Illinois Gift Baskets

Chicago Deliveries: High-Rises, Two-Flats and Winter

Chicago addresses come in a few distinct types, and each has its own delivery quirks.

• High-rises and doorman buildings: in the Loop, Streeterville, River North and along the lakefront, packages usually go to a front desk or a package room. Include the unit number and the recipient's full name.
• Two-flats, three-flats and walk-ups: in neighborhoods like Logan Square, Pilsen and Andersonville, boxes often end up in a shared vestibule. Ask whether a neighbor or a workplace is a safer bet.
• Offices: downtown buildings may route deliveries through a mailroom, so add the company name and suite number and avoid sending perishables late in the week.

Winter adds another layer. Bitter wind chills and heavy snow can slow routes, and anything liquid can freeze if it sits outside. Whatever the building type, the delivery date shown for the recipient's ZIP code is the one to trust; Prime members in many larger metro areas can often get eligible items same-day or next-day, but not every basket qualifies. For a true last-minute scramble, read our same-day gift basket delivery guide for fallbacks such as bakeries and e-gift cards.

Suburbs, College Towns and Downstate Illinois

Beyond the city, Illinois is a mix of big suburbs, college towns and farm country.

The suburbs

Naperville, Aurora, Schaumburg, Evanston and Joliet are full of single-family homes where boxes land on porches. It's worth asking whether someone will be home, especially for fruit or chocolate.

College towns

The University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois State in Normal, Northern Illinois in DeKalb and Southern Illinois in Carbondale all have busy mailrooms during move-in and finals. A snack gift basket mailed a week before exams makes a welcome care package.

Farm country

Downstate addresses around Springfield, Peoria, Decatur and the southern tip of the state can sit on long rural routes. Allow extra time, and choose shelf-stable gifts that won't mind a day in a mailbox.

Wine Gifts, Holiday Parties and Illinois Traditions

Wine baskets are a perennial favorite for Illinois hosts and clients, but alcohol comes with special requirements. Rules differ from state to state, and a bottle bound for Illinois can only come from a licensed seller, with an adult 21 or older signing for it. The wine gift baskets we feature are pairing and accessory sets, so the recipient can open a bottle they already love.

Illinois also has plenty of occasions worth marking. Chicago dyes its river green for St. Patrick's Day, the Christkindlmarket fills downtown with a German-style holiday market each winter, and the Illinois State Fair takes over Springfield every August. For office parties from the Loop to the suburbs, shareable popcorn gift baskets are hard to beat.