This summer, you will hopefully see a bunch of new sites that you have never seen before. But you don’t necessarily want to spend days on end. So getting the best “bang for your buck” (both financially and metaphorically) is helpful. For a great summer day trip, we recommend hitting up Alton, Illinois. Why Alton? Well, Alton is a nice town on the Mississippi River that is full of history.

1. Downtown Alton has its rough edges but it also has some pretty sweet shops and busineses.
Paul Sableman/Flickr
2. The downtown area definitely shows its history.
Paul Sableman/Flickr
3. This is the Piasa bird, which pays homage to the local legend supposedly seen by Father Jacques Marquette.
Curtis Abert/Flickr
4. Make sure to visit the statue of the World's Tallest Man (born in Alton).
Vicki Timman/Flickr
5. As we said, the views of the river are absolutely stunning.
Paul Sableman/Flickr

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6. Check out the Lovejoy Monument, commemorating those who died for advocating the end of slavery.
kbh3rd/Wikimedia
7. The town is full of charming little old houses.
Xing979/Flickr
8. Make sure to check out the Melvin Price dam, which is also great for watching eagles.
US Army Corps of Engineers/Flickr
9. It is delightful to drive to down the Great River Road.
WG Dayton/Flickr
10. It's also an amazing town to be in just to take in a sunset.
Roland Klose/Flickr

Have you ever visited Alton? What did you think?

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