Hello! I am Austin Burklund your pretend Southern Illinois travel agent! I see you are coming down to “Little Egypt” for a Summer weekend getaway. I first must say, you have made an absolute awesome choice! Let’s get you started with some pre-trip education.

Pre trip education

Let me start with some pet peeves. St. Louis metro isnt Southern Illinois, its the metro east. Effingham isn’t Southern Illinois, Tuscola and Champaign are obviously not Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois is basically Mt. Vernon and south.

Now that we are through that, lets get to the fun of pre-trip planning. Is there any special thing I should pack? Yes, I would pack your best hiking boots, keep the tennis shoes and fancy footwear in the bag, but add hiking boots. There will be events in this itinerary that call for you to take care of your feet. Also, it can get pretty warm. stay hydrated, and wear some loose breathable clothing.

How to get here? If you are coming from the Champaign or Chicago area, the most relaxing way to come to Southern Illinois is to take the Amtrak train. They have daily lines that go north and south. Its a fun time to sit and see the terrain of the state change from the flatlands of the corn fields to the hills of Southern Illinois. You can also drive! Its an easy 4 hour trip to “Little Egypt”.

Where to stay? I highly recommend the Havisham House and their grounds in Alto Pass, Illinois. Its beautiful and will help you unwind to the slower paced life of Southern Illinois.

Awesome you made it! Welcome!

Im glad you took the Friday off! You got off the train around 2:30 PM. Lets get you to your rental car, and lets get you to Havisham. You will continue to see the beauty of Southern Illinois unfold as you drive on Rt. 127. You drive through up and down the hills, see the skyline. Just take the curves slow and you should be fine. You’ll want to drive slow to process what you are seeing. I know the question will come popping up “Am I still in Illinois?” You are in fact still in Illinois.

Its roughly 3:30 PM and you have seen the Havisham House and how beautiful and rustic it is, with all the modern amenities to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Dont worry if you forget something you can go to Duty’s Country Store for your basic essentials across the street!

All Settled in? Lets do something!

Alright, its around 4:00, you are all settled in, freshened up after your travels. You probably want your first beverage. There are so many cool options, Id recommend a mini Alto Pass wine/bar crawl. Lets start with the most local option. The Havisham House Bourbon Bar. I dont have many details on this yet, but knowing the owners, its going to be OUTSTANDING. We arent going to go to all the wineries in one go. Theres still a long weekend left. So lets dabble with two Alto Pass staples, Alto Vineyards and The Peachbarn Cafe.

Its around 7:30 PM and I know you guys are a little hungry. Lets go out to eat and support a local great Southern Illinois restaurant. I will pick 17th Street BBQ for us to go to. There is so much great smoky BBQ flavor to enjoy. The burnt ends are like candy, the pulled pork is to die for, and the brisket is something special. There is a reason Murphysboro is the BBQ capital of Illinois.

Full yet? Its around 9:30 PM. Lets head back to Union County and go to a dive bar. There is a place called Fuzzy’s with a couple awesome pool tables, and always a great conversation to be had with the locals of Cobden Illinois.

Its getting late, you have been traveling a lot, and guess what, that was only day 1! We have to get up early tomorrow!

Good Morning!

I’m sure you have slept wonderfully. I know you woke up at 7:15 AM, but I assure you its worth it. We have a full day, so lets get it going. Oh, and pack some hiking boots for todays adventure.

Its time for breakfast. You guys get ready, Im going to go hold our spot at the Iron Whisk in Cobden. Just put it in the GPS and come right at 8 AM. This place fills up quickly. This place doesn’t accept debit cards. If you forgot cash, there is an ATM nearby, no worries. The Whisk has phenomenal upscale breakfast foods with some awesome cast iron dishes, such as flavored “Dutch babies”. To pair with these awesome dishes, there is always a special cocktail to be had. They also have your go-to morning cocktails.

Lets go farming!

Well, it just turned 9:30 AM. Lets drop off your car at the Havisham House. Lets all get in my car, and lets head on out to Rendleman Orchards right outside Alto Pass. We have to start with getting a peach smoothie. The Peach Smoothie isnt that artificial peach flavor. Its a full bodied smoothie made with the freshly picked peaches from the orchard grounds. You’ll want to spend some time in the market. They have meats, sauces, ketchups, jams, apple butter, and trendy merchandise. After we take some time shopping, lets go out to the zinnia fields. You can pick a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and get the some amazing Instagram content with all the photo opportunities. You will want to get some steps in and take in the beauty of this farm, because there will most likely be an awesome food truck for you to try, and a coffee cart!

Lets see some Nature now!

Its around 11:30 AM, You ate some lunch at the food tuck. Lets really experience the beauty of Southern Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky. No, we arent travelling there, but we will see them. We are going to make the trek in our car to Bald Knob Cross. Up on this hill is this beautiful white cross, and some amazing views for you to behold. At the location of Bald Knob, you can see 3 states. Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri.

After witnessing the splendor of the Shawnee National Forest from above, lets make a 1 Hour and 45 minute drive to Garden of the Gods and do a mini-hike to see how gorgeous Southern Illinois specifically is. Garden of the Gods has natural rock formations that people can climb, and take some of the best pictures of your life on.

Afternoon is rolling on at 2:25 PM, you have been blown away by the visuals and we pump some tunes for the trip back to home base. We pick up some Blueberry Blonde Ale from Big Muddy Brewing Co. Beer out of Murphysboro from a liquor store on the way back. Lets get you guys back to shower, have some beers, relax on the patio, and get ready for the evening.

Dinner time!

This dinner was honestly hard for me to pick. There are so many amazing options for us all! I decided to go a bit fancy with this selection. Lets veer away from Southern Illinois for a quick second. We will take a quick 45 minute trip to Cape Girardeau, Missouri and eat at Celebrations. They always have some unique cocktails with premium ingredients. I love their bourbon based drinks. I’d love to tell you what to order food wise, but they have a rotating menu. The apps to the entrees are always well done. I’ve had their steaks, pasta, and lamb You wont get buyers remorse ever from this menu . The waiter/waitress will ask you if you want dessert, dont hesitate, and answer that you want the banana cream pie. Its stacked tall, and you wont forget the sweet flavor.

Are you tired?

Its really late by the time we all get back and I drop you off at the Havisham House. We will keep it a little more casual tomorrow for your last full day in Southern Illinois.

Hello! You survived Saturday. Let’s get Sunday going!

I allowed you to sleep in! You needed it after a PACKED day yesterday. Its around 10 AM. You got your shower in, and you are dressed casually for the day we are going to have! I got your breakfast, its some Texas sized cinnamon rolls, and biscuits and gravy from Bunmakers in Murphysboro. We will get some more coffee from Rendleman Orchards when they open at noon.

Post Coffee

I just want to show you some of the cool buildings on SIU’s campus. We will drive by West Campus, take a stroll by the SIU sports complexes, and finish near East campus. Are you hungry for lunch?

Lunch

It is time for the holy grail of Southern Illinois. The All you can eat chicken dinner at Giant City Lodge. Today, there is no menu. They ask you for your drink order, then they start piling bowls and plates of green beans, potatoes, dinner rolls, dumplings, corn, fried chicken, and creamy coleslaw on your plate. They will replenish all the items when your bowls and plates are looking bare. Its a cool atmosphere. Amazing food, and an insane value. Its the perfect Sunday lunch. Im gonna ask you to save room for a quick dessert

On the way back we will stop at Flamm Orchards in Cobden to get a quick peaches and cream bowl. You have to satisfy that sweet tooth after all of that savory goodness.

Its time to hit up more wineries! We will hit up some more of that Union County flair with Starview , Von Jakob, and Bluesky. All are great, and all are awesome to relax in. Sometime there is even a musical act if you get lucky. This is a good time to reflect on some of your favorite moments of the trip.

More Food?

Its coming to the end of the trip. I cant let you leave without picking up a Quatros Pizza. Its the best thick crust in the area. I love the sweet sauce, and the cheese is plentiful. Ill make sure we get the challenge. Its their signature pizza. No one can come to Southern Illinois without trying a slice. So lets hang out on the porch of the Havisham House, enjoy the sights and sounds of Alto Pass, and enjoy some awesome pizza and beer.

Goodbye!

Its been so much fun gang! We have to do this again. Lets save the hugs, we have one more stop. Lets get some Monday morning coffee from Cold Blooded Coffee. Its such an awesome place for your dose of caffeine. Thank you for enjoying Southern Illinois with me. I hope you had a blast!

Did this excursion around Southern Illinois sound fun? DM me on Instagram if you have any questions about booking your Southern Illinois getaway.