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Joliet, Illinois, Joliet, IL

Photo: Dennisyerger84, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingLocal GemHistory Buff

Joliet, Illinois

Joliet, Illinois is a sightseeing stop in Joliet, IL, part of the Chicago guide. Cost: free.

· Joliet, IL

Why you should go…

Joliet grew up along the Illinois & Michigan Canal and later Route 66, and that layered history still shows downtown. The restored Rialto Square Theatre, riverboat casinos, and canal-era architecture draw day-trippers from Chicago, about 40 miles northeast.

  • #route 66
  • #canal history
  • #day trip
  • #downtown
  • #theatre

What's around here?

The closest stops to Joliet, Illinois, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Quirky Fun

    Gemini Giant

    Free

    Snap a photo with a fiberglass astronaut holding a rocket, a Route 66 landmark standing at a Wilmington park entrance.

    16 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Naper Settlement

    Under $25

    A 13-acre outdoor living-history village in Naperville with restored 19th-century buildings.

    17 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Family Favorite

    Chicago Southland

    Free

    Destination marketing region covering 62 south and southwest Chicago suburbs and their attractions.

    18 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Aurora, Illinois

    Free

    Fox River city west of Chicago with a historic Paramount Theatre, outlet shopping, and a large waterpark.

    18 mi awayMore like this

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Brookfield Zoo Chicago

    $25–$50

    See bears, primates, big cats and dolphins across a 235-acre zoo in the western suburbs of Chicago.

    25 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Attractions
    Quirky Fun

    The Pinball Capital

    Under $25

    One of the Midwest's largest pinball arcades, with more than 130 machines near Chicago.

    28 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions