Travelers considering a road trip through the Midwest should consider driving the Historic National Road - a highway that crosses through the state of Illinois. The road also passes through Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
This section of the Historic National Road takes 12 hours to enjoy, so it's the perfect weekend getaway.
"On Illinois' National Historic Road, rolling countryside, prairie fields, and small towns whisper of an earlier time," says America's Byways official website. "Main street stores speak of small town U.S.A. where soda fountains, museums and antiques showcase days gone by. Hayfields, cattle and old barns intermingled with small towns all beckon you to stay awhile."
So whether you're putting the top down on your convertible or even if it's rocking a mini-van, this easy-to-drive home gets right to the heart of America.
Trip takers can stop at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, which was inhabited from 700 to 1400 A.D. Further west, the Franciscan Monastery Museum has a collection of artifacts from the region's first settlers.
A road trip through Illinois isn't complete without a stop at the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, where Honest Abe's parents lived.
There is plenty of history to find on this road in the center of America.