Guide to Downtown Lockport, IL

When people think of Illinois, the city of Chicago immediately comes to mind. While the inner city does have some exciting tourist attractions, the hustle and bustle of the city may not be for everyone. In fact, when many people go on vacation, they just want to relax and enjoy a hobby.

Lockport, IL, is a distant suburb of Chicago, and because of that it is neither entirely rural nor a massive city all on its own. This makes for an amazing golfing vacation, and Pleasant Hill Motel is in the middle of it all! We will go over some of the fan favorite golf courses surrounding Lockport.

Illinois State Museum:
The Lockport Gallery

Address: 201 W 10th Street, Lockport
Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday: 10AM - 4PM
Closed Sundays and Mondays

Admission:
$5 for everyone ages 19-64. Anybody younger, older, or who has a teaching occupation is FREE.

The Lockport branch of the Illinois State Museum is a dedicated art gallery. You'll find masterpieces from Illinois' best artists and maybe find something inspiring! The exhibits regularly rotate, and are themed to specific eras, cultures, or hobbies. Perfect for families or for art enthusiasts.

The Gaylord Building

Address: 200 W 8th Street, Lockport
Hours:
Tuesday - Friday: 9AM - 5PM
Saturday - Sunday: 12PM - 5PM
Closed Mondays

The people of Lockport relied on canals to transport materials into the city back in the day. The Gaylord building used to be the base of operations for those building this watery transport. On this tour, you'll be able to explore this 19th century building in person.

If you want to spend your day in luxury, you may also dine at the Public Landing Restaurant close to Lincoln Landing. You may also see some art inspired by the town's heritage at Gallery Seven. A must try for any tourist.

The Studio

Address: 900 S State St, Lockport
Hours:
Wednesday: 8PM - 10PM
Thursday, Sunday: 8PM - 11PM
Friday - Saturday: 8PM - 12AM

We've talked an awful lot about visual art–paintings, architecture, and sculptures–but there is also a hefty music scene in town as well. If you want a place to hear up and coming artists (or bands that just like to play for fun) you should head to the Studio in the center of town.

Every night, local and state bands will come to play for the small audiences that reserve seating here. If you look at their weekly schedule, you can get a feel for what is playing. You may be lucky enough to visit the studio during a comedy night. Don't eat until you arrive! The Studio serves up homemade cocktails and appetizers you and your date can share.

Tattoo City

Address: 1601 S State St, Lockport
Hours:
Monday - Friday: 12PM - 8PM

Tattoo City is a highlight for people who are interested in Tattoo Art. If you want a piece of your vacation to last forever, you can meet with any of the talented artists who work here. Those who are just interested in the gallery will find it connected to the tattoo parlor.

The Flower of Life Gallery shows you award-winning tattoo art by the people who work at Tattoo City. Those who were considering getting a tattoo will find no better place than here.

Will County Historical Museum

Address: 803 S State St, Lockport
Hours:
Wednesday - Sunday: 12PM - 4PM
Closed Monday - Tuesday

Will County Historical Museum is yet another great museum that goes into the history of Lockport. This is a more traditional museum with artifacts from the era, tour guides who can answer your questions, and exhibits showing off peoples' stories.

As you can see, traveling to downtown Lockport is totally worth it. We weren't even able to cover the myriad of restaurants and breweries for you to try, including Embers, Stagecoach Saloon, and more! We hope that these many attractions inspire you to check out our corner of Illinois. We know you'll love it.