7 quick fall getaways within 2 hours of Springfield
With fall underway and looking ahead to what may be an incredibly long winter due to the continued pandemic, you may want to get away now.
Here are some day trips from Springfield to enjoy a change of scenery and some space before crawling into the COVID cocoon — in no particular order.
Be sure to check ahead of your journey (phone calls suggested where possible) for closures, hours of operation and site modifications, or other conditions.
1.Monticello
Travel time: About 1 hour
Monticello, located between Decatur and Champaign, is an easy destination for a nature experience with Allerton Park and Retreat. The area was originally built as a private residence by artist and philanthropist Robert Allerton in 1900, who gifted the historical treasure to the University of Illinois in 1946. A mansion and reflecting pond, formal sculpture gardens, 14 miles of hiking trails, a 10-acre meadow, and some 1,500 acres of woodland and prairie areas are waiting to be explored. While the flowering gardens are winding down their blooming activity, shades of autumn provide a canopy for a picnic and a stroll around the grounds.
For those interested in a guided tour and history, join a Third Saturday Garden Tour (April-October). Experience several of the formal gardens, areas around the mansion’s exterior, and iconic sculptures while learning about the creations and the man who created the estate.
Nearby is the all-volunteer Monticello Railway Museum, which typically has an operational railroad main line yard open to the public with weekend train rides. Unfortunately, rides are suspended for the time being and the inside museum is closed, but visitors can still explore the grounds and see many rail cars and other equipment.
Allerton Park and Retreat
515 Old Timber Road
Monticello, IL 61856
(217) 333-3287
Admission: Free; donations appreciated.
Garden tours the third Saturday of the month are $5 per person, free for ages 12 and under, start at 10 a.m. and typically last 45-60 minutes. Masks are required.
Park hours: 8 a.m. to sunset (Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.)
Monticello Railway Museum
P.O. Box 401
992 Iron Horse Place
Monticello, IL 61856
(217) 762-9011
(877) 762-9011
2.Grafton
Travel time: Under 2 hours
Bluffs and wooded areas and the Mississippi River flank Grafton. The harbor boasts waterfront dining, boat rides, and boat and jet ski rental. To look at Grafton from the other side, drive onto the Grafton Ferry and cross the river to St. Charles, Missouri. At Grafton SkyTour, riders glide over bluffs and trees in either enclosed gondolas or open-air chair lifts and view the natural beauty carved out by the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. At the top, guests can take in expansive views at Aerie’s Resort and enjoy the winery’s beverages, dining and entertainment. For those looking for additional lofty adventures, the family-friendly Grafton Zipline offers a thrilling treetop canopy adventure soaring from bluff to bluff. The activity boasts a view, rope bridges, trails and “a surprise ending.”
Nearby, the 8,000-acre Pere Marquette State Park along the Great River Road provides a chance to be immersed in nature with a scenic drive, fishing, picnicking, birding, hiking, biking and horseback riding. Dining is available in the historic Pere Marquette Lodge, an impressive limestone and timber structure built in the 1930s with a 50-ft vaulted ceiling, handmade chandeliers and a massive 700-ton stone fireplace in the Great Room. The lodge occasionally hosts the St. Louis Paranormal Research Society, which enables tour participants to learn some haunted history.
Aerie’s Resort
Winery:
800 Timber Ridge Dr.
Grafton, IL 62037
(618) 786-7477
Grafton SkyTour
3 W. Clinton
Grafton, IL 62037
(618) 786-8439
Grafton Zipline
14 W. Main St.
Grafton, IL 62037
(618) 786-9477
Pere Marquette State Park
13112 Visitor Center Lane
Grafton, IL 62037
(618) 786-3323
https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/Parks/Pages/PereMarquette.aspx
More info:https://www.riversandroutes.com/enjoy-grafton/things-to-do/grafton-ferry/
https://www.graftonilchamber.com/visitors-center-page
3. Hannibal, MO
Travel time: 2 hours
This Mississippi River community was the 19th-century boyhood home of Mark Twain, which inspired the settings for the novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Many sites tied to this town and author’s influence include the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, Mark Twain Cave, Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher homes, and more.
On top of a limestone bluff is the historic Rockcliffe Mansion with breathtaking views of the Mississippi River, Lover’s Leap, and Hannibal. For those who prefer to rest and enjoy the view, riverboat cruises take in the landscape and a trolley takes riders through a guided tour of Hannibal and its history. For a spookier side of Hannibal, a visit to the Haunted House on Hill Street will greet visitors with wax figures and a haunting experience.
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum Properties
415 N. Main St.
Hannibal, MO 63401
(573) 221-9010
Mark Twain Cave Complex
300 Cave Hollow Road
Hannibal, MO 63401
(573) 221-1656 or (800) 527-0304
https://www.marktwaincave.com/
Mark Twain Riverboat Cruise
Hill Street Landing
Hannibal, MO 63401
(573) 221-3222
https://marktwainriverboat.com/
Rockcliffe Mansion
1000 Bird Street
Hannibal, MO 63401
(573) 221-4140
https://www.rockcliffemansion.com/
More info: https://www.visithannibal.com/
4. Peoria
Travel time: 1 1/2 hours
Start with the two-and-a-half-mile meandering Grandview Drive offering panoramic views of the Illinois River Valley with colorful fall leaves. Grandview Drive is a drive and park that offers scenic outlooks of the Illinois River while walking, biking or hiking one of the many beautiful trails.
Down near the river, the Peoria Riverfront Museum hosts exhibits and collections, a giant theater screen and dome planetarium. “Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World” just opened, giving insight into “a fascinating and engaging exploration of the art, science, sound, history and pop culture behind the world's most popular instrument,” according to the website. The Sculpture Walk, a self-guided tour with artists’ stories and information through an app, explains various works from six different states. Located just outside Peoria, the Wildlife Prairie 1,800-acre zoological park is home to 60 different species and more than 150 animals that are or were all native to the area. Guests can enjoy the landscape and learn about and see wolves, bison, waterfowl, black bears, elk, cougars, otters, badgers, snakes, bobcats and more.
Peoria Riverfront Museum
222 S.W. Washington St.
Peoria, IL 61602
(309) 686-7000
http://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/
Sculpture Walk
Wildlife Prairie Park
3826 N. Taylor Road
Hanna City, IL 61536
(309) 676-0998
https://wildlifeprairiepark.org/
5. Oglesby
Travel time: About 2 hours
Located along the Illinois River in LaSalle County, the Starved Rock State Park area was once populated with Native American tribes, a cultural history which can be traced to 8,000 B.C. European explorers once had villages and encampments nearby along the riverbanks. The park derives its name from the Native American legend of a group of Illiniwek Indians who starved to death on top of the 125-foot sandstone butte.
The park features 13 miles of hiking trails winding through 18 canyons of glacial meltwater-cut vertical walls, scenic rock formations, horseback riding, fishing, boating and more. While the Visitor Center is temporarily closed, the park features maps and videos online. Trolley and boat tours are available through Starved Rock Lodge.
Starved Rock Lodge
2688 E. 873rd Road
Oglesby, IL 61348
(815) 667-4211 or (800) 868-7625
https://www.starvedrocklodge.com/
Starved Rock Visitor Center
(815) 667-4726
https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/Parks/Pages/StarvedRock.aspx
6. Collinsville
Travel time: Under 1 1/2 hours
Located right outside Collinsville and just a few miles from downtown St. Louis is Cahokia Mounds, billed as the largest prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico. The area contained first settlements by Late Woodland Indians around 700 AD. As time went on and the culture grew more complex, the area became a regional center with farmsteads, villages and satellite towns with several mounds. At one point Cahokia Mounds covered about 4000 acres and included at least 120 mounds. The State of Illinois now protects 2,200 acres of the central portion of the site and 72 of the 90 remaining mounds.
Self-guided and public tours are available to explore the archaeological remnants of the central section of the ancient settlement. Additional information available through the Interpretive Center.
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
30 Ramey St.
Collinsville, IL 62234
(618) 346-5160
Admission: Free, donations appreciated
Hours: Grounds open daily dawn until dusk; Interpretive Center, Thursday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5p.m.
7. Spoon River
Travel time: about 2 hours
The Spoon River, noted for giving its name to the fictional Illinois town in the 1916 poetry work Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, is a 147-mile-long tributary of the Illinois River in west-central Illinois. The scenic drive encompasses the natural beauty in Fulton County. Many miles of scenic routes can be enjoyed with beautiful fall colors. While the usual festivals have been canceled for this year because of the pandemic, the area still boasts scenery dotted with small towns and historic structures.
For more info: http://spoonriverdrive.org.
