How to Visit Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is generally defined as the 22 counties south of Interstate 70. This region is barely in Illinois, with most of it more than 250 miles physically from Chicago, and a lifetime away from the city in terms of politics, lifestyles and geography. This is the eastern edge of the Missouri Ozarks and the land between the rivers, with the Ohio on the east and the Mississippi on the west. Residents will tell you that the area has more in common with Missouri and Kentucky than the rest of Illinois. People are St. Louis Cardinals fans, with no team more hated than the Chicago Cubs. The region also boasts some of the state's best wine, most beautiful parks and most enchanting history.
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Instructions
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Begin at Interstate 70 in St. Louis and head east. St. Louis is the unofficial gateway to Southern Illinois so stop to see the Anheiseur-Busch brewery, Grant's Farm, the St. Louis Zoo and of course the Gateway Arch before heading east into Illinois. Just across the river, stop at the Casino Queen and try out Illinois riverboat gambling. Most of the boat is devoted to slots and video poker, but there are a smattering of blackjack tables, roulette and more. The Casino Queen also makes a mean pina colada.
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Continue east Mount Vernon and stop off for a day of culture at the Cedarhurst Arts Center. Cedarhurst has a 70-acre sculpture park, a quilting and American folk arts center, and the Mitchell Museum. The museum houses a collection of mostly 19th and early 20th century American artwork. The sculpture park is great for an afternoon picnic and playing in the shade.
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Drive about 20 miles south to Rend Lake and stop at Pheasant Hollow Winery for some Black & Blue, a blackberry and blueberry wine. Then head over to the lake and enjoy the afternoon fishing or sunning on one of the many beaches.
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Enjoy a ballgame. Forty more miles south at Marion, the Southern Illinois Miners are a minor league baseball team with a new 5,000 seat park built in 2006. Home games are inexpensive with tickets at less than $8 for adults. If you happen to stop by on a Friday night, enjoy the fireworks after the game.
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Take Illinois 13 east to Harrisburg and give the kids a history lesson at the Saline County Pioneer Village. They can visit the poor house, see an old one room school house, the blacksmith's shop and of course the country store full of souvenirs. Continue east to Cave-In-Rock State Park and check out the cave where they filmed "How the West Was Won" and check out local history and legend about the cave which was a hideout for river pirates and horse thieves.
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Ride the Shawnee Queen river taxi across the Ohio River to Kentucky and back again, just to enjoy the cool breezes on the river and then spend the night at the old Rose Hotel in Elizabethtown. Grab dinner at the E'town Restaurant for catfish on a floating retaurant. The hotel is the oldest in the state and the view of the Ohio River from the bluff is unbeatable.
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Follow Illinois 1 down the Ohio, stopping in Metropolis to visit the Superman Museum and the grave of the Birdman of Alcatraz. Then continue on to Cairo, to Fort Defiance State Park which was used as a naval yard for both sides during the Civil War. Then, circle north again and visit Mounds National Cemetery, sometimes called the Arlington of the Midwest. Soldiers from every American conflict from the Civil War to present are buried there.
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Hit the park at Anna-Jonesboro where one of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates was held and then finish the trip with a visit to the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. spend the night at the lodge at Giant City State park in Carbondale and finish your Southern Illinois tour with a family-style fried chicken dinner and a glass of sweet tea.
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Tips & Warnings
Before the Civil War, Southern Illinois was the hub of the state and the original state capitol is here, in Vandalia.
Much of Southern Illinois is below the Mason-Dixon Line and sympathized with the South during the Civil War.
Gen. John A. Logan, the first proponent of Memorial Day, is from Southern Illinois and the first Memorial Day services were held here in the city of Carbondale.
Tea here means sweet tea, so if you want it unsweetened, be sure to ask.
Southern Illinois in the summer is sub-tropical and wet, so plan to run the air-condition and drink plenty of fluids to stay cool.
Resources
- Photo Credit Steven Thor Gunnin
