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Like what you see here? Visit the Chicago Southland web site at: www.visitchicagosouthland.com, or call the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau toll-free at 1-888-895-8233 for more information.

The Chicago Southland features:

• A 410-year old fossil reef in one of the world's largest limestone quarries (Thornton Quarry, Thornton)

• North America's largest outdoor covered music theater, the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre (formerly the Tweeter Center, Tinley Park)

• America's first planned community (Village of Park Forest)

• A portion of the Lincoln Highway (Route 30), the nation's first transcontinental paved roadway, named a National Scenic Byway by the federal government (through eleven communities)

• Easily accessible destinations, located at the crossroads of Interstates 80, 55, 57, 90, 94, and 294, and close to Midway and O'Hare International Airports

Historic Places

• Pullman Historic District - Built in the 1880's by George Pullman's Palace Car Company as an affordable complex where his workers and their families could live. The district is architecturally unique and most of the original buildings remain, including the 105-year old, 50-room Hotel Florence, now a museum and restaurant.

• Ford Airport Hangar - Built in 1927 by Henry Ford so that he could be close to his Hegewisch plant. Designed by Albert Kahn, it is still fully operational.
• Dorband-Howe House - Homewood Historical Society Museum, furnished in the Victorian style, and built in 1893 by Henry Gottschalk, owner of Homewood's Gottschalk Brick and Tile Works.

• Historic Downtown Lemont - Nestled in the hills of the glacier-carved Des Plaines River Valley, this historic village looks more like New England than the Prairie State. One of the oldest communities in Cook County, Lemont is home to antique shops, many historical buildings and museums, and is located on the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which linked the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River.

• Log Cabins - Hostert Log Cabins in Orland Park; Heritage Cabin in Calumet City.

Unique Museums, Cultural Sites and Attractions

• Midwest Carvers Museum - View more than 1,000 unique woodcarvings crafted by local and international artists.

• Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park - 22 gigantic outdoor sculptures by world-famous artists set on 300 acres of Illinois prairie.

• Lotton Art Glass Gallery - The famous mouth-blown glass gallery houses the work of Charles Lotton, one of the foremost creators of art glass.

• Veterans Memorial - A wall similar in design to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. It features a Bell-Huey helicopter and is etched with the names of local men and women who gave their lives for freedom.

• Civil War Sites - Old Stone Church, Lemont; Old Amore's Restaurant, Glenwood.

• Theatre - Watch Broadway musicals, drama and comedy in the area's many professional and amateur theatres.

Outdoor Adventures
The Chicago Southland offers 40 public and semi-private golf courses for all levels of play. The Southland has hosted the Western Open at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, and the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields.

The Chicago Southland has the largest concentration of forest preserve lands in the metropolitan area for picnicking and other recreational activities, including: hiking, biking and skating trails; canoeing; boating; model airplane fields; cross country skiing; snowmobiling and tobogganing.

Shopping

• Antiquing in the Southland - The Chicago Southland is home to four antique districts: Blue Island, Crete/Beecher, Frankfort, and Orland Park. There are scores of antique and specialty shops to explore in these communities and throughout the Chicago Southland, with many fine restaurants nearby.

• Malls - Five large indoor shopping malls are located in the Chicago Southland, with specialty stores scattered throughout the region.

Gaming
Balmoral Park Race Track, riverboat casinos, off-track betting facilities and many bingo halls are all located within - or a short drive from - the Southland.

Family Fun
Chicago Fire Soccer, Windy City ThunderBolts Baseball, Brookfield Zoo, Odyssey Fun World, Little Red Schoolhouse, Camp Sagawau, Hollywood Park, and more.

Major Festivals & Activities

• Gaelic Park Irish Fest (seasonal; May in Oak Forest) - The Midwest's largest Irish-themed festival.

• Frankfort Fall Fest (seasonal; September in Frankfort) - The largest fine arts & crafts fest in the Midwest. Over 250,000 people attend yearly.

  Learn More About This Exciting Region - The Chicago Southland!

  It's just a click away at www.visitchicagosouthland.com

  For more information, call Bob Lukens, Public Relations Manager, Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2304 173rd Street, Lansing, IL 60438 Toll-free 1-888-895-8233;

  
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