How to Find Hotels in Champaign, Illinois

Champaign is located in central Illinois next to its twin city, Urbana. It is primarily known for being the home of the University of Illinois, giving the city a youthful atmosphere.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer with Internet access

Know Your Destination

1. Dress for the weather. The area gets around 25 to 30 inches of snow per year, with the bulk of the snow season occurring between January and March. There are numerous thunderstorms during the spring and early summer, and temperatures in July can climb above 90 degrees.

2. Respect the local football team. The Champaign-Urbana team's name is the Fighting Illini. Memorial Stadium, where the team plays its games, holds 70,000 people, but fans also congregate at pubs and eateries to catch the games.

Book Transportation

3. Fly into and out of the University of Illinois's airport, Willard Airport. You can also fly into Chicago's O'Hare or Midway airports and take a shuttle to Champaign. Several serve the area.

4. Take Amtrak if you'd rather get to Champaign by train. Four passenger trains pass through the city daily.

5. Take a bus to Champaign. Both Greyhound and the Surburban Express bus company serve Champaign.

6. Drive to Champaign. Three interstate highways go through Champaign: Interstates 57, 72 and 74.

7. Use the local bus service to get around town if you don';t have a rental car.

Get Accommodations

8. To book accommodations, contact Champaign County Convention and Visitors Bureau at [phone] or visit their Web site (see Resources below).

9. Don't expect anything fancy. Champaign is not the place to go for 4-star luxury hotels. Expect basic accommodations at reasonable prices, less than $100 a night in many cases.

10. Investigate a local bed-and-breakfasts. The Gold's bed-and-breakfast has three rooms at reasonable rates.

11. Make reservations online. It is easy to book accommodations in Champaign online by visiting the Web sites of major chain hotels or using a travel Web site.

12. Pick a hotel chain. The majority of accommodations providers in Champaign are national hotel/motel chains, most of them mid-priced.

Explore the City

13. Visit the local winery, Alto Vineyards, for something different to do. It has a tasting room on-site.

14. Visit Curtis Orchard if you'll be bringing kids. They'll enjoy the petting zoo. You can also pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch before Halloween.

15. Check out the Early American Museum to discover what life was like in early Illinois. Take the children to the Discovery Room for an interactive learning experience.