Metropolis City Guide — Trippin' Southern Style

Metropolis City Guide — Trippin’ Southern Style

Trippin and Livin Southern Style

September 29, 2020

Nestled in Southern Illinois is the home of one of DC’s most infamous super heroes… Superman! We’re talking about Metropolis, Illinois.

It’s home to about 6,000 people and we’ve been tourists in this cute town twice now. So let’s dive into the city guide, shall we? Watch this video…

When you’re visiting Metropolis you’ll want to stay at the Riverview Mansion. It’s just around the corner from downtown and it’s one of the oldest homes still standing in town.

It was owned by the Quante family and was the first house in the area to have indoor plumbing, electricity, ceiling fans, and an elevator. It was later turned into a hospital and then back into a residence. The current owners, Will and Lori, do everything they can to keep the history of the house alive. They even have a day every year where people who were born in the home (when it was a hospital) can come over and enjoy some free food and fun.

Where To Eat

El Toro Loco

El Toro Loco is by far our favorite restaurant in town. They have some of the yummiest Mexican food around. Joanie B. gets something different every time. So far the favorite seems to be fajitas with steak and jalapeños instead of green peppers. Spicy and delicious!

Jenni’s favorite is Chuy’s burrito, named for the owner, Jesus. It has chicken, shrimp, and steak with rice and beans. It’s topped with queso, salsa verde, and burrito sauce. SO GOOD!

Cordavino’s

Cordavino’s is Metropolis’ local Italian restaurant. Most everything is made in house and absolutely divine! We featured it in our Metropolis town video.

Our appetizer suggestions are the toasted ravioli and pizza rolls. For your main entree the chicken Parmesan is amazing. Finally, for dessert, the cannolis are the way to go!

What To Do

Super Museum

For a $5 entrance fee you can walk through the Super Museum. It’s filled with Superman merchandise like action figures, props from the movies and TV shows, and more.

If you’re a big Superman, DC, or comic book fan in general, this would definitely be worth a look. For us it was just a lot of Supermen in one place.

Fort Massac State Park and Hope Light

Fort Massac State Park sits just along the Ohio River and has been maintained since 1908, which is when it became Illinois’s first state park. It’s now nearly 1500 acres of beautiful space for picnics, caping, hiking, fishing, boating, and even has an 18-hole disc golf course. Throughout the year they’ll host events celebrating early American history, an encampment festival in October, and other historical programs celebrating the rich history of the area.

Just down the road is Hope Light. It’s a 30 foot tall lighthouse designed to look like a real, working lighthouse and it even has a modern lighthouse beacon.

This is also a great spot to get a gorgeous view of the Ohio River.

More to See

There are lots of fun stops in Metropolis if you want to take a Superman tour.

On the corner by the Americana Museum (and down the road from Harrah’s) is the giant Kryptonite rock.

Down the street from the giant Superman statue is the beautiful Lois Lane.

And down one of the main streets you’ll find the Metropolis Planet.

All of these are included in the city’s tour book you can pick up at Riverview Mansion.

Shopping

For a small town Metropolis has lots of fun shops for you to explore!

Our two favorites were Sixth and Vintage and Honeysuckle Row. They’re both in the heart of downtown.

You can also swing into Sissy’s for an amazing cup of coffee.

Birdman of Alcatraz

If you’re feeling spooky and adventurous, drive to the Masonic cemetery and look for the Birdman of Alcatraz. Instead of telling you about this one, let us just show you.

Watch this video…