Is Illinois a Great “Road Trip” state?

A new ranking of the best and worst states for road trips this summer has been unveiled and you may be shocked to see where Illinois is on the list...

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WalletHub released a list called 2023's Best & Worst States for Summer Road Trips, and I was surprised to see Illinois ranked 23rd on the list... I think Illinois being ranked 23rd is too high, but I'll get to that later, Illinois ranked 23rd ahead of states like California, Montana, and Tennessee. How did WalletHub determine its rankings? On the site they say...

"With road warriors in mind, WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states based on 32 key metrics to find the most fun, scenic and wallet-friendly road-trip destinations — plus those that’ll have travelers pulling a quick U-turn. Our data set ranges from the number of attractions to road conditions to costs."

Illinois ranks 16th in the Safety category, it ranks 19th in the Activities category, but a not surprisingly low 40th in Cost. For comparison neighboring states like Iowa rank 21st overall and Missouri ranks 20th. Missouri should be higher in my opinion because the cost rating in Missouri is 3rd. Check out the full list by clicking here! 

I am a born and raised Illinoisan, I defend this state against a lot of attacks, but here I have to be critical... Taking a road trip in Illinois is ROUGH... anywhere you drive in the top half of the state (Springfield and up) is just flat and corn, and the gas prices are INSANE. Now, Illinois does have places worth driving to like Chicago, Galena, Springfield, Grafton, and all the state parks in the southern part of the state, the only problem is there isn't much to look at as you drive and you will be broke by the time you get there.