Carbondale - Illinois - United States. Guide & Hotel Reservations from Cheap Hotels

Selected as the best small town in Illinois on two separate occasions, Carbondale, with its population of about 26,000, offers many delights for tourists. The city boasts fourteen parks, a swimming pool, four public golf courses and seventeen public tennis courts. With eleven hotels and a total of 656 rooms, there is no lack of accommodation.

The family atmosphere at Cedar Park is renowned, as is the beautiful scenery. This park has sandy beaches with lifeguards on duty, an area for rafts and floats, picnic areas and a concession stand.

The list of historic places in the town is impressive. Visit the Woodlawn Cemetery and pay homage to those who lost their lives in the Civil War - the site for Memorial Day services. Altgeld Hall is the oldest surviving building of the Southern Illinois University Campus where you will see Gothic architecture in the 8-sided four story tower, the parapet and the turret. Visit the miniature version of Queen Anne cottages at the Reef Cottage with its gabled roof. Many other historic homes can be found in this quaint little town.

Those looking for a slice of the area's history can also visit the restored railroad depot downtown to get a close up look at Carbondale's heritage and to see how the city has evolved to the thriving area that it is today.

Shopping is a wonderful experience with the numerous strip malls, University mall - an enclosed shopping center, various stores in the Central Business District and at the West Main Street Complex.  There are many restaurants offering cuisine from here at home and other parts of the world.