Illinois's benchmark numbers averaged across its tracked cities, compared to the network average across all tracked destinations.
Each metric shows two bars: the rolled-up average across Illinois's tracked destinations and the network average for that metric, so you can see how it compares. See how these scores are calculated.
Key takeaways
What this check tells you
Concentration
In Best Luxury Hotels, the top 3 properties capture 34.2% of AI mentions versus the 14.3% they'd get under even distribution, the widest gap of any category tracked.
Distinctiveness
Illinois's distinctiveness score is 0%, far below the network average of about 14.6%, meaning its top picks look more like the typical destination's than most.
Movement
Best Local Experiences saw all 80 tracked entities move position between checks, the most churn of any category.
Movement
Best Budget-Friendly Restaurants is flagged as the most volatile category overall, with 68 of 68 tracked entities shifting rank.
Generated from this check's dataUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Lead finding
Illinois earns 98% positive sentiment yet its Abraham Lincoln historic sites in Springfield remain a glaring theme gap in AI narratives.
AI assistants paint Illinois as a family-friendly, fine-dining, luxury destination, with supporting nods to Chicago classics, hot dogs, farm-to-table fare, and historic charm. Sentiment is overwhelmingly positive at 98% across 639 rated mentions, and the state's confirmed-open rate of 86% beats the network average of 80%. Yet its distinctiveness score sits at 10%, exactly matching the network average, and the Abraham Lincoln historic sites in Springfield are notably underrepresented despite this strong sentiment. Illinois also fails to surface in any of the 12 tracked indirect questions, showing no recommendations or mentions beyond direct searches.
How AI sees Illinois
Across the prompts we've tracked, AI most consistently associates Illinois with:
family-friendly
fine dining
luxury
Chicago Classics
Chicago-style Hot Dogs
farm-to-table
food and drink
historic charm
Italian Beef Sandwiches
luxury hotels
luxury travel
How Illinois benchmarks
Confirmed-open rate
Illinois86%
Network average80%
Distinctiveness
Illinois10%
Network average10%
Presence rate
Illinois0%
Network average10%
Illinois's 10% distinctiveness score compares to the 10% network average, matching the network average in how distinctly AI assistants describe it.
Each metric shows two bars: Illinois's rate and the network average for that metric, so you can see how it compares. See how these scores are calculated.
Presence beyond Illinois-specific questions
How often Illinois comes up in regional and national AI questions that aren't specifically about it (out of 12 tracked questions, as of Oct 5, 2026):
0
Recommended
0
Mentioned
12
Not mentioned
See all questions
Two-Week Must-See Itinerary in the United States — DirectNot mentioned
Two-Week Must-See Itinerary in the United States — ConversationalNot mentioned
Two-Week Must-See Itinerary in the United States — RecommendationNot mentioned
Best Winter Destinations in the United States — DirectNot mentioned
Best Winter Destinations in the United States — ConversationalNot mentioned
Best Winter Destinations in the United States — RecommendationNot mentioned
Best Foodie Cities in the United States — DirectNot mentioned
Best Foodie Cities in the United States — ConversationalNot mentioned
Best Foodie Cities in the United States — RecommendationNot mentioned
Best Romantic Weekend Destinations in the United States — DirectNot mentioned
Best Romantic Weekend Destinations in the United States — ConversationalNot mentioned
Best Romantic Weekend Destinations in the United States — RecommendationNot mentioned
Where AI might be wrong
The Signature Room
— Best Restaurants for CouplesClosed
Flagged closed by 1 source, still recommended by Claude Sonnet 5 and GPT-4o.
The Signature Room’s own website announces its permanent closure, effective September 28, 2023.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum25 of 32
rank #5–#14
Navy Pier25 of 32
rank #2–#7
Willis Tower Skydeck24 of 32
rank #1–#5
Cahokia Mounds22 of 32
rank #6–#16
Galena15 of 32
rank #9–#15
Best Romantic Hotels
32 answers
The Langham, Chicago25 of 32
rank #1–#4
The Peninsula Chicago21 of 32
rank #1–#6
Goldmoor Inn19 of 32
rank #1–#11
Eagle Ridge Resort16 of 32
rank #3–#14
Waldorf Astoria Chicago15 of 32
rank #2–#5
The Herrington Inn & Spa11 of 32
rank #2–#11
Nobu Hotel Chicago9 of 32
rank #2–#8
Starved Rock Lodge8 of 32
rank #7–#11
Best Attractions for Families
30 answers
Lincoln Park Zoo27 of 30
rank #1–#13
Shedd Aquarium26 of 30
rank #1–#7
Navy Pier25 of 30
rank #1–#9
Museum of Science and Industry24 of 30
rank #1–#6
Brookfield Zoo23 of 30
rank #4–#12
Field Museum19 of 30
rank #2–#6
Starved Rock State Park18 of 30
rank #7–#18
Legoland Discovery Center15 of 30
rank #6–#14
Best Budget-Friendly Restaurants
43 answers
Portillo's21 of 43
rank #1–#10
Gene & Jude's20 of 43
rank #1–#11
D'Arcy's Pint19 of 43
rank #6–#12
Avanti’s Italian Restaurant18 of 43
rank #5–#12
Johnnie's Beef18 of 43
rank #1–#9
Al's Beef15 of 43
rank #2–#4
Ghareeb Nawaz15 of 43
rank #1–#6
Cozy Dog Drive In13 of 43
rank #5–#11
See more categories
Best Local or Traditional Restaurants
49 answers
D'Arcy's Pint33 of 49
rank #1–#22
Johnnie's Beef31 of 49
rank #1–#8
Pequod’s Pizza30 of 49
rank #1–#10
Cozy Dog Drive In26 of 49
rank #1–#23
Lou Malnati's23 of 49
rank #1–#9
Gene & Jude's21 of 49
rank #3–#13
Superdawg21 of 49
rank #2–#9
The Berghoff19 of 49
rank #2–#15
Best Hidden Gems
44 answers
Cahokia Mounds28 of 44
rank #1–#14
Cache River State Natural Area21 of 44
rank #1–#25
Garden of the Gods20 of 44
rank #1–#26
Cave-in-Rock State Park19 of 44
rank #2–#22
Matthiessen State Park19 of 44
rank #1–#13
Allerton Park & Retreat Center18 of 44
rank #2–#13
Baha’i House of Worship16 of 44
rank #3–#10
Galena16 of 44
rank #2–#16
Best Fine-Dining Restaurants
36 answers
Alinea33 of 36
rank #1–#2
Oriole32 of 36
rank #2–#4
Smyth32 of 36
rank #1–#4
Ever31 of 36
rank #3–#6
Boka20 of 36
rank #4–#12
Sepia15 of 36
rank #5–#13
Girl & the Goat13 of 36
rank #6–#16
Indienne13 of 36
rank #5–#10
Best Historical Attractions
34 answers
Cahokia Mounds31 of 34
rank #1–#9
Lincoln Home National Historic Site30 of 34
rank #1–#5
Old State Capitol26 of 34
rank #3–#9
Nauvoo Historic District22 of 34
rank #4–#13
Fort de Chartres20 of 34
rank #5–#17
Pullman National Historical Park20 of 34
rank #2–#11
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio15 of 34
rank #2–#16
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum13 of 34
rank #1–#11
Best Local Experiences
34 answers
Pilsen20 of 34
rank #1–#20
Andersonville18 of 34
rank #2–#10
Galena17 of 34
rank #5–#20
Starved Rock State Park13 of 34
rank #5–#23
Springfield12 of 34
rank #2–#21
Vito & Nick's12 of 34
rank #1–#10
Johnnie's Beef11 of 34
rank #3–#9
Shawnee National Forest11 of 34
rank #4–#17
Best Day Trips
33 answers
Galena27 of 33
rank #1–#8
Starved Rock State Park24 of 33
rank #1–#7
Springfield23 of 33
rank #3–#9
Rockford10 of 33
rank #2–#13
Art Institute of Chicago9 of 33
rank #1–#6
Indiana Dunes National Park9 of 33
rank #2–#4
Matthiessen State Park9 of 33
rank #2–#17
Shawnee National Forest9 of 33
rank #3–#19
Best Boutique Hotels
32 answers
The Robey24 of 32
rank #1–#5
The Publishing House Bed and Breakfast16 of 32
rank #1–#7
Chicago Athletic Association Hotel13 of 32
rank #1–#6
Longman & Eagle13 of 32
rank #2–#4
Hotel EMC211 of 32
rank #1–#7
The Guesthouse Hotel10 of 32
rank #2–#7
The Herrington Inn & Spa10 of 32
rank #6–#10
The Hoxton, Chicago10 of 32
rank #3–#8
Best Budget Hotels
31 answers
Freehand Chicago13 of 31
rank #1–#3
HI Chicago Hostel13 of 31
rank #1–#6
Rockford10 of 31
rank #2–#14
Springfield8 of 31
rank #4–#9
La Quinta Inn7 of 31
rank #1–#8
Motel 6 Chicago7 of 31
rank #1–#4
Red Roof Inn Chicago7 of 31
rank #1–#3
Extended Stay America6 of 31
rank #5–#10
Best Food Experiences
31 answers
Alinea22 of 31
rank #1–#15
Lou Malnati's20 of 31
rank #1–#3
Al's Beef19 of 31
rank #2–#7
Portillo's16 of 31
rank #3–#7
Superdawg14 of 31
rank #4–#19
Johnnie's Beef13 of 31
rank #1–#7
Chinatown12 of 31
rank #8–#14
Giordano's12 of 31
#2 every time
Best Rainy-Day Attractions
31 answers
Art Institute of Chicago28 of 31
rank #1–#8
Museum of Science and Industry27 of 31
rank #1–#7
Field Museum26 of 31
rank #1–#6
Shedd Aquarium24 of 31
rank #1–#7
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum17 of 31
rank #4–#19
Chicago Cultural Center15 of 31
rank #4–#12
Garfield Park Conservatory13 of 31
rank #1–#10
Peoria Riverfront Museum13 of 31
rank #4–#23
Best Family Hotels
30 answers
Great Wolf Lodge18 of 30
rank #1–#5
Eagle Ridge Resort14 of 30
rank #2–#11
Embassy Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile13 of 30
rank #1–#13
Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock11 of 30
rank #1–#9
Lincolnshire Marriott Resort11 of 30
rank #4–#14
Springfield11 of 30
rank #2–#10
Swissotel Chicago11 of 30
rank #1–#10
Loews Chicago Hotel10 of 30
rank #1–#12
Best Restaurants for Couples
30 answers
Geja’s Café18 of 30
rank #1–#5
Alinea16 of 30
#1 every time
North Pond16 of 30
rank #2–#6
The Signature Room12 of 30
rank #2–#11
Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf10 of 30
rank #2–#5
Girl & the Goat9 of 30
rank #2–#7
Gibsons Italia8 of 30
rank #4–#8
Tre Dita8 of 30
rank #1–#4
Best Viewpoints
30 answers
Starved Rock State Park23 of 30
rank #1–#9
360 CHICAGO22 of 30
rank #2–#11
Mississippi Palisades State Park20 of 30
rank #2–#11
Garden of the Gods17 of 30
rank #1–#15
Willis Tower Skydeck15 of 30
rank #1–#4
Adler Planetarium14 of 30
rank #1–#12
Matthiessen State Park11 of 30
rank #5–#9
Galena8 of 30
rank #4–#11
Best Winter Experiences
30 answers
Starved Rock State Park24 of 30
rank #1–#15
Christkindlmarket18 of 30
rank #1–#13
Chestnut Mountain Resort17 of 30
rank #1–#12
Millennium Park16 of 30
rank #1–#3
Art Institute of Chicago15 of 30
rank #1–#13
Galena15 of 30
rank #2–#15
Field Museum12 of 30
rank #2–#15
Matthiessen State Park12 of 30
rank #6–#16
Where Perplexity's answers about Illinois come from
Perplexity cited enjoyillinois.com,
Illinois's official tourism site, in
18 of 59 answers about Illinois
(31%, last 90 days).
The web domains Perplexity's live search pulled most while answering tracked travel questions about
Illinois (last 90 days). ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini aren't grounded in our tracking yet.
See the network-wide ranking.