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Walk, bike or ride a mule-powered boat along the historic Illinois & Michigan Canal, which is enjoying a renaissance as a recreation area. Designated America’s first National Heritage Area in 1984, the canal has 69 miles of hiking and biking trails, mule-drawn boat rides, and museums and eateries along the way. In the 19th century, the hand-dug, 96-mile passage from Chicago to LaSalle was compared in importance to the Erie Canal, opening up a transportation corridor stretching from New York to New Orleans. Following the I&M’s opening in 1848, Chicago’s economy boomed.