Location: Champaign
Top Things to do in Champaign
The 9 Best Things to do Good for Kids in Champaign, Illinois (IL)
Champaign (English: /ˌʃæmˈpeɪn/) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The city is 135 miles (217 km) south of Chicago, 124 miles (200 km) west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 mi (286 km) northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. The United States Census Bureau estimates the city was home to 84,513 people as of July 1, 2014. Champaign is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois, and the state's fourth-most populous city outside the Chicago metropolitan area. It is included in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area.
Restaurants in Champaign
1. Champaign Public Library
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 130 reviews
Step into our light-filled, open spaces and see our wonderful Peter Sis murals, colorful TeenSpace, quiet meeting rooms, Library Café and Friendshop Bookstore. The library at 200 W. Green St., is open Mondays - Thursdays 9-9; Fridays 9-6; Saturdays 9-6; and Sundays 12-6. Our Douglass Branch Library is located 504 E. Grove St., at the edge of Douglass Park. Stop in for a great selection of books, DVDs, and CDs, plus friendly service, free Internet access, and public meeting spaces. Open Mondays - Thursdays 10-8; Fridays 10-6 and Saturdays 10-4.
Reviewed By urbanguy - Richmond, United States
We went there, specifically, to check out the Friend's Bookstore. The Bookstore is in the basement, with shelves and shelves of well organized books for sale. Fiction is alphabetized by author. The non-fiction is broken down into tons of meaningful categories. Upstairs, there is an unbelievable number of DVDs to borrow. There is also a coffee shop, with both indoor and outdoor seating. A very impressive Library!
2. Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 228 reviews
Escape to the country at Curtis Orchard from July 20 - December 23. This farm in southwest Champaign features apples, pumpkins and a large country store. Shop for specialty food items and take home the farm's fresh apple cider. Try their famous donuts & pies, along with great meals in September & October. The orchard offers free admission & parking. Entertainment options for a fee include a giant slide, obstacle course, corn maze & pony rides. Free activities include a playground & petting zoo. Pick-your-own apples and pumpkins are purchased in the store.
Reviewed By ReallyNiceClark - Edmond, United States
Stopped here over the Thanksgiving break for fresh cider and had to get an apple pie too. It’s the best apple pie I have ever had. The peach pie was the best I ever had too. Perfect crust like grandma made.
3. Memorial Stadium
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 124 reviews
Reviewed By chezbuc - Antioch, United States
It had been a few years since I set foot in Memorial Stadium. I can only take so much bad football. I was impressed with the upgrades to the stadium since my last visit. While the Illini got whacked badly by a Northwestern team they were supposed to crush, at least beer sales helped ease the pain. No more sneaking in booze...like I heard other people do.
4. Hessel Park
5. The Virginia Theatre
6. State Farm Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 76 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
I remember when the then Assembly Hall was merely a big hole in the ground. That was in 1962 and I was a senior at the University of Illinois. As sports editor of The Daily Illini, the student newspaper, and a sportswriter for the Champaign-Urbana Courier in 1963, I covered the last basketball game played at Huff Gym and the first basketball game played at what is now State Farm Center. If you have visited other basketball arenas across the country, you are aware that the State Farm Center is unlike any other. Even after 56 years, it is an architectural masterpiece, a large dome-shaped indoor arena, the home for Illinois' men's and women's basketball teams and a performance and event center that has hosted Broadway plays and graduations. On this occasion, my wife and I walked inside with a few curiosity seekers eager to view the interior of this grand structure in the wake of its $169.5 million renovation. The 16,128-seat arena was designed by architect Max Abramovitz, an Illinois alum. Often referred to a a "flying saucer," the dome is supported by 614 miles of one-quarter inch steel wire wrapped at the base under intense pressure. From 1963 to 1965, it was the largest domed structure in North America until the opening of the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Today, the Astrodome is gone. But the State Farm Center remains. The renovation improved sight lines, added more concession stands and restrooms and upgraded seating. From a retired sportswriter's viewpoint, however, there is only one drawback. In the old days, the Assembly Hall's press box surpassed any other arena. Located above the seats reserved for season ticket holders, it was spacious with two levels stretching from one end of the playing floor to the other. Today, the print media is squeezed behind the players' benches and the scorer's table with barely enough room to scribble play-by-play notes. But more room has been given to the students, the famed Orange Krush cheering section, and the pep band.
7. West Side Park
8. Market Place Shopping Center
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 22 reviews
9. Orpheum Children's Science Museum
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 32 reviews
The mission of the Orpheum Children's Science Museum is to inspire, engage and educate diverse children of all ages through the exploration of the sciences and arts. With humble beginnings, the OCSM was established was in 1994 to protect the historic, 100-year-old "New Orpheum Theatre." Today, the OCSM attracts 30,000+ annual visitors across Champaign County and the region through STEAM camp/clubs, exhibits, special events, and more.
