We’ll spare you all the monikers, but the staff of Decatur Magazine truly loves our fair city, from rolling farm fields and the shores of Lake Decatur, to downtown’s tree-lined streets. In celebration of our 50th issue, we offer 50 of our personal favorite things to do, see, eat, hear, feel, and experience in Decatur. Because we love this town. Here’s why you should, too.

1 - 15
The Triangle, Kazoo bands, and lawn chairs

Downtown Decatur (1) tops our list of favorite places to go. From the boutique shops on Merchant, Prairie, and Main Streets (2) to twenty distinctive restaurants (3), Decatur’s city center is thriving. Pub crawls are a popular pastime, and if you dare to enter The Triangle (4), you’ll discover sushi at Robbies, white linen at Jimmy Ryan’s, martinis at Katz, and the “spinning goat” at the Lincoln Lounge. The Avon Theatre (5) is the best place to watch a movie (their cheese popcorn is to die for) and the historic Lincoln Square Theatre (6), currently under renovation, is a Decatur icon.

Held the first weekend in August, the Decatur Celebration (7) brings over 300,000 visitors to downtown Decatur for food, fun, and entertainment, and is billed as Illinois’ largest free family street festival. The Razzle Dazzle Good Times Parade (8) kicks off festivities on Saturday morning with stilt walkers, marching kazoo bands, and the infamous Shriner motorcyclists.

The jewel of downtown is Central Park (9), home to Decatur’s landmark Transfer House (10), signature fountain (11), and special events year round. We know the Christmas season has arrived when trees sparkle with twinkling lights, and Santa and Mrs. Claus take up residence in Santa’s House (12). And, we know its summer when farm stands open on Saturday mornings to sell fresh produce at the Farmer’s Market (13).

Summer months also bring free outdoor concerts to Central Park, where lawn chairs are necessary accessories. The Decatur Municipal Band (14), our country’s oldest, performs every Monday night, and Blues in Central Park (15) brings popular blues performers to the stage the third Thursday of June, July, and August.

16 - 23
Curtain calls, hallowed halls, creative juices, and Abe

JeDeMi, a local group that takes community theatre to new levels, and Theatre 7, another talented troupe, perform on the stage of the Civic Center Theatre (16). Rising stars, who are theatre and dance majors at Millikin University, use the intimate Albert Taylor Theatre (17) for student productions, and also present two musical theatre performances each year at Kirkland Fine Arts Center (18). The Richland Players, theatre students at Richland Community College, display their talents in Shilling Auditorium. (19)

Providing entertainment for residents is only one aspect of their missions. Millikin University (20) and Richland Community College (21) are well-respected institutions of higher learning, providing rich experiences for students, and a pool of qualified applicants for local business and industry.

Both universities also are home to delightful art galleries, just two of the nine venues located here. The warm, welcoming, and slightly funky Madden Arts Center (22) in downtown Decatur includes exhibit space in the Anne Lloyd Gallery. Works created by students and faculty from Millikin are displayed next door at Blue Connection, and around the corner is Gallery 510, a local artist cooperative exhibiting creations in a variety of mediums.

Decatur is proud of its Lincoln Heritage (23). Abraham Lincoln made his first stop in Decatur in March 1830, later practiced law here, and was nominated for the presidency during the 1860 Illinois Republican Convention held in the Wigwam near Central Park.

24 - 33
Lake lures, no wake, and Labor Day Pops

Power boats, houseboats, jet skis, and sail boats cruise Lake Decatur (24) for waterskiing (25), sailing (26), fishing (27) or simply in search of a secluded cove to lay anchor. The old bathhouse is now resurrected as the Beach House (28) restaurant, where you can order the catch of the day and dine outdoors on the deck.

Nelson Park (29) borders the shores of Lake Decatur, and offers gardens, golf course, swimming pool, and park pavilions. The Lakeside Music & Arts Festival (30) is held here every summer, culminating with the USAT-sanctioned Rodney T. Miller Triathlon (31). Concert-goers enjoy picnics on the grass, or listen from boats on the water, when the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra performs its traditional Labor Day Pops Concert (32), the perfect salute to summer’s end. Weeks later, the Autumn Shoreline Classic (33) shows off the Lake’s fall scenery to hundreds of runners from throughout the Midwest.

34 - 46
Zebras, Fido, and blazing trails

Surrounded by the pine tree forest at Rock Springs Nature Center (34), the stillness of nature is magical. The same enchantment spreads throughout our city’s green spaces, including the Bike Trail (35) leading to Fairview Park (36), one of the Decatur Park District’s thirty-nine public parks. Feed the ducks at Dreamland Lake (37), play a round of tennis on the public courts (38), or do a 180 at the Skateboard Park (39). Fairview Park has gone to the dogs with Fido Fields (40), Decatur’s new dog park. Remember to look for the Bikini Tree (41) at the west end of the park.

You can also keep an eye out for zebras and hundreds of other animal kingdom residents at the 15-acre Scovill Zoo (42). While you’re there, enjoy a ride on the Z.O. & O. Express, or Endangered Species Carousel. Worlds of wonder also await you at the Children’s Museum of Illinois (43), located near the zoo in the Scovill Park complex.

Tee off at any one of our four public golf courses (44), ranked 18th in the nation by Golf Digest magazine, or stay in shape at the Decatur Indoor Sports Center (45) or Greater Decatur YMCA (46).

47 - 50
Good eats, off the rack, and down-to-earth

Decatur is home to the foods we crave - Krekel’s burgers and fries, Paul’s chili and milkshakes, and Del’s popcorn (47). And, places we love to shop - TJ Maxx for marked down designer originals, Hobby Lobby for discount home decor and art supplies, and the best bike shop in the world (48). Decatur is down-to-earth - we can get from downtown to a farm field in 10 minutes (49). And, if you long for a taste of expensive big city life, Decatur’s location is convenient, too . . . only a 2.5 hour drive to Chicago, St. Louis, or Indy (50).

Because the “Top 50” was generated by Decatur Magazine writers, you can expect a bit of verbosity. So, in that spirit, we offer reason (51): We love Decatur for its people. Our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances are compassionate, generous, and positive individuals who truly make this city home.