The 'Greatest Midwest Food Town' Is A Walkable Prairie City With College Town Energy, Thriving Arts, And Shopping

Known as the trendy college town between Chicago, Indianapolis, and St. Louis, Champaign-Urbana is home to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This lively college town is always buzzing with live music, bustling cafes, galleries, public art crawls, and a constant stream of events to choose from. In downtown Champaign, you can catch a free outdoor concert every Friday from May to August. Or head to nearby Pour Bros Craft Traproom any day of the week for live shows or events like trivia nights, which offer an impressive self-pour selection of draft beers, skee-ball, and a bring-your-own-food policy.

As one of the country's most diverse campuses, with the second-largest international population among public universities in the nation, the city's food scene reflects cultures from around the world. The global flavors, paired with locally crafted brews made from its own grains and sustainable farm-to-table restaurants, earned the city the title of "Greatest Midwest Food Town" from Midwest Living in 2017. Plus, it's easy to support small businesses thanks to a wide variety of locally owned and operated shops, from home decor boutiques to bookstores to indie record stores.

The nearest major airport is Indianapolis International, where you can explore the city's scenic district full of art and shopping before heading to the Twin Cities, which is a 2-hour drive away. You can also fly into Willard Airport, located just 6 miles south of Champaign, with direct connections from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago O'Hare International Airport, America's most 'well-connected' airport.

You don't have to wander far to find public art spread all over Champaign-Urbana, with over 200 murals and sculptures placed from the downtown area to the Wandell Sculpture Garden in Meadowbrook Parks, which has 3 miles of paved trails. On campus, the free-to-enter Krannert Art Museum houses over 10,000 works of art from students to art dating back to around 4,000 B.C.E. It's actually the second-largest art museum in the state, so allot for a few hours here to wander their extensive collection of ancient artifacts as well as paintings, mixed media, sculpture, and pottery. Other art galleries include the Cinema Gallery and the Gilbert Gallery, found in Urbana. Both are women-owned galleries offering sculptures, paintings, and ceramic works to admire or purchase.

In the Champaign-Urbana area, there are plenty of options for shopping locally and supporting small businesses. In Downtown Champaign, you can find a variety of shops within walking distance, including clothing and home decor shops, bookstores, beauty suppliers, and indie record stores. For eco-friendly goods, check out Greener Goods Shop, which offers sustainable, zero-waste home and body products. Create and design your own scented candle at the Fire Doll Studio. Nearby, the Literary is a great hangout spot, because it's a combination of a bookstore, bar, and restaurant that serves wine, beer, and food throughout the day and night.

Nearly a quarter of students at the University of Indiana come from abroad, and you can see that global influence in the town's food scene, with restaurants serving up everything from Cambodian to Congolese cuisine. On campus, head to Green Street to experience the Asian culinary scene. For a sample of a bit of everything, head to Golden Harbor, which has well over 1,000 items on its menu.

For some farm-to-table freshness, Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery is a working dairy farm that also has a restaurant on site called Caprae that offers seasonal and local ingredients, from meats to produce, directly from their own farm and their neighbors. Not only can you mingle with goats, but you can also walk various nature paths around the lake and buy some of their award-winning cheeses from their farm store. They have weekly events, like behind-the-scenes tours of their farms, happy hour hikes, and hiking with a herd of goats.

Another lively outdoor spot is Riggs Beer Company in Urbana, which sits on 20 acres of land and features a German beer garden, taproom, and a kids' play area. Be sure to try their Hefeweizen, a German-style wheat beer brewed with grain straight from their family farm. Back in downtown Champaign, if you want to mix it up a bit with the college crowd, The Space combines a restaurant, bar, and performance venue all in one place. Catch a punk show or an open mic while you eat a Smashy McSmashFace burger that's topped with pickled red onions, jalapeños, special sauce, and American cheese. Plus, their menu is also about sustainability, featuring locally-crafted beers.