Joliet, IL Local Community

Joliet is a blue-collar city, which in recent years has built several tourist attractions. Notably, Chicagoland Speedway hosts NASCAR races during the summer. There are also two riverboat casinos (the Des Plaines River bisects the town).
 
Although not a tourist attraction, Joliet Jail has become famous for being used in TV (Prison Break) and movies (The Blues Brothers). Joliet has another claim to fame- it was the first location for the Dairy Queen fast food/ice cream chain.
 
If you want to visit this city and need to move around, we recommend you rent a car for this task. Driving is the easiest way to get around.

Things to do in Joliet:

Visit the Hollywood Casino Joliet– the very large (50,000 square foot) casino offers over 1,100 slot and video poker games, plus table games and live "celebrity dealer" performances. It also has delicious dining options and a buffet that will seem endless, even for a foodie. It also features an amphitheater where you can enjoy the best of local talent. 

For a charming and luxurious extravaganza, you can visit the Rialto Square Theatre. You can come here to enjoy a concert or a show, but you can also take a fabulous tour to know every corner and the magic that goes on when the curtains go up. This place is so beautiful that is known for being the Jewel of Joliet! They will soon offer paranormal tours for the bravest tourists. This is an experience you can't miss.

To get to know some local history, check out the Joliet Area Historical Museum, a museum dedicated to preserving the history of Joliet and its people. They also offer special student programs and a summer concert series. Additionally, the museum acts as an events center, making its Route 66 Visitors Center and other sections available for rental for various functions.

To commune with nature, a trip to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is just the ticket! The 30-square mile plot of land was set aside from the former U.S. Army Arsenal to preserve some of the last remaining tallgrass prairie that use to cover much of the state, as well as the other native species that inhabited the area (including bison). In addition to its mission of preservation, the area provides numerous recreational options for visitors- 43 miles of trails for hiking, bicycling, horse riding, and cross-country skiing, as well as areas for picnicking and hunting.

Other fun things to do in Joliet:

- Chicagoland Speedway. The speedway opened in the summer of 2001 and is the annual host of the LifeLock.com 400, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, and the Dollar General 300, a NASCAR Nationwide Series race. 
- Harrah's Joliet Casino & Hotel
- Joliet Slammers Baseball
- Bicycling. There are several miles of bike trails, which wind through Joliet.