Eastern Illinois University in 2 Days: A Charleston, Illinois College Visit Fly-In Trip
A parent-first plan for visiting Eastern Illinois University in Charleston: how to book a daily campus visit that starts at Old Main, where registered visitors park, Unique Suites Hotel about 3 minutes from campus plus Budget, Mid-range and Upscale options, drive times from Indianapolis and Champaign airports, the Tarble Museum of Art and Lincoln Log Cabin for siblings, and Charleston weather by season, every fact sourced and checked Oct 31, 2026.
Old Main, home of the Office of Admissions, at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston (Sep 2018). Photo: Scheerniko · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 31, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
The short version
Trip at a glance
School
Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL; Ohio Valley Conference)
Days
2 days: fly in and drive to Charleston on day 1, campus visit on day 2.
Fly into
Indianapolis International (IND), about 2.5 hours from Charleston with no traffic, or Willard Airport in Champaign (CMI), about an hour away, with connecting flights.
Best base
Unique Suites Hotel on West Lincoln Avenue, about 3 minutes by car from Old Main.
Car or transit
Rent a car: EIU's directions are drive routes via I-57 and I-70, and the parking for registered visitors is right by Old Main.
Registration
Book a daily campus visit on EIU's registration page; registered visitors don't need a parking permit.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to see Eastern Illinois University, a public university in Charleston in east-central Illinois.
Most admissions visits start at Old Main, EIU's castle landmark on Lincoln Avenue, where you check in at the Office of Admissions (1230 Old Main, 600 Lincoln Ave.).
Why this order
Every daily campus visit includes a guided walking tour, a look inside a residence hall and a presentation about campus life.
Admissions can build the visit around your student, connecting you with the Honors College, faculty in their academic area, campus resources or an admissions counselor.
Plan ahead: registration and timing
Register for a daily campus visit on EIU's sign-up page and pick your date and time there. Questions or special requests go to visiteiu@eiu.edu or 217-581-2224.
If you registered, you don't need a parking permit: look for your name on a sign in the visitor lot on the east side of Seventh Street.
Can't make a scheduled visit? EIU offers a self-guided campus tour: sign up before you go, then pick up a tour folder at the Admissions Office.
Tour availability varies by season.
EIU holds fall Open Houses and an Admitted Student Day for accepted students, with department meetings, one-on-one financial aid help and lunch. Dates and sign-up are on the Visit EIU page.
For Open House and other big admissions events, parking may be spread across the Visitor Lot, the lots near the Doudna Fine Arts Center and the J Lot near Lantz Complex; EIU emails event parking details after you register.
Select Saturday visits run on some fall Saturdays, and EIU also offers campus visits in Spanish on select Thursdays.
2. The suggested 2-day plan
Drive times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, and walking times use OpenStreetMap foot routing, with addresses geocoded by OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Campus times are to Old Main, where the Office of Admissions is.
Day 1: Fly into Indianapolis or Champaign and drive to Charleston
Indianapolis International Airport (IND) → Unique Suites Hotel (920 W. Lincoln Ave.)
Driving (no traffic)
~2 hr 37 min, 129.7 mi
Driving and walking
Rental car
Willard Airport, Champaign (CMI) → Unique Suites Hotel
Driving (no traffic)
~60 min, 47.5 mi
Driving and walking
Rental car
Unique Suites Hotel → Tarble Museum of Art (2010 9th St.)
Driving (no traffic)
~4 min, 1.8 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
From I-57, take exit 190A and follow Route 16 east into Charleston, where it becomes Lincoln Avenue. From Indiana on I-70, take exit 119 and head north on Illinois 130 to Lincoln Avenue.
If you arrive Tuesday to Saturday before 5 p.m. (1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays), the Tarble Museum of Art on campus is free, with free visitor parking.
Day 2: Eastern Illinois University campus visit
Unique Suites Hotel → EIU campus (Old Main, Office of Admissions)
Driving (no traffic)
~3 min, 1.4 mi
Driving and walking
~32 min walk, 1.5 mi
EIU campus (Old Main, Office of Admissions) → Tarble Museum of Art
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Driving and walking
~11 min walk, 0.5 mi
EIU campus (Old Main, Office of Admissions) → Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
Driving (no traffic)
~2 hr 33 min, 126.7 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Look for Old Main on Lincoln Avenue, park in the visitor lot on the east side of Seventh Street (registered visitors have their name on a sign), and check in at the Office of Admissions.
The visit includes a guided walking tour and a residence hall, so wear comfortable shoes.
3. Campus by campus
Old Main, home of the Office of Admissions, at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston (Sep 2018). Photo: Scheerniko · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Most admissions visits check in at the Office of Admissions, 1230 Old Main, 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston, IL 61920, inside EIU's castle-like landmark on Lincoln Avenue.
Admissions office hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in fall and spring; in summer, Friday hours end at noon.
Visitor parking
Registered visitors don't need a parking permit: park in the visitor lot on the east side of Seventh Street and look for your name on one of the signs.
For large events like Open House, parking may be in the Visitor Lot, near the Doudna Fine Arts Center or in the J Lot near Lantz Complex; watch your email for instructions.
Getting there
EIU sits on the south side of Lincoln Avenue (Illinois Route 16), with Old Main between 4th and 7th streets.
Old Main is about 3 minutes by car from Unique Suites Hotel and about a 10-minute walk from the Charleston House Bed & Breakfast Inn, with no traffic.
What to know
Ask when you register to meet faculty in your student's academic area or the Honors College; admissions can add those to a daily visit.
Groups can apply for a group visit, and the Office of Admissions follows up to confirm the details.
Contact
EIU Office of Admissions: visiteiu@eiu.edu, 217-581-2224 (visits); admissions@eiu.edu, 217-581-2223.
Last checked Oct 31, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
4. Where to stay: Charleston and Mattoon hotels near EIU
Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Hotel · Our pickBudget
Unique Suites Hotel
920 W. Lincoln Ave., Charleston, IL 61920
Why here
On Lincoln Avenue, the same street as Old Main, about 3 minutes by car from the Office of Admissions with no traffic.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Expedia lists free continental breakfast, a seasonal outdoor pool, a gym, guest laundry and free self-parking. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
A few blocks north of Old Main, about a 10-minute walk or 2-minute drive with no traffic.
Expedia lists this bed and breakfast as a 4-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Expedia lists free breakfast, free WiFi and free self-parking, with individually furnished rooms. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Stay in Charleston to keep the morning drive to a few minutes: Unique Suites and the Days Inn are both on Lincoln Avenue about 3 minutes from Old Main, and the Charleston House is close enough to walk.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
Near your hotel
Unique Suites Hotel and the Days Inn both list free breakfast on Expedia, so you can eat before the drive to Old Main.
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
Tarble Museum of Art
2010 9th St., Charleston, IL 61920
On the EIU campus, about an 11-minute walk from Old Main. Gallery admission and visitor parking are free. Open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. (until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, 5 p.m. other days) and Saturday 1 to 5; closed Sundays, Mondays, EIU holidays and breaks, and during installations.
About 8 miles south of Charleston (about 23 minutes by car from Unique Suites), with visitor center exhibits, a 14-minute film about the Lincoln and Sargent families and 1840s life, and a playground. November to March it's open Wednesday to Sunday, 9 to 4; hours run later in other seasons, so check the visit page.
Registered visitors park free in the visitor lot on the east side of Seventh Street, next to Old Main; no permit needed.
Coming from I-57, take exit 190A and follow Route 16 east about 7 miles into town, where it becomes Lincoln Avenue.
Flying in and out
Indianapolis (IND) is about 2.5 hours from campus with no traffic. Willard Airport in Champaign is about an hour away and has connecting flights to Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Mattoon/Charleston Coles County Airport)
Spring: April averages about 64°F highs and 43°F lows, with about 4.1 inches of rain.
Summer: July averages about 86°F/66°F, with about 4.0 inches of rain.
Fall: October averages about 66°F/45°F, with about 3.1 inches of rain.
Winter: January averages about 35°F/20°F, with about 2.0 inches of precipitation.
Parent checklist
Register for an EIU daily campus visit, and ask for any faculty or Honors College meeting when you sign up.
Note the visitor lot on the east side of Seventh Street; registered visitors need no permit.
Book flights into Indianapolis or Champaign, plus a rental car.
Book a Charleston hotel for the night before the visit.
After the visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
1 Division I
Athletics
Eastern Illinois University
NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (Eastern Illinois University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 31, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
Expedia listing: Unique Suites Hotel (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-31) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Effingham-Hotels-Unique-Suites-Hotel.h40974.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Charleston House Bed & Breakfast Inn (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-31) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Charleston-Hotels-Charleston-House-Bed-Breakfast-Inn.h123048290.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Mattoon (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-31) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Mattoon-Hotels-Fairfield-By-Marriott-Inn-Suites-Mattoon.h126069285.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Days Inn by Wyndham Charleston (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-31) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Effingham-Hotels-Days-Inn-By-Wyndham-Charleston.h190673.Hotel-Information)
