'100 Things to Do in Illinois Before You Die' offers a bucket list for the Prairie State

It's a five-hour drive from the Volo Auto Museum to the Cahokia Mounds.

But it's all part of the same journey.

Award-winning author Melanie Holmes, who hails from the southwest suburbs, spent decades researching a book she never knew she'd write. Titled "100 Things to Do in Illinois Before You Die," her book provides readers with an extensive bucket list for the Prairie State.

Divided into five sections - Food and Drink, Music and Entertainment, Sports and Recreation, Culture and History, and Shopping and Fashion - the book details everything from skiing at Chestnut Mountain in Galena to seeing the dancing Lipizzan Horses in Old Mill Creek in Lake County.

Published by Reedy Press, "100 Things to Do in Illinois Before You Die" includes lists beyond the core 100, suggested itineraries and season-by-season recommendations for those in need of a getaway.

"This helps you focus in on what you can do," Holmes said. "A bucket list is about setting priorities, and what are those things that we really want to spend our time seeing or doing? Sometimes we just forget and we get aimless, so hopefully this helps."

Holmes began her travels as a child with her mom and sisters, and a desire to explore the state stuck with her. She and her husband, Rob, took their own children on road trips and discovered more hidden gems.

Her journey shot into high gear in the early months of the pandemic when she and her husband drove to various destinations to get out of the house in the midst of shutdowns. She said they observed all the mandates, particularly when it came to staying within the state borders, but they still were able to view unique sites throughout Illinois.

Holmes, who already had written four books, soon realized she had found the subject for her fifth.

"We didn't experience cabin fever like other people did, because we're just not built that way," she said. "We'd just drive and find different things, and I love to share what we're discovering."

Nearly every nook and cranny of the state somehow finds a way into "100 Things to Do in Illinois Before You Die," with the suburbs well represented. A paddle wheel riverboat ride on the Fox River is recommended, along with riding the roller coasters at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee.

The Fabyan Garden and Villa in Batavia is noted for its Japanese garden and windmill. The quaint shops in Long Grove and the Viking ship at Good Templar Park in Geneva are included, as is the opportunity to work on an 1890s-era farm at Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago.

Holmes said she aimed to showcase important stories in the state's history, such as the experiences of Native Americans at the Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island. Underground Railroad havens in Oak Brook and Jacksonville are highlighted along with the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago and the field where the Rockford Peaches women's baseball team played.

Freedom of the press is explored through Elijah Lovejoy's anti-slavery publications in Alton. Freedom of religion is seen at Mormon founder Joseph Smith's settlement in Nauvoo.

Holmes will be talking about "100 Things to Do in Illinois Before You Die" during numerous upcoming book signings. On Saturday, May 27, she'll appear at the Sock Monkey Museum gift shop in Long Grove.

"Because I'm a storyteller, what I tried to do is tell the state's story through a collection of experiences," Holmes said. "You're going to have fun discovering it, and you're learning along the way."

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Melanie Holmes book signing

When: Noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 27

Where: Sock Monkey Museum Gift Shop, 210 Robert Parker Coffin Road, Long Grove, (847) 748-1155

Details: Free and open to the public; admission fees apply for the museum