Shawnee National Forest Getaway

Spend even a little time among the 11 family-owned wineries on the hilly, wooded Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, and you’ll feel a welcome tug: Do you stay just long enough to do a tasting and purchase a couple bottles, or do you linger with a glass and watch the sun set over a vista stretching more than 35 miles?

Most people stay on the trail awhile, because these little towns—not a stoplight among them—offer enough to fill several days. Fresh-picked apples fill baskets at Rendleman Orchards’ Farm Market, and apple dumplings tempt at Flamm Orchards. Walking trails around Cedar Lake cross creek shallows; hilly hikes through Little Grand Canyon shred stereotypes about Illinois’ landscape. Dozens of bed-and-breakfasts and cabins burrow in the hills, and the wineries reveal personalities all their own—not to mention a mix of sweet and dry varieties reflecting the region’s deepening understanding of wine making.

See

1) Sample the flavors of southern Illinois grapes at 11 vineyards and wineries on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. Blue Sky Vineyard, inspired by a Tuscan villa, is known for its picturesque grounds with outdoor terraces overlooking a lake. At Cobden’s Owl Creek Vineyard, the hard ciders are nearly as popular as the wines and are best enjoyed on the shady upstairs deck.

2) Cache Bayou Outfitters in Ullin gives two-hour guided tours, by canoe or kayak, of the Cache River, Illinois’ hidden bayou.

3) Spot little blue herons, black vultures and other wildlife in the wetlands and forests of the Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge.

4) A quarter-mile trail at Garden of the Gods features towering sandstone outcroppings formed millions of years ago.

5) Within Giant City State Park, explore eight hiking trails, rock climb and rappel, and spend the night in the Giant City Lodge (reopening February 4, 2022). Stop at the visitors center in Makanda for trail maps and to catch a 20-minute film about the park’s history and ecology.

6) In Carbondale, the General Store at Walker's Bluff offers great shopping, with kitchen items and gifts.

1) Check out the Iron Whisk, a popular breakfast and brunch restaurant where diners rave about the dutch babies and the loaded bloody marys.

2) Refuel in Anna with dinner at Brick House, which tops filets with thick blue-cheese gravy.

3) Stop for lunch at the 17th Street BBQ in Murphysboro. The barbecued meats and baked beans are legendary, and the decadent banana pudding is served in a mason jar.

Stay

1) At Rocky Comfort Cabins, an offbeat lodging option is the hobbit-style Cove, a grass-roof earthen shelter with round windows and sun tunnels that flood the cabin with light.

2) The stunning Makanda Inn and Cottages, an eco-friendly retreat located on 18 forest acres, is constructed with all-natural building materials.

3) Groups of friends love the Alto Wine Trail Loft—a two-bedroom vacation rental in an Alto Pass historic building.

4) The Davie School Inn stuns with classy decor and in-room breakfasts in a rescued Anna elementary school building.