Havana IL Illinois
Frequently Asked Questions
At the riverfront park landing near the centre, on the Illinois River. Everything that matters in the village is walkable from there.
None, apart from the name, which makes passengers smile. It is a farming village in central Illinois, surrounded by cornfields, with no link at all to the Cuban capital.
The Rockwell Mound a few blocks from the pier, Main Street, then Chautauqua wildlife refuge or the Dickson Mounds museum if an excursion is offered. The village itself takes an hour.
A grassy mound of nearly a hectare, raised by Indigenous peoples long before the pioneers arrived, a few blocks from the landing. It is freely accessible and walkable.
A national refuge of nearly 1,800 hectares of wetlands upstream from Havana. It is a major stop on the Mississippi flyway: in spring and autumn, waterfowl gather there by the tens of thousands.
One of the most ambitious ecological restoration projects in the Midwest, on the opposite bank: former farmland returned to marsh and shallow lakes. Wildlife came back quickly.
A state museum about ten kilometres from Havana documenting more than ten thousand years of Indigenous life in the Illinois valley. You need a vehicle or an excursion to reach it.
The US dollar and English. It is a small village: cards work in shops, but carry a little cash.
April to October for sailing. Spring and autumn coincide with the great bird migrations, which is the real reason to stop here.
Moderately. The marshes and birds appeal to nature-minded children, but the village is quiet with no organised attraction. Take this call for what it is.
