Discover CU

05/11/2018

Thank you Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District!

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

If you are planning to vote on Tuesday (which of course you should unless you've already voted), MTD is ready to help get you there. They will be offering free rides to polling places tomorrow. If you need to know…...

25/08/2018

We're excited to have students back on campus! 🎓🎓🎓

Champaign, Urbana, and UIUC have an endless supply of compelling stories to tell.

Thanks for the share, Hailey Pick!

08/08/2018

Thanks for the great evening, Pecha Kucha Night Champaign-Urbana. We can't wait to share the video of our presentation.

In the meantime, feel free to reach out to schedule a private tour with us. We're happy to answer any questions you may have and get you on our calendar this Fall.

30/07/2018

And thanks to the Champaign County History Museum for being such a great resource to our community!

26/07/2018

"The Elephant" building (top left in photo) was originally going to be a training school for ministers. But the Civil War interrupted the project and the school was never finished.

This empty building was one of the draws for Illinois Industrial University (now University of Illinois) to be opened in C-U as opposed to the other cities it was bidding against. (1868)

The university's original 77 students lived and took classes in the Elephant building, which the University named Old Main Hall.

Yesterday the University of Illinois page shared this cool photo of the university, courtesy of the Student Life and Culture Archives. Here's the description and full image: Circa 1873, this photo was taken south of Green Street looking north…...

24/07/2018

Our founder, Jared Fritz, will be sharing about Discover CU at this weekend's Pecha Kucha Night Champaign-Urbana.

If you want to get a behind the scenes look at our CU walking tours, we'll see you there!

PRESENTER SPOTLIGHT #5: Jared Fritz

From the founder of Discover CU-- CU's only walking tour group
!-- this is presentation on how to create a top-notch walking tour. Learn how to handle weather disasters, how to deal with smart-ass tour guests, and the importance of improvisation when you forget your script. Expect some local C-U history highlights sprinkled throughout.

Jared did a PechaKucha themed tour this past March! Learn more here:
discovercu.com

13/07/2018

80 years ago, you could have played tennis at these courts on the corner of Springfield and Wright.

That corner is now an open walkway next to the Grainger Engineering Library.

Archive photo from:
https://goo.gl/Fq8s9A

11/07/2018

Congrats to former Illini, Kevin Anderson, on his Wimbledon upset of Roger Federer.

Former Illini has forced decisive fifth set in quarterfinals at Wimbledon

15/06/2018

The City of Champaign - Municipal Government has released a preliminary design framework and a detailed process report on the Downtown Champaign Plaza Park.

The City of Champaign has released some information about the plaza park in Downtown Champaign, which we've covered at length over the last year or so. They have released what they are calling...

25/05/2018

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor, Alan Nathan, served as the chairman of the recent study into the MLB's home run surge.

“We cannot find a single property that we can measure that would account for decreased drag,” said Alan Nathan, a professor emeritus of physics at the University of Illinois and the chairman of the study.

The ball is not juiced, it’s just more aerodynamic. But not even scientists hired by M.L.B. can explain precisely why.

05/05/2018

The first Urbana's Market at the Square of the season is underway!

Let’s DO this thing!

The 2018 Urbana Market season starts NOW! Open at 7 am to noon, Saturday’s until the end of October.

23/04/2018

The Green St corridor into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign got a nice facelift as part of the MCORE project!

📷: Smile Politely

http://www.smilepolitely.com/splog/heres_what_the_new_entry_to_campustown_on_green_street_looks_like/

20/04/2018

Look at all that ☀️☀️☀️☀️!

☀️ The sun is out and you should be too! The Brewery is open at 1:00PM this afternoon! Happy Friday!! 🍻

19/04/2018

A line is already forming outside of The Virginia Theatre for day two.

👍👍 Roger Ebert's Film Festival

18/04/2018

Ebertfest 2018 kicks off tonight!

Roger Ebert’s Film Festival (Ebertfest) celebrates films that haven’t received the recognition they deserved during their original runs. The festival gives these films and their filmmakers a well-deserved second look.

All the festival films screen in the 1,500-seat Virginia Theatre, a restored 1920s movie palace with state-of-the-art 35/70mm and digital projection. A portion of the Festival’s income goes toward on-going renovations at the theatre.

https://buff.ly/2qGm4mP

16/04/2018

Happy January 106th!

"Vine Street in Urbana was better suited to cross-country skiing than automobile traffic Saturday afternoon." Champaign-Urbana Courier, January 28, 1979.

Via Champaign County Historical Archives at The Urbana Free Library: “Snowstorms—1979” Photographs Envelope. Local History Photographs collection.

15/04/2018

Good morning, CU. -- Get out and enjoy the final 12 hours of 40 North 88 West's Boneyard Arts Festival today!

Presented every spring by 40 North | 88 West, the Boneyard Arts Festival is a four-day event showcasing the broad range of creative activity flourishing in our community.

14/04/2018

Mr. Eggwards was installed in 2016 as part of the the Public Art League's focus on installing sculptures in public spaces with the goal of creating a permanent collection in our community.

He is one of 11 sculptures installed in Champaign-Urbana in 2016 and will be on display through 2018. The submission deadline for this year's installation application is June 1, 2018.

https://buff.ly/2q8KbLt

13/04/2018

Elsinore was awarded the Best Local Band title (again) in 2017 by Buzz Magazine, and we cannot wait for their next studio album release. We hear it's coming soon. 👀

Their frontman, Ryan Groff, is taking a short break from editing to play at Cowboy Monkey tonight. Champaign-Urbana has long been known for its vibrant music scene, and this will be a night of local music by three local torch carriers. Enjoy.

8:30 - Kurt Bielema
9:30 - Kayla Brown of We The Animals
10:30 - Ryan Groff of Elsinore

12/04/2018

We'll be making a special extended stop inside the Orpheum Theater on our Theater Walking Tour!

The theater has a unique history in our community, and we'll learn about how its origins connect to its present purpose as the Orpheum Children's Science Museum.

What started as a vaudeville and moving pictures theater in 1914 has since blossomed into a space that nurtures and molds young minds today. The...

11/04/2018

The award-winning Champaign Public Library was designed by Ross Barney Architects, the same firm that designed the Chicago Riverwalk. ☂️☂️

10/04/2018

Trivia answer: green patina (like the Statue of Liberty).

Alma used to have a layer of green patina that had resulted from years of water damage and corrosion. In addition to returning her original bronze finish, the 2012-2014 restoration project replaced more than 1,000 bolts and used a laser to clean the exterior surface.

Price tag: $360,000. 😅💰

09/04/2018

Discover CU
Champaign Urbana Tours

Drone footage by Nick Yi.

nickyi.com
youtu.be/jOC-WJW7GAg

09/04/2018

This Day In CU History: Alma Mater was reinstalled to her current location at the corner of Green and Wright Streets on Apr 9, 2014. After two years off campus for cleaning, she was restored to her original bronze finish.

Anyone remember what she looked like before this restoration?

09/04/2018

Good morning, Champaign-Urbana. Happy Spring!

07/04/2018

Trivia answer: 51 Main.

Building name change history:
The Varsity Theater > Rex Theater > Illini Theater > Encore Theater > Illini Theater (again) > Harvest Church. And more recently, The Highdive > The Accord > 51 Main

06/04/2018

The Varsity opened in 1906 as a nickelodeon theater. It has changed names many times over the years. Anyone know what this building is today?

Answer coming tomorrow.

05/04/2018

During WWI, reports from the front lines and liberty bond advertisements dominated local news coverage. Take a look at the Daily Illini cover from 100 years ago today.

Note on page two the list of UIUC wartime activities. Some highlights:

"Military drill required of all freshmen and sophomores."

"A sum of $48,000 raised by students and faculty for war relief."

The Daily Illini archives:
https://buff.ly/2GzwgIC

04/04/2018

Enjoyed hosting a private Champaign-Urbana tour earlier this week!

We crafted a unique journey across the UIUC Campus, the Joseph Royer Historic District, downtown Urbana, and downtown Champaign.

Contact us to set up a custom Discover CU tour for your family/organization/team/friends.