Lomax IllinoisATTRACTIONS & THINGS TO DO
Listed below are the best attractions and things to do near Lomax, Illinois.
1. FunCity Resort
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX
FunCity Resort offers a complete family entertainment experience near Lomax with activities for all ages. Visitors can enjoy indoor water parks, arcade games, bowling, and other attractions under one roof. The resort provides a perfect day trip option for Lomax residents looking for fun regardless of weather conditions.
2. Nauvoo Illinois Temple
HISTORIC RELIGIOUS MONUMENT
The Nauvoo Illinois Temple stands as an impressive religious and historical landmark near Lomax. This beautifully reconstructed temple represents the original structure built by Mormon settlers in the 1840s before they migrated west. Visitors can explore the grounds and learn about the significant role this temple played in Mormon history.
3. Historic Nauvoo Visitors' Center
MORMON PIONEER HISTORY
The Historic Nauvoo Visitors' Center provides an immersive introduction to the area's rich Mormon pioneer heritage. Guests can view exhibits, artifacts, and multimedia presentations that tell the story of the early Mormon settlement of Nauvoo. Free guided tours offer insights into the daily lives and challenges faced by these 19th-century settlers.
4. Carthage Jail
MORMON HISTORY SITE
Carthage Jail stands as a solemn historical site where Mormon founder Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed by a mob in 1844. Visitors can tour the restored jail building and see the actual room where this pivotal event in Mormon history occurred. The site now includes a visitors' center with exhibits explaining the significance of this location in American religious history.
5. Midwest Old Threshers
AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE MUSEUM
Midwest Old Threshers celebrates the rich agricultural heritage of the region through its impressive collection of vintage farm equipment and demonstrations. Visitors can explore exhibits featuring steam engines, tractors, and other historical farming implements that shaped rural America. The annual Old Threshers Reunion during Labor Day weekend brings these machines to life with demonstrations, parades, and hands-on activities.
6. The Lost Canvas Coffee
ARTISAN COFFEE EXPERIENCE
The Lost Canvas Coffee offers visitors a unique artisan coffee experience in a creatively designed space near Lomax. Patrons can enjoy specialty coffees, teas, and pastries while admiring local artwork displayed throughout the café. The welcoming atmosphere makes it a perfect spot for travelers to relax and recharge during their exploration of the area.
7. Old Fort Madison
HISTORIC MILITARY OUTPOST
Old Fort Madison stands as a meticulous reconstruction of one of the first U.S. military forts in the upper Mississippi region. Visitors can step back in time to the early 1800s as interpreters in period attire demonstrate military life during this frontier period. The fort's strategic location along the Mississippi River made it an important outpost during early American westward expansion.
8. Joseph Smith Historic Site
RELIGIOUS HERITAGE CENTER
The Joseph Smith Historic Site preserves several original buildings associated with the founder of the Mormon faith. Visitors can tour the Smith family homestead, the Smith Mansion House, and other structures that played important roles in early Mormon history. Guided tours provide fascinating insights into Joseph Smith's life and the development of the Mormon movement in Nauvoo.
9. Horse and Buggy Museum
TRANSPORTATION HISTORY COLLECTION
The Horse and Buggy Museum showcases an impressive collection of historical transportation methods that preceded the automobile era. Visitors can examine meticulously preserved carriages, wagons, sleighs, and the equipment used with horses for transportation in rural America. The museum offers a fascinating glimpse into how people traveled and transported goods in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
10. Dutton Lake
OUTDOOR RECREATION DESTINATION
Dutton Lake provides a serene natural setting for outdoor enthusiasts near Lomax. Visitors can enjoy fishing, boating, picnicking, and wildlife watching in this peaceful rural environment. The lake's calm waters and surrounding landscape offer a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
11. Lomax National Airways Factory Site
EARLY AVIATION HISTORY
The historic site of the Lomax National Airways factory represents an interesting chapter in early American aviation history. Founded by Lebanese immigrant Shukri Tannus, this aircraft manufacturing facility operated from 1925 to 1929 in the small town of Lomax. Though the original buildings are no longer standing, historical markers describe this unique business venture that brought aviation manufacturing to rural Illinois during the early days of flight.
12. Lomax Railroad Junction
HISTORIC TRANSPORTATION HUB
The Lomax Railroad Junction once served as a vital transportation hub where three railroads intersected in the early 20th century. Visitors can see historical markers and remnants of this important junction that played a crucial role in the development of Lomax. The site also commemorates the 1963 Santa Fe Railroad's Texas Chief crash that occurred near this location.
13. Dallas City Riverfront
MISSISSIPPI RIVER VIEWS
The Dallas City Riverfront offers spectacular views of the mighty Mississippi River just six miles from Lomax. Visitors can enjoy watching river traffic, bird watching, fishing, or simply relaxing while taking in the panoramic vistas of America's most famous waterway. The riverfront area provides a connection to the historical importance of river transportation that helped establish communities like Lomax and Dallas City.
14. R.A. Lomax Historical Marker
TOWN FOUNDER MEMORIAL
The R.A. Lomax Historical Marker commemorates the local farmer who platted and established the town of Lomax in 1882. Visitors can learn about the town's founding and early development through this memorial to its namesake. The marker provides interesting context about how this floodplain community developed later than neighboring river towns.
15. Tannus General Store
PRESERVED HISTORICAL BUSINESS
The preserved Tannus General Store building stands as a reminder of the entrepreneurial spirit of Shukri Tannus, an early 20th-century Lebanese immigrant businessman in Lomax. Visitors can view this historical structure that once served as a center of commerce for the small community. The store represents part of the fascinating story of Tannus, who also established a broom factory, printing shop, and eventually the Lomax National Airways factory.