Top 15 Must-See Attractions in Champaign, IL

This vibrant college town shares a vast University of Illinois campus with its neighboring city, Urbana. Champaign and Urbana are adjacent, collectively presenting a rich tapestry of history, culture, entertainment, and sports, predominantly associated with the university.

Here you will find significant art museums and extensive sports venues, set against Champaign’s amiable small-town charm. Additionally, Champaign’s youthful and dynamic community fosters a variety of bars, breweries, contemporary restaurants, and coffee shops. The city has received accolades for its vibrant dining scene, boasting over 40 locally-owned establishments that often use ingredients sourced from rural Illinois.

Having grown up in Illinois, I enjoy discovering the state. I have visited Champaign (and Urbana) numerous times and am well-equipped to offer recommendations. Below is my curated list of must-see attractions in Champaign.

1. Downtown Champaign

Inviting and friendly like a small town, yet featuring sophisticated cultural venues and an active events calendar, downtown Champaign is a definite first stop in the city. Sidewalk cafes are plentiful here, and during the summer, over 1,700 outdoor seating options line the tree-shaded streets.

A diverse array of dining options is further enhanced by independent shops specializing in comic books, antiques, reclaimed architectural pieces, teas, rare coins, floral arrangements, music, and more. This picturesque area is perfect for a leisurely stroll, adorned with century-old brick buildings while also offering substantial cultural value through its five historic theaters and various events and festivals year-round. My favorite venue is the Virginia Theatre; I recommend looking up their upcoming events before your visit.

2. Krannert Art Museum

Recognized as one of the premier university museums in the country, the Krannert Art Museum is also the second-largest fine art museum in Illinois, attracting around 120,000 visitors annually. The museum boasts a diverse collection from across the globe, specializing in Asian art, African art, and Pre-Columbian art, particularly pieces from the Andes region.

Among the permanent exhibits, you may discover a late Roman funerary stele, a 12th-century Chinese tea bowl, a Peruvian burial mantle dating back to 100 BCE, or an 18th-century print by Koryūsai. The museum also features an extensive 20th-century art collection along with rotating temporary exhibitions. Notably, admission is free, making it accessible to all; check their website for opening times.

3. Virginia Theatre

This grand cinema opened its doors in 1921, featuring a lavish Renaissance Revival facade and Spanish Revival decor within its lobby and auditorium.

Similar to its original purpose, the Virginia Theatre now serves as both a movie theater and performing arts venue, hosting an eclectic range of concerts, lectures by prominent cultural figures, dance performances, and film screenings.

Urbana native Roger Ebert (1942-2013), a renowned film critic, was a frequent patron of the Virginia Theatre and later initiated an annual film festival here. Ebertfest continues to be a highlight on Champaign’s cultural calendar, and a statue is situated on the sidewalk as a tribute to him. An interesting feature within the auditorium is the 1921 Wurlitzer theatre organ, which was meticulously restored to its original grandeur in 2010.

4. Spurlock Museum

This remarkable University of Illinois museum located in Urbana focuses on ethnography and houses an impressive collection of over 50,000 artifacts. The Spurlock Museum features significant collections such as Amazonian bark cloth, Merovingian bronzes, Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets, and casts from the Parthenon frieze.

Visitors can also explore Inuit artifacts collected in the 1910s, as well as wood carvings from Japan’s Edo and Meiji periods, along with pieces from the Qing dynasty of China. Navigating the museum reveals various intriguing discoveries, such as a letter written on papyrus nearly 1,900 years ago and rare Medieval coins from the Ottoman Empire. During my last visit, I was particularly impressed by the sculptures featured in the Ancient Mediterranean exhibition, which is certainly worth your attention.

5. Hessel Park

This charming green space in the heart of Champaign spans just over 22 acres and has been part of the city since 1918. The park features over 25 different tree species, and those interested in learning to identify them can download a Tree Walk brochure available on the parks district’s website.

During the summer months, the accessible splash pad becomes a popular destination for families, operating from 11 am to 7 pm and constructed through fundraising efforts by the local Ambucs chapter.

For leisurely picnics, the park provides ample grassy areas, abundant shade, picnic tables, and grills for outdoor barbecues.

6. University of Illinois Arboretum

This impressive living laboratory has been carefully developed over the past three decades on the University of Illinois campus. A notable feature from earlier years is the Japan House, which comprises three authentic tea rooms established in 1976, alongside a Japanese rock garden.

Since 2008, the Japan House has been connected to the Sen Cherry Tree Allée, which offers a breathtaking display of white blossoms in the spring. Additionally, visitors can discover native Illinois prairie plants in the Hosta Garden, and various gardens including borders, vegetables, and the All American Selections trial ground situated in the sunken Hartley Garden.

7. Champaign County Historical Museum

Located at 102 E University Ave, this site houses the oldest documented commercial building and the most enduring structure in Champaign.

The Cattle Bank, completed in 1858, provided financial services to cattlemen who brought their livestock to Champaign, which served as the southern terminus for the Illinois Central Railroad during that time.

From this location, cattle were shipped to markets in Chicago. Since 2001, this Italianate brick building has functioned as the Champaign County Historical Museum, showcasing compelling short-term exhibits curated from an extensive collection, only 1% of which can be displayed simultaneously.

The exhibits explore various historical themes including Champaign’s role in WWII, the infamous Great Harris Mansion Heist of 1929, and the contributions of University of Illinois art professor Louise Woodroofe (1892-1996).

8. Memorial Stadium

Constructed following World War I as a tribute to the students of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who lost their lives, Memorial Stadium serves as the prestigious home field for the Illinois Fighting Illini. The stadium, having undergone several renovations throughout the past century, accommodates over 60,000 spectators and received a substantial video board (36 by 96 feet) in 2013.

The names of the fallen students from WWI are inscribed on 200 Doric columns that line the east and west sides of the stadium. The Fighting Illini belong to the esteemed Big Ten Conference, having last secured a conference championship in 2001. The stadium hosts a variety of other events, serving as the finish line for the Illinois Marathon in April and hosting the Illini Marching Band Festival.

9. State Farm Center

Originally known as Assembly Hall, this impressive arena at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign resembles a blend between a scallop shell and a flying saucer.

This Modernist structure was completed in 1963, and in 2013 the naming rights were acquired by State Farm in a significant financial agreement.

The arena has the capacity to hold over 15,500 fans for both men’s and women’s Fighting Illini games. The men’s basketball team boasts numerous NBA first-round draft picks among its alumni, and as of 2018, it had the 12th best all-time win percentage.

The State Farm Center also serves as a major events venue, hosting Broadway productions alongside renowned comedians and musical artists, including Dave Chappelle, Prince, Kanye West, Ludacris (a native of Champaign), and Kenny Chesney.

Historically, famous acts such as Elvis Presley (1976), The Rolling Stones (1969), and Johnny Cash (1969) have also performed here.

10. Orpheum Children’s Science Museum

Since its inception in the 1990s, this historic landmark downtown has hosted an interactive museum designed to engage children with various scientific concepts. Originally a site for vaudeville, the Orpheum Theatre was constructed in 1914 by the Chicago architectural firm Rapp & Rapp, modeled after the opera house at Versailles. This museum ranks among the top activities for families in the area.

The building is currently undergoing a prolonged renovation, however, the museum showcases imaginative exhibits where children can excavate dinosaur fossils, take the helm of the SS Ackermann Tugboat, interact with live animals, tend to pets in a veterinary clinic, and don an astronaut suit for a journey into outer space.

11. Centennial Park

As the second-largest park in the Champaign Park District, Centennial Park is teeming with amenities.

The standout feature is the Sholem Aquatic Center, akin to a small water park, which operates from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The center includes a resort-style beach entry pool, a 25-yard lap pool, a wading area for toddlers, a lazy river, and two exciting water slides.

The park also encompasses facilities for various sports, a modern recreation center, and a replica farm that operates throughout the summer, with goats, pigs, sheep, horses, chickens, and geese.

12. Crystal Lake Park

This stunning park located in Urbana is part of a green corridor extending to the city’s northeastern edge. Crystal Lake Park lines the shores of a winding lake that offers facilities for fishing and boating.

To the north, visitors can explore the Anita Purves Nature Center, which presents various environmental displays and programs. The park itself features a mature urban forest, a labyrinth, a Lake House, pavilions, a children’s playground, and abundant summer activities at the Crystal Lake Park Family Aquatic Center.

The latter includes an eight-lane pool, a beach-entry recreation pool, three slides, a climbing wall, and a variety of water play equipment suitable for younger children.

13. Urbana’s Market at the Square

From May to November, visitors can head across the University of Illinois campus to Urbana for this lively Saturday morning market.

Operating since the 1970s, the market features fresh, locally-grown seasonal produce.

Attendees can explore a rotating selection of fruits and vegetables throughout the summer and into autumn, along with pasture-raised meats, cheeses, honey, eggs, and an array of homemade breads, pastries, sauces, condiments, preserves, and more.

Additionally, Urbana’s Market at the Square includes unique arts and crafts, alongside a selection of food trucks catering to diverse tastes.

14. William M. Staerkel Planetarium

Boasting a 50-foot dome, the second-largest planetarium in Illinois is located just ten minutes from downtown Champaign at Parkland College. Opened in 1987, it accommodates 144 and features stunning fulldome public shows on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The Staerkel Planetarium utilizes a Zeiss Model M1015 star projector as well as advanced film and sound technology for an immersive exploration of space. It can project approximately 7,600 stars up to magnitude 6, as well as the moon, sun, five visible planets, and 25 star clusters and nebulae.

The lobby includes smaller yet intriguing attractions, such as a solar window that illustrates the sun’s path across the sky from June to December, along with the Cosmic Blink mural which represents humanity’s quest to comprehend the universe.

15. Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery

Established in 2004, this dairy farm located just north of Champaign became the state’s first facility specializing in farmstead cheesemaking, producing cheeses such as chevres, feta, pelota roja, and crottin.

Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery is a fully operational farm where visitors can meet goats during open summer hours, harvest seasonal fruits, and observe cheese production through a viewing window in the dairy.

For those simply visiting, there is a stand offering the farm’s products, which include cheeses, jams, an array of delicious gelato flavors, and various dairy-related items.