Are you looking for the best Illinois gifts for Illinoisans this Christmas? Or do you need Illinois gift ideas for someone who loves the Prairie State? Or perhaps, one of your friends is moving to the Land of Lincoln and you want to find fun Illinois-themed gifts for their new homes.
Whatever your case, you will find 25 unique gifts from Illinois here.
Are you short on time? And do you just want a quick tip? Check out the editor’s top three Illinois-themed gifts.
- Large budgets: Illinois wine cork map (#2)
- Mid budgets: A guide to 450 really strange places in Illinois (#12)
- Small budgets: Chicago Cubs bottle holder (#24)
Table of Contents
Save these Illinois gifts
Don’t forget to save these gifts from Illinois on Pinterest. So you will know where to find cool gift ideas next time!
Illinois gift ideas for large budgets
#1 A trip to Illinois
Are you looking for the best Illinois gifts for someone who is obsessed with Prairie State?
Then why don’t you take them there!?
Head over to Skyscanner and book a flight straight to Illinois (Chicago is probably the best-connected airport). I guarantee that any Illinois-lover will be ecstatic about this gift.
Alternatively, you can also check out Viator and book a fun activity in and around Illinois. Some activities you can think off are tours around Chicago or boat tours on Lake Michigan.
And lastly, if you are not sure which activity to book, you can always go for a Global Experiences Card which allows the recipient to choose from the Viator tours themselves. For more gift cards for travelers, check out these 25 travel gift cards.
#2 Illinois wine cork map
This is one of my favorite Illinois gifts for wine lovers. An Illinois-shaped map. Except it’s not a regular wooden map, it’s a map with holes that fit wine corks!
So each time the recipient opens a wine bottle (with cork) they can add the cork to this map. And by the end of the month (or shorter if they drink more), this map is filled with corks and makes a beautiful piece of wall art.
And don’t worry if the recipient drinks beer instead of wine. Check out the next gift for a similar Illinois gift idea for beer lovers!
#3 Illinois beer cap map
Did you like the wine cork map, but are you looking for Illinois gifts for a beer lover?
Look no further.
This map of Illinois with holes for beer caps is the gift you need.
Just as with the wine cork map, the recipient can add their beer caps and create a beautiful piece of wall art from beer caps.
For more beer-related gifts for Illinoisans check out #21 and #24.
#4 Glasses with the Chicago skyline
Do you need Illinois gift ideas for someone who loves the windy city? Then a glass with the Chicago skyline etched is a perfect gift!
For more Illinois gifts for Chicago lovers, check out gifts numbers 6, 9, 15, and 22.
#5 Illinois jigsaw puzzle
This 1000-piece wooden puzzle of Illinois is one of the best Illinois gift ideas for puzzle lovers.
#6 Chicago skyline bookends
Are you looking for Illinois gift ideas for someone who misses Illinois and who can’t travel there right now?
Then bring Illinois to their home!
There are quite a few cool Illinois-themed gifts for the home on this list (numbers 7, 8, and 22), and these Chicago skyline bookends are just one example of that.
#7 Illinois seasonal food poster
Did you know that Illinois is famous for its farmlands?
About 75% of the entire state’s land is devoted to farmland! So all things related to farming can be great Illinois-themed gifts.
But what makes this poster an even cooler gift is that it also shows which food is harvested in which season. And eating fruits and veggies in season is a great way to live more sustainably. Making this a great gift for environmentalists!
#8 Vintage map of Illinois
This is another one of the great Illinois-themed gifts for the home; a vintage map of the state.
Travel lovers have a thing for maps, especially if it’s a map of the world or a place they really love (such as this Illinois map).
#9 Illinois-themed phone case
With over 1,200 different Illinois-themed phone cases on Zazzle, you can surely find one for the phone-addicted Illinois lover in your life!
Illinois gift ideas for mid budgets
#10 Books about Illinois
Illinois: A history of the land and its people
Are you looking for Illinois gift ideas for history buffs? Then this is the book you need!
Native son by Richard Wright
This is a world-famous and powerful novel about the life of a poor black man in Chicago in the 1930s. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about what it meant to be black in a city.
Illinois wildlife encyclopedia: an illustrated guide to birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians
Are you looking for fun Illinois gifts for people who love nature and animals? Then an encyclopedia to teach them everything there is to know about Illinois’ wildlife is perfect.
#11 Illinois-themed passport covers
With over a hundred different Illinois-themed passport covers on Zazzle, you can surely find one for the recipient.
Passport covers are excellent practical Illinois gift ideas for travelers.
I quite liked the postcard design passport cover, but head over to Zazzle if you want more options.
#12 Illinois travel guides
Off the beaten path Illinois
Travel guides are great Illinois gifts for people who are traveling to Illinois soon. But instead of your regular guides, I selected four unique travel guides that are great for first-time visitors as well as for local Illinoisans. For example, this off-the-beaten-path book. It will show them a side of Illinois they’ve never seen before.
Exploring the Land of Lincoln: the essential guide to Illinois historic sites
This is a great guidebook for people who are interested in history. It might even show a local Illinoisan a historic site of their home state they never even knew existed. Or they might discover the historic meaning behind a site they’ve visited dozen times without realizing it.
Illinois state parks
Do you need Illinois gifts for someone who loves nature and being outdoors? Then this guidebook to show them all the beautiful places in Illinois is the gift you need.
A guide to 450 really strange places in Illinois
This is one of my favorite Illinois gift ideas for people who think they’ve seen it all. The Oddball series will show them the weirdest places of Illinois that they surely haven’t seen yet!
#13 Illinois-themed water bottle
Are you looking for Illinois-themed gifts for people who live sustainably?
Then a water bottle in Illinois-style is perfect. They can reduce their plastic waste by reusing these stainless steel bottles instead of buying disposable plastic ones.
#14 University of Illinois apparel
If you need Illinois gift ideas for someone who goes to the University of Illinois or who is obsessed with The Illinois Fighting Illini, then anything from the University of Illinois will work.
So check out Amazon for all the apparel options, or go for this shirt.
#15 Illinois cookbooks
All-time favorite recipes from Illinois cooks
Cookbooks are great Illinois gifts for people who love cooking and who miss Illinois food. They can recreate the dishes at home. This cookbook includes over 150 recipes that are handpicked by Illinois cooks.
Illinois cookbook: historic and culinary love from the Prairie State
This is one of the best Illinois gifts for people who are not only interested in cooking Illinois food but also want to learn more about the history behind the dishes.
Traditional Chicago cookbook
The last cookbook on this list is perfect for people who love Chicago. It includes over 50 traditional recipes from the Windy City.
#16 Illinois-themed travel mug
Do you need Illinois gifts for people who love coffee?
Then a travel mug in Illinois-style is perfect!
Check out Zazzle for different options or go for the one with a map of Illinois and the flag of the US and Illinois.
#17 Illinois gifts for women: necklace
Do you need Illinois gifts for women?
Then this pendant in the shape of the map of Illinois is the gift you need.
It’s a cute and subtle way to show her love for Illinois. Whether she is an Illinoisan or someone who simply fell in love with the Land of Lincoln, this necklace is what she needs.
Illinois gift ideas for small budgets
#18 Illinois coloring book for adults
Do you need Illinois-themed gifts for someone who seems to have a hard time relaxing?
Then a coloring book in Illinois style is perfect!
Research has shown that coloring for adults helps to reduce stress and anxiety, and improves relaxation.
For more relaxation gifts, check out the meditation gift guide.
#19 Tote bags with an Illinois theme
Are you looking for Illinois-themed gifts for eco-minded people?
Then one of the nearly 1,000 different Illinois-inspired tote bags on Zazzle is perfect. For example, this state pride bag.
#20 Illinois travel journal
Do you need Illinois gifts for someone who will travel to Illinois soon?
Then you need to go for a practical (and preferable small) gift they can take on their trip.
And for that, a travel journal is perfect. Especially if the journal is designed for people who are traveling to Illinois, such as this one.
#21 Illinois-themed beer glass
This beer glass with the map of Illinois and the text “drink local” is a funny gift for beer lovers.
#22 Illinois-themed wall art
Here is another example of Illinois-themed gifts for Chicago lovers or for people who want to bring Illinois to their homes.
For Chicago lovers, go for the colorful poster of the skyline of Chicago. They will love it.
And for people who miss Illinois and who could cheer up their homes with some Illinois-themed art, head over to Amazon and find a beautiful piece of wall art that matches the recipient’s style.
#23 Illinois-themed gifts: luggage tag
For more practical Illinois-themed gifts for someone who will leave for a trip soon, luggage tags are also great ideas!
You can find over 350 different Illinois-themed luggage tags on Zazzle.
And if you don’t feel like browsing through all the options, and you are looking for gifts for a hiker, then the “Hike Illinois” luggage tag is perfect!
#24 Illinois sports gifts
Are you looking for Illinois-themed gifts for people who are into sports?
Luckily for you, there are plenty of great sports teams in Illinois, so you can pick something for any sport.
Do you need gifts for a baseball fan?
Check out the Chicago Cubs bottle cooler, or other fun Cubs merchandise.
Do you need Illinois gifts for a basketball fan?
Head over to Amazon and find the best Chicago Bulls items!
Are you looking for gifts for football lovers (American Football)?
Go for the Chicago Bears merchandise!
#25 Illinois-themed keychain
This is one of the best Illinois gift ideas for someone you love!
A keychain with “I love you more than the miles between us” and the map of Illinois.
Whether it’s for a long-distance relationship, a close friend, or for your son or daughter who moved to Illinois (or who moved out of Illinois), this keychain is a great small and sweet gift.
Save these Illinois gifts
Did you save these Illinois-themed gifts to Pinterest yet?
Final note on Illinois gifts
Alrighty, since you are reading all the way to the bottom of this post, I’m assuming you haven’t bought a gift yet. Perhaps you need some more inspiration. So check out the editor’s top three Illinois gift ideas by budget.
- Large budgets: Illinois wine cork map (#2)
- Mid budgets: a guide to 450 really strange places in Illinois (#12)
- Small budgets: Chicago Cubs bottle holder (#24)
