Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area is a district in east central Illinois. The region is home to about 150,000 residents and covers the cities of Champaign and Urbana as well as the village of Savoy. Champaign-Urbana houses various campuses belonging to the University of Illinois as well as a number of museums and theaters.
Champaign-Urbana is a chief research center and home to a number of science and engineering-related companies and research units. But it’s not all work and no play in this high-tech town. The Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area houses various theaters including two theater venues at the university, the highly regarded Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the Assembly Hall.
Top-notch museums offer a welcome retreat from the rain, while surrounding parklands, hiking trails and natural woodlands mean getting out of the urban jungle is never difficult. Yet with so many theaters and a great live music scene, you might not want to explore the great outdoors after all.
Highlights
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: built in 1969, this center hosts more than 400 presentations per year, covers over four acres of land and boasts four theaters and an amphitheater.
Champaign County Historical Museum: nearly 50 beautiful quilts are on display in this museum, many dating back to the mid to late 19th century.
Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum: the state’s largest aviation museum also presents an annual air show.
Orpheum Children’s Science Museum: the Orpheum houses plentiful exhibits such as a simple machines castle and a musical instrument that was made of PVC tubing, and also offers activities including summer camps, field trips and a ‘girls do science’ club.
Champaign Park district: features several parks, and biking and hiking trails.
Urbana Park district: includes biking and exercise trails, Crystal Lake and further public amenities in the nearby town of Urbana.
Robert Allerton Park: is a private estate open to the public that consists of a big manor house, formal gardens and natural prairie and woodlands.