Overview
Kankakee is a city in Chicagoland, the county seat of Kankakee County. The area is the regional retail market center for the Far Southern Chicago suburbs, with a strong reputation as a City of Restaurants serving Interstate Highway 57 travelers.
2 sights · 4 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Kankakee
Kankakee County Museum complex
Contains the home of Len Small, a corrupt, racist Republican sympathetic to the Ku Klux Klan, who was governor of Illinois from 1921-1929.
B. Harley Bradley House
Built by Frank Lloyd Wright, designed in the Prairie Style.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Oct. Summer highs reach about 82°F; winter lows dip to about 18°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: May and Jun. (climate data from nearby Indiana Dunes National Park)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- GYY Gary/Chicago International Airport, Gary — 41 mi away. Directions
- MDW Chicago Midway International Airport, Chicago — 46 mi away (major hub). Directions
Kankakee station is served by Amtrak's Illini and Saluki service between Chicago and Carbondale, and the City of New Orleans between Chicago and New Orleans. The station is a beautiful historic building that was built by the Illinois Central Railroad in 1898. In addition, you can use the University Park Metra Station, approximately 18 miles north, on Governor's Highway (Route 50). This station is operated by the Regional Transportation Authority, and facilitates travel to the city of Chicago, terminating at the Randolph Street Subway.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning B. Harley Bradley House
- Lunch Poor Boy Restaurant
- Afternoon Kankakee County Museum complex
- Dinner Johnny's Pizza
- Evening Out on a Limb Bar
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
With its reputation as a City of Restaurants, this area has a greater share of restaurants, and of fine restaurants, per capita than its population would suggest. The restaurants are throughout the city and the adjacent suburban villages. A trip to the nearby city of Momence can also reward the traveler looking for fine dining.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
The Kankakee metropolitan area has a population of about 120,000.
The major industries of the Kankakee area are health care, higher education, manufacturing, and retail trade. Suburban Bradley is the retail hub serving Interstate Highway 57 Exit 315.
The Kankakee Area has a hot summer, cold-to-mild winter climate, typical of the interior Midwest region of the United States of America.
Municipal information
- City of Kankakee website
Get in
By train
Kankakee station is served by Amtrak's Illini and Saluki service between Chicago and Carbondale, and the City of New Orleans between Chicago and New Orleans. The station is a beautiful historic building that was built by the Illinois Central Railroad in 1898. In addition, you can use the University Park Metra Station, approximately 18 miles north, on Governor's Highway (Route 50). This station is operated by the Regional Transportation Authority, and facilitates travel to the city of Chicago, terminating at the Randolph Street Subway.
By bus
Kankakee is served by Greyhound Bus Lines.
By car
Kankakee is on Interstate Highway 57, from South to North served by Exits 308, 312, and 315; United States Highway 45; United States Highway 52; Illinois State Highway 17; Illinois State Highway 50; Illinois State Highway 113; and Illinois State Highway 115.
Access from Interstate Highway 57 Exit 308, Interstate Highway 57 Exit 312, Interstate Highway 57 Exit 315, and Interstate Highway 57 Exit 322.
By plane
Get around
By bus
Kankakee is served by the River Valley Metro Transit District. However, the arrival times are terrible, often showing up hours behind schedule. Avoid taking the bus if you can.
See
Learn
Kankakee is the home of Olivet Nazarene University, in the suburban village of Bourbonnais, and Kankakee Community College.
Eat
With its reputation as a City of Restaurants, this area has a greater share of restaurants, and of fine restaurants, per capita than its population would suggest. The restaurants are throughout the city and the adjacent suburban villages. A trip to the nearby city of Momence can also reward the traveler looking for fine dining.
Interstate Highway 57 Exit 308
Illinois Route 17
Eat Poor Boy Restaurant
Street, offers fast food: American, Greek, and Mexican.
Central Business District
Eat Johnny's Pizza
Offers pasta, soups, sandwiches, salads, and pizza, a rich and varied Italian cuisine. Open for lunch and again for dinner, but sometimes closed in mid-afternoon.
Eat Lori's Diner
Street, offers home style cooking. Open for breakfast and lunch.
West Kankakee
Eat Blue's Cafe
Offers a fine selection of home cooking and the best pie in the area.
Drink
Drink Out on a Limb Bar
Attractive and unique.
Many bars are in less-than-ideal neighborhoods, so keep that in mind when looking for a drink.
Sleep
Stay healthy
The area is served by Ascension St. Mary's Hospital, 500 West Court Street, and the Riverside Medical Center, 350 North Wall Street.
Go next
The nearest town is Manteno, population about 6,000, also in Kankakee County. Kankakee's suburbs include the Villages of Aroma Park, Bradley, Bourbonnais, Momence, Limestone and Sun River Terrace. Other nearby Villages include Herscher, Grant Park, Hopkins Park, Bonfield, Union Hill, and St. Anne, all in Kankakee County. Chebanse is in Kankakee County and neighboring Iroquois County, Clifton is in Iroquois County, as is Gilman; and Reddick is in Kankakee County and neighboring Livingston County.
Nearby
Bradley
City / town · 1 listings · 2 mi away
Bourbonnais
City / town · 4 listings · 2 mi away
Limestone
City / town · 6 mi away
Aroma Park
City / town · 1 listings · 7 mi away
Kankakee River State Park
Park · 5 listings · 9 mi away
Manteno
City / town · 4 listings · 9 mi away
Momence
City / town · 11 mi away
Beecher
City / town · 4 listings · 20 mi away
My experience
Write about your trip here. Notes save automatically in this browser as you type; back them up from My journal.