Things to do in Champaign Illinois

The Champaign Garden Inn is located in downtown’s Sesquicentennial neighborhood, just four blocks from downtown, which provides lots of things to do in Champaign, Illinois. This was the first neighborhood founded in Champaign in the mid 1800’s and was founded to be close to the new railway line being planned, with the downtown area situated just West of the train tracks. Our neighborhood features historically protected brick streets and sidewalks. Many of the grand old homes from the early 1900’s still line the streets, among the grandest of which is the Champaign Garden Inn. Mature trees line the streets providing cooling shade in the summer and beautiful color in the fall. The residents take pride in their homes, and many have gorgeous gardens surrounding them. Also nearby is the University of Illinois (pictured in page top).

Whether you are traveling to Champaign to visit the University, or for one of the many conferences and festivals hosted in our area I am sure you will find the Champaign Garden Inn to be the perfect location for your Champaign trip. Our central location and proximity to downtown Champaign make our home the perfect spot for business or pleasure. We look forward to hosting you soon!

University of Illinois

Of course many people who visit Champaign do so to visit the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. We are just 1 ½ miles from the U of I campus. It is about ½ hour walk to the campus, but public transportation running on Church Street and University Avenue can get you anywhere you’d like to go relatively easily. If you want to ditch the car entirely, we are an easy walk to Champaign’s new downtown Amtrack station. If you choose to drive, parking in our neighborhood is ample and unrestricted.

Downtown

The Inn is just a four block walk from downtown which features many of Champaign’s best restaurants, coffee bars, shops, bars and clubs. Restaurants within a short walk include Big Grove Tavern, Hamilton Walkers, and Nando Milano. Downtown also has a thriving nightlight with many of the areas most popular bars all withing walking distance. Have a drink or two without worry since it is an easy to the Inn.

Our Favorite Walkable Dining and Nightlife:

Shopping

There are also some great shops in the downtown area as well. Some of my favorites are Jane Addams Books (4 floors of vintage books), Ten Thousand Villages which combines shopping with charity, Walnut Street Tea Company and Christopher’s Fine Jewelry. Whether you are shopping for clothes, books or souvenirs or Jewelry you are sure to fine what you need!

The Inn is located just off of Prospect Avenue which is one of Champaign’s busiest retail corridors. You will find many popular chain restaurants on Prospect, as well as most anything you could ever need you need from Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Meier or Target. North Neil Street, also just a short drive is the home to Market Place Shopping center. Marketplace is a beautiful indoor mall with Macy’s, JC Penny, and Costco as their anchor stores. Of course the mall is surrounded by numerous other stores and restaurants.

Favorite Recommended Shopping:

Favorite Things to do in Champaign Illinois: