which was very spacious. The bathroom was one of the high points, with a rainfall shower and jacuzzi bath tub. The Serta mattress king-sized bed was extremely comfortable, and made for a good night’s sleep.
You can see my Instagram reel on the room here:
The suite has a living room area with chairs, a coffee table, couch, mini fridge and microwave. Plus, there’s a “kitchen area” with a table you could sit at and eat. I was impressed by the space of the room and never felt cramped. I also liked how there were doors in between all the rooms, which offers privacy no matter where you need to be.
The staff was extremely welcoming and made our stay enjoyable. The front desk associate, Brenda, was very friendly and the waiting staff at Nolan’s Restaurant were phenomenal as well. Every staff member was hard-working and down to earth. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
The first night, we split a cheese curds which were very good. I got the fish and chips for the Friday night “fish fry.” The fish was HUGE.
Parts of the fish were very flavorful and tasted good. Others, not so much. It was an interesting ride getting a different experience every bite I took. My wife, on the other hand, really enjoyed the chicken fettucine (and so did our son). The Cosmopolitan cocktail was also extremely strong and tasted like straight vodka. If you’re into that, you’ll love it! But not for us.
The second night we both ordered steaks. I the ribeye, Rachel the sirloin. These were much better in flavor, but unfortunately our one-year-old was having a meltdown outside and by the time we ate our steaks, they were cold.
Luckily, we did enjoy the corn nuggets before they got cold, and they were really good!
Getting out into Zion, we visited a really charming coffee shop called “It’s All Good.” And it was all good! We both got the Blended Javas (AKA frappes) and they were great!
I really enjoyed the mocha while Rachel enjoyed the seasonal flavor of blueberry and white chocolate. She also really liked the bacon & egg breakfast sandwich on a bagel, while I chowed down on the breakfast burrito.
The nearby areas have a lot of awesome things we didn’t get to do. There was a canoe drop on the Des Plaines River, and the Lake County Forest Preserves which seemed to be great opportunities for nature lovers to explore.
We did head to The Shanty in Wadsworth, which was a unique building somewhat resembling a wooden ship. The ambience was great and the food was tasty as well.
While the hotel is a beachfront resort, I do need to point out that this is not the kind of beach you’re used to in Florida or South Carolina where you can wade out in the water.
There’s a barrier on most of the beach preventing you from getting down near the water of Lake Michigan. The sand is a brownish color that is a bit rockier than the sand I’m used to, but it’s a great option for people who just want to come, set up their chairs, and enjoy the views.
Obviously, Bennett loved it! Which is all that matters to his dad.
The sand is also great for those on a walk or even those biking. We saw many people come to the beach just to sit and watch the sunrise! Because it was truly that beautiful.
To get into the cold waters of Lake Michigan, you just have to head down the road half a mile and you’ll reach the public beach. There, many people were enjoying the sunshine and water. There was a better area to walk to the water and enjoy the waves, but again, most of the sand was separated from the water by rocks.
Once again, there were some trails available for walkers and bikers to head down and enjoy the views. Many people were sitting in their lawn chairs and just enjoying the lakefront breeze. If that’s what you’re into, then this is the perfect place for you!
The Illinois Beach Hotel was also the host of multiple group events over the weekend. Clearly, this would be a great place for a reunion, birthday party, anniversary party, wedding reception, etc.
Many nights I sit here and wonder what things could make the State of Illinois a better place. I think about the negative comments made (as mentioned in the beginning of this article), and I think if people knew about places like this, maybe they’d change their tune a bit. I also think the State of Illinois would be smart to put some more effort (and funds) into places like the Illinois Beach Hotel and Illinois Beach State Park. While the trails and outdoor options were great near the Nature Center, it was clear the hotel and path near the beach were in need of some upgrades/renovations.
There were some abandoned buildings along the path closer to the public beach that clearly used to be a concessions stand with showers for beachgoers. I wonder what this area was like back when these were open for visitors. Someone needs to come in and put some funding into the concrete paths and buildings that lay idle to put some life into that beachfront!
Overall, we really enjoyed our time at the Illinois Beach Hotel. We were very impressed with the staff at the hotel, the suite, and the nature aspects of the State Park.
Would I go back? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to others? Yes, I would, IF what I described sounds like something you would enjoy.
I also want to add that there is a camping area you could bring your RV, tents, etc. and stay inside the State Park.
The Illinois Beach Hotel is a great addition to Northeast Illinois, and I’m thankful we got to adventure Lake County for the weekend.
Matt Sheehan Official 