Danville (Illinois)

Sourced from Wikivoyage. Text is available under the CC-by-SA 3.0 license.
Zcarstvnz
Danville is a small city of about 34,000 in Central Illinois about 5 miles west of the Illinois-Indiana border and about 140 miles south of Chicago.
Danville is nestled in the heart of Vermilion River country, home to high quality museums, shops full of rare and unique finds, a unique history including several Abraham Lincoln historic sites, and an abundance of parks and wildlife.
The surrounding area is mostly flat, but boasts six county and state parks and preserves with the county boasting more than 15,000 acres of parkland.Major attractions include the nationally designated Middle Fork Scenic River, Kickapoo State Park, and Lake Vermilion on Danville’s north side. These parks provide a wide range of recreation opportunities including vast hiking trails, camping, fishing, horse riding, boating, mountain biking, canoeing, river tubing, and bird watching. The City of Danville boasts its own collection of parks including the riverside Elsworth Park and historic Lincoln Park.
Nyttend
Historical attractions include many sites associated with Abraham Lincoln. Designated a Gateway City to the National Park Service’s Looking for Lincoln National Heritage Area, Danville is rich in Lincoln History with over 12 sites commemorating his 18 years practicing law here while riding the 8th Judicial Circuit. Sites include the Lamon House, An 1840’s Greek Revival Cottage built by Joseph Lamon, cousin of Ward Hill Lamon, Lincoln’s law partner and bodyguard. Attached the Vermilion County museum sits the Fithian Home formerly owned by Dr. William Fithian, Civil War surgeon and personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, the Fithian Home features the south balcony from which Lincoln gave a speech in 1858 and the bedroom he used on his many visits. Visitors can also visit the Danville National Cemetery serves as the final resting place for veterans from the Civil War to present.and the Vermilion County War Museum which covers every military action our country has been involved in, from the Revolutionary War to today’s conflicts.
Nyttend
Additional history can be found in Danville’s historic downtown district. This tree-lined district includes a number of local restaurants, businesses, and attractions. Notably, the downtown district is home of the historic Fischer Theater which houses a museum of Danville’s famous residents including Dick Van Dyke, Donald O'Connor, Gene Hackman, Bobby Short, and Helen Morgan. Downtown also includes over 18 fabulous murals grace the brick walls of the historic Downtown which were painted in 4 days by 160 Walldog artists from all over the world.
The parks and historic architecture act as a backdrop for many regionally important events including  Arts in the Park, The Festival of Trees, Balloons Over Vermilion, Summer Sounds, Symphony Concerts, the Light Opera, and plays.

Get in

Get around

See

Do

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Go next