Top 10 Things to do in Decatur, IL
Nestled beside the beautiful Sangamon River, Decatur is one of Illinois’ most important historical centers. Famously known for its storied connection to Abraham Lincoln, the city of Decatur continues to be a hub for business, culture, and entertainment. Residents of The Quarry Apartments and Townhomes have access to Decatur’s many offerings including superb dining options, first class museums, and exciting outdoor activities. Our team at The Quarry has put together a list of our favorite spots so that your next adventure in Decatur is quick, easy, and effortless.
Top 5 Restaurants in Decatur
The Gin Mill
Widely recognized as Decatur’s best steakhouse, The Gin Mill delivers classic cuts inside of a historic atmosphere marked by a stunning carved-oak bar, antique chandeliers, and cozy red leather booths. Like the most acclaimed steakhouses in the country, the menu is short, sweet, and simple, offering premium cuts, sides, sauces, and signature entrées. Repeat patrons tend towards the 16oz bone-in ribeye, NY strip, bacon wrapped pork chops, and 7oz lobster tail, paired with an old fashioned, Manhattan, or whiskey neat. When it comes to dessert, the triple chocolate cake and crème brulee are the consistent winners. There’s no doubt— The Gin Mill is your go-to for steak in Decatur.
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LaGondola Spaghetti House
Casual Italian fare is one of the most comforting cuisines in existence and LaGondola specializes in exactly that. This is not your overly fancy Italian restaurant with hard-to-pronounce ingredients, this is down-home Italian dishes like spaghetti and meat sauce, lasagna, ravioli, and an assortment of hot and cold hoagies. Highlights include the “Uncle Tony” sandwich, the Italian meatball sub, and of course, LaGondola’s special meat sauce that comes with every pasta order. On top of this, the restaurant consistently provides friendly service in a charming setting.
Smack'n Tacos Taqueria & Bar
Smack’n Tacos was voted to have “The Best Tacos” in all of Decatur, an impressive award for this locally owned restaurant. Much of the menu centers around “birria,” a traditionally Mexican process of slow-cooking meat that has boomed in popularity here in the states. Smack’n is best known for the quesadilla-inspired “QuesaBirria” and highly creative ramen birria. One fan of the fusion ramen described it as “nothing short of amazing,” with “savory broth and melt-in-your-mouth birria.” If authentic Mexican cuisine with a twist sounds good to you, then you’re going to love Smack’n Tacos Taqueria & Bar.
Carrol Lou's Smokehouse
Fun fact: Carol Lou’s barbeque restaurant is so popular that it frequently sells out before the scheduled end of the day! That’s just what happens when you’ve become Decatur’s favorite BBQ joint. The dedicated team of pitmasters arrive every evening between 10pm and midnight to place the various meats inside a wood-burning smoker so that they’re ready to be served at 11am the next day. It’s the kind of dedication that has cultivated a large fanbase throughout Decatur. The consistent favorites are the BBQ slaw sandwich, the Q fries, and the half slab of ribs. Stop by soon and discover the secret sauce that drives Carrol Lou’s success.
Top 5 Places To Go In Decatur
Sitting inside of Scovill Park’s 62 beautiful acres, the Scovill Zoo has provided the city with a world-class wildlife experience since 1967. Featuring over 200+ animals from six of the seven continents, guests are treated to a global menagerie of flora and fauna with every visit. This includes camels, cheetahs, monkeys, lemurs, zebras, along with birds, reptiles, and invertebrates. The zoo is open to visitors only during the warmer months of the year but holds seasonal events like a “Critter Egg Hunt” around Easter, “Boo at the Zoo” around Halloween, and “An Afternoon with Santa” around Christmas. The Scovill Zoo is one of Decatur’s most important cultural pillars.
A nationally recognized children’s museum located on the southeast banks of Lake Decatur, this fully interactive institution provides youngsters (and those who are young at heart) with an exciting and tactile experience. Spread across two stories and 27,000 square feet of space, the museum features a series of exhibits that honor Illinois’ land, history, and culture. This includes a water table installation that details the hydrological process, a “super service center” that teaches kids about basic car mechanics, and an exhibit about seeds to honor the state’s agricultural history. This is just a smattering of the Children’s Museum of Illinois’ many offerings.
Located just west of Decatur, Rock Springs Conservation Area is a 1,300-acre parkland, the largest in all of Macon County. It centers around the Rock Springs Nature Center, a museum and series of educational exhibits that tell the story of the land and promote a conservation mindset. Visitors have access to hiking trails of various difficulties that weave throughout the park, fishing spots on the Sangamon River, canoeing, snowshoeing in the winter, and shaded pavilions for hosting special events in the warmer months. Rock Springs Conservation Area provides a beautiful space for Decatur locals to revel in the great outdoors.
In every family, a patriarch can be found that stands proudly over the lineage and serves as a beacon to his descendants. For the Mueller family, this is Hieronymus, an enterprising German immigrant who fled his home country in the 1850’s and eventually landed in Decatur. Here he founded Mueller Co., a multifaceted manufacturing business that became a nationally recognized powerhouse in the production of plumbing supplies. Not only was Hieronymus a giant within his family, but he was also a giant within the Decatur community. In 1994, the Mueller family founded the Hieronymus Mueller Museum to preserve the history of their family’s patriarch while also providing a fascinating lesson on Decatur’s industrial footprint and the history of the period.
Located on the campus of Millikin University, Decatur’s private four-year college, the Kirkland Fine Arts Center is undoubtedly one of the city’s most active hubs for music, theater, and dance. The calendar is full of performances from accomplished students as well as professional touring acts. The theater itself is a magnificent work of architecture that was designed by a Chicago-based firm in 1970 and built strictly using contractors in the Midwest. Lucky for residents of The Quarry, the Kirkland Fine Arts Center is only a short 10-15 minute drive from the community.