Our Pick
Posted on @rawstates
Hawthorne Race Course runs for 135 years and closes
1891
Stickney, Illinois
Edward Corrigan, owner of a Kentucky Derby winner, finished this track in 1891 and opened it with a card that included the Chicago Derby. It came through a grandstand fire, a state ban on racing and two reopenings blocked by the sheriff, and ended up the oldest continuously family owned racetrack in North America. It ran its last live race in July 2026 and closed at the end of that August.
That was 1 of the hidden places.
Location: historic site
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