As many have stated, there is free shuttle service all over town during the show. They will pick you up at hotels and drop you off at many of the events. . I'm not sure if the Illinois hotels are on the route, you might check with your front desk to see....there is a casino for non-quilters (husbands) in Metropolis if your hubby likes that sort of thing. You can park downtown in the Farmers market parking lot or at Hancocks...shuttle service will stop at Hancocks about every 30 minutes.
The AQS show at the Convention Center, the Vendors Mall in the big 'marshmallow tent' the Rotary Club antique quilt show at the Cherry Civic Center, Eleanor Burns (at a couple of locations...shows and sales) Hancocks of Paducah, Hobby Lobby has a huge fabric dept over at the mall as well and you can download a 40% off coupon for 1 item every day. The Museum of course. If the weather is nice, Eleanor Burns provides a horse drawn wagon around downtown. Lots of antique stores, the Carson Center for the awards ceremony and Ricky Timms usually puts on a concert at some point during the show. The old Finkle's Dept store is also a vendor's mall with book sales in the back ($5 books)
There are new micro breweries and moonshine distilleries popping up in Paducah if hubby might like that. Don't miss Kirchoff's Bakery for sweet treats and fantastic sandwiches (although the wait during Quilt Week is sometimes long...go early) The Murals on the floodwall are a must see and if you like home cooking, many local churches offer fantastic meals during the show for surprisingly little money (usually less than $10 for a home cooked meal including dessert. Reservations recommended...these are EXTREMELY popular)
Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions...I'm local and my mom is one of the YoYo ladies that volunteers at the Museum.