Aurora Sights and Landmarks Guide, Illinois

Aurora, IL US - Sights: City of Lights

Aurora is the second largest city of Illinois and has some of the most spectacular locations. The city was the first in the United States in 1881 to implement the electric street lighting system and later it was called as the “City of Lights.” The city of Aurora has many people visiting the place every year, as it has all the substance to meet the tastes of every people. The administration of the city takes special care for the tourists and has adequate arrangements for them both during the day and night.

Aurora has a rich cultural heritage which gets reflected in the presence of many historic places, museums and excellent tourist spots.

Paramount Theatre

One of the most famous spots in the city is the Paramount Theatre located in the Downtown Aurora. This theatre is known to be a large live performance stage located on the Hollywood Casino and the National Register of Historic Places. You will come across the famous Leland Tower, a former hotel and probably the tallest building in the whole of Illinois and outside the limits of the Chicago City.

Leland Tower

The Leland Tower also has the credits of being on the National Register of Historic Places. The main building of the Aurora Public Library, which includes the branch campus of the Waubonsee Community, also attracts a lot of tourists.

Downtown Alive

If you visit the Downtown Aurora every Friday night during the summer, you can experience the Downtown Alive, which is a mega festival and includes a huge variety of food booths with non-stop live music. Nearly 8,000-10,000 people are recorded to attend this place every Friday night. Then, there is the annual Midwest Literary Festival also hosted by the Downtown Aurora and this event takes place around the time of second week in September.

Museums

The city of Aurora is famous for its museums namely the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, Aurora Historical City, Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, the Aurora Public Arts Commission, Philips Park Zoo, SciTech Interactive Science Museum and the David L. Pierce Art and History Centre.

Ultimate Sports Dome Aurora

The Ultimate Sports Dome Aurora is another interesting place, which includes a theme centre that has plenty of entertainment especially for sports lovers. This place has a mini golf course, full go-cart race course, an indoor driving range and batting cages. Lastly, you should not miss the Hollywood Casino Aurora Riverboats which consists of a casino that has two river boats decorated to form a completely virtual Hollywood memorabilia museum.