We live in Southwestern Indiana, and my family used to drive down there every year. It is a 16 hour drive for us, but with 5 people in the family, it was easy to share driving resposibilities when everyone was of age. We would sometimes stay overnight in Georgia (Valdosta is a good spot), or we would sometimes leave early and drive straight through.
However, when my wife and I went on our Honeymoon two weeks ago, we flew from Indianapolis for about $250 roundtrip each person.
Edit: I didn't see that you were from Peoria. I was born in Champagne, and my grandparents live in Metamora.