Illinois' 'Island City' On Route 66 Charms With Old School Shops And An Iconic Roadside Attraction

Somewhere in Wilmington, Illinois (population: 5,507), residents can peer out of their windows to see a giant, fiberglass man across the street. Not somewhere, vaguely, but 201 Bridge Street, specifically — the current location of the Gemini Giant. The green-jumpsuited giant holds a silver rocket in his hand, has a dome-shaped bucket on his head, and towers over the streets like a totem of a former age. Wilmington, itself — the "Island City," as it's been dubbed – sits along one famous, old, legendary highway and carries on the route's legacy not only via the Gemini Giant, but through its host of quaint, small, old-school shops that look lifted from a time when Nat King Cole sang 1946's "Get your kicks on Route 66."

Located about an hour from Chicago off Interstate 57, Wilmington has roots going back to 1834 when settler Thomas Cox bought 400 acres of land on the site of the current town. That land included the current-day South Island, the largest of a collection of islands sticking out of the Kankakee River that flows through Wilmington. Hence the moniker, "Island City."

By the time the 1960s rolled around and the American-Russian space race had firmly gripped the U.S., intrepid diner owners John and Bernice Korelec purchased the Gemini Giant to help grow their business on Route 53 near its intersection with Route 66. The ploy worked, even as Wilmington evolved into the town it is today. Built up around the South Island and Route 53 that runs across it, Wilmington's walkable downtown, many of its restaurants (like the Route 66-themed, Route 66 Bar & Grill), as well as the majority of its cute shops, now wait for travelers visiting the Gemini Giant.

Without a doubt, the Gemini Giant is Wilmington's main draw, especially since it connects to glistening U.S. visions of bygone highway freedom. The Gemini Giant began as a mere "Muffler Man," one of many manufactured by International Fiberglass of California in the 1960s. The 28-foot-tall, 500-pound statue buoyed John and Bernice Korelec's space-named Launching Pad Drive-In for decades. The name "Gemini Giant" actually came from a fifth grader who won a naming contest to title the statue after NASA's pre-Apollo (the moon-landing missions) Gemini program in the '60s. 

The Gemini Giant is also but one of a host of Muffler Men still located along historic Route 66. Others include Big Boy Carl, a burger and ice cream-proffering attendant at Carl's Ice Cream Factory in the funnily-named Normal, Illinois, and Gigantic Tire Man at Lauterbach Tire and Auto Service in Springfield, Illinois. Springfield makes for a historically-leaning Route 66-related stop along the trip's entire Chicago-to-Los Angeles passage. It's also a reminder that while Route 66 is often associated with the American Southwest, it's not limited to it. Other Route 66 stops in Illinois include the charming, Americana-filled Joliet outside of Chicago and its neighboring town, Plainfield, the "Mother of Chicago."

Interestingly enough, visitors to Wilmington ought to be grateful that the Gemini Giant still stands. The Launching Pad Drive-In cycled through a series of owners before reaching out to the community via GoFundMe in 2017 to keep the financially troubled establishment open. It wasn't clear if the Gemini Giant, located on the diner's property, would even stay in Wilmington. But come 2024, such fears were put to rest, and the giant moved to its current home at 201 Bridge Street.

Far from being a mere receptacle for a giant Route 66-related curio, Wilmington has a lot going for it. This is especially true near the South Island (where the Gemini Giant lives) and, specifically, Water Street on the east side of the island. If you're sightseeing Route 66 in Illinois and intend on visiting the Gemini Giant, there's really no reason not to pull over and mill around downtown Wilmington. The short, shop-packed strip from Route 53 to Van Buren Street takes a whole three minutes to traverse on foot.

Visitors can start right at Claire's Corner Park on the corner of Route 53 and Water Street, a well-manicured green space with an old-timey clock that sets the mood from then on. Facing north, visitors behold a smorgasbord of two-story, brick facades, including a cluster of antique stores sitting practically shoulder-to-shoulder. Each has its own flavor: Paraphernalia Antiques (high-end jewelry and furniture), Rick's Relics on 66 (a home goods-oriented depot), The Bell Book and Candle (a country store kind of space), and Sincerely, Salli's (grandmotherly hominess meets loads of kitsch). Further north, there are even more antique stores, like the refined Papa's Pickins Antique Shop and the pared-back, but decorative Treasure Cove. There's also a cool and colorful Route 66 mural and a neighboring, nostalgia-rooted art gallery, Art on 66.

Then there's the area's food and drink offerings, which ought to seal the deal for any would-be travelers. A variety of eateries await in downtown Wilmington, including the unpretentious, sports bar-like Corner Tap, the country store-themed Mimi's Cafe, and the colorful, community-focused The Scoop. Besides these few choices, more restaurants span east and west along Route 53, on South Island and otherwise.