Interactive Map

When visiting or driving through Alton, you must plan a stop at the Alton Visitor Center.  The friendly staff can provide suggestions for activities and restaurants in the Great Rivers & Routes region.  You can shop for souvenirs and pick up maps.  Public restrooms also available.

The Alton Visitor Center also hosts a free eagle meet and greet every Saturday in January during the Alton Eagle Watching season.

Heritage Corridor Convention & Visitors Bureau, serving the I&M Canal communities including Starved Rock 

In 1839, early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—called “Mormons”—established this place of peace and beauty on a great bend in the Mississippi River.  Today, Nauvoo is one of America’s premier historic communities. Visitors can explore more than 30 historic sites from the 1839-1846 time period all year long!

The I&M Canal Visitor Center presently has visitor information for sites throughout the national heritage area to help you plan your trip. Our map table is especially of interest to many.  A story band and an 8 foot by 40 foot mural help tell the canal story.  

The Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum is the repository for thousands of pieces of historic memorabilia from the glory days of the Mother Road.

Come learn the history of Route 66 in Illinois, see images of the road's wonderful history, and hear a few great stories about life in America when Route 66 was the most important highway in the nation. 

Jacksonville, Illinois is a community rich in historical treasures, with thriving arts, education, and culture, and all wrapped in Midwest hospitality. Centrally located between St. Louis and Chicago, and near Springfield, Jacksonville offers an excellent place to live, work, and visit.

To the first time visitor, Jacksonville is full of the unexpected. From their Civil War and Abraham Lincoln connections, to the modern businesses of today, the area offers something for everyone. There is a small-town friendliness mixed with a vibrancy from a richness of natural sites, intellectual institutions, and businesses.

Visitor information is available at the Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 310 East State Street in downtown Jacksonville. You can also call (217) 243-5678, or (800) 593-5678, if you have questions about planning your trip.

Explore Joseph & Emma Smith’s Nauvoo. Guided tours begin in the Visitor Center, and include the Homestead, Mansion House, Red Brick Store, and the Smith Family Cemetery.

Located on the campus of the only college named for Lincoln in his lifetime, the Lincoln Heritage Museum exhibits a rare and valuable collection of artifacts that tell the story of the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. The museum houses many rare Lincoln artifacts, including an 1860 campaign poster, a lock of his hair, Mary Lincoln's jewelry and Tad Lincoln's rocking chair. 

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln left the only home he ever owned to serve as the 16th President of the United States.  The Lincoln Home is completely restored to its 1860 appearance and reveals much about Lincoln as a husband, father, neighbor and politician.  Tours of this national treasure are conducted by National Park Service Rangers.

Free tickets are required for house tours and may be obtained at the Lincoln Home Visitors Center – which also houses a scaled model of 1860 Springfield.

A variety of historic exhibits are located throughout the four-block neighborhood surrounding the Lincoln Home and can be viewed on a self-guided basis.