Chicago Suburbs Named One of the World's Best Travel Destinations

A new study on the world's top travel destinations for 2025 included a city in Illinois and a suburb of Chicago, placing it 48th in the top 50.

It's not a blow to our state, but when you think about the top travel destinations in the whole worldI can understand where Chicago would be on the list, but it's not. Instead, a Chicago suburb, very close by, ranks in the top 50.

I asked a group of colleagues about this earlier this morning, and none of them could come up with the right answer as to which suburb could be considered a must-see by people around the world.

When I gave them the name of the suburb, several reacted by saying “Yeah. I guess that's pretty cool, but why not Chicago?“

If, after checking the photos above, you screamed “Well, it's Oak Park, of course!“Congratulate yourself because you succeeded

According to a study by VoyageLemming.comOak Park, a suburb of Chicago, is number 48 on their list of 50 Best Places to Travel in 2025.

Here's how TravelLemming sums up Oak Park:

At first glance, you might think Oak Park is nothing more than an affluent suburb of Chicago. But it's much more.
Stunningly beautiful, Oak Park is the birthplace of American author Ernest Hemingway. During this time, the prominent architect Frank Lloyd Wright lived and worked here. A casual stroll around the suburbs will reveal many examples of his work.
Come in the fall to watch or participate in the Frank Lloyd Wright races. These 5K, 10K and mile races for young people pass through some of the suburbs' most notable architecture.

Other places in the United States that made the list include:

• Austin, Texas ranked 12th
• Rochester, New York ranked 15th
• Page, Arizona at #17
• Juneau, Alaska at #18
• Butte, Montana at #20
• Universal Orlando Resort in Florida at #23
• Portland, Oregon ranked 25th
• Grand Valley, Colorado at #34
• Harbor Springs, Michigan at #35
• Bellingham, Washington at #43