Day 1:
Mount Morris, Fulton, Savanna, Franklin Grove, Rochelle, Byron, Oregon, and Mount Carroll
Homemade apple cider doughnuts at BerryView Orchard will complement your piping-hot coffee as you kick off a brisk fall morning. The U-pick apple and Aronia berry fields help make this friendly rural spot a can’t-miss autumn destination. A few miles outside of Fulton, you’ll find another local favorite in Indian Hills Orchard, where apple lovers will have a literal field day.
Stop for nourishment at Manny’s Pizza in Fulton, and have your pick of delicious Tex-Mex cuisine and classic thin-crust pizzas. Poopy’s offers a different but equally inviting ambiance, and on many days the place will be rocking with live music. If you stay at Savanna Inn & Suites, you’ll even have access to a free express van that takes you to and from Poopy’s!
Autumn arrives vividly in these parts, and the fall colors that overtake the trees, wildflowers and ferns engulf Mississippi Palisades State Park in seasonal splendor. Break in your hiking boots by discovering more than 15 miles of trails along steep cliffs and enthralling rock formations. The views from the overlooks will make the afternoon trek worthwhile.
Follow the road to where the bison roam at the Nachusa Grasslands, a diverse mosaic of prairie, wetlands and savannas that has been restored through years of volunteer work from members of the community.
Once you tear yourself away from the fresh air and wide open spaces, swing by Kennay Farms Distilling for farmhouse-themed brews and spirits crafted from local grain. Continue the suds tour at Hairy Cow Brewing Company in Byron. They’re a tight-knit crew with a clear passion for their town —and their beer.
As the day winds down, experience a different style of "nightlife" at Conover Square–an abandoned and reportedly haunted piano factory turned shopping mall. Continue the fright night at Timber Lake Playhouse, where you’ll discover creepy trails, a haunted house, and an escape room that’ll require overcoming your fear and collaborating with others to achieve freedom. The Road House murder mystery dinner show and building tour offer an appropriately scary finish to the evening’s spooky adventures.
Your beauty sleep awaits. Nestled just outside the Nachusa Grasslands is Lincoln Way, a charming, eco-friendly inn with countryside décor and amenities like a sauna and an outdoor hot tub.
