We explored the beautiful region of Southern Illinois earlier this month. It is just 2 hours from St. Louis, making it such a great family-friendly adventure!
I partnered with Southern Illinois Tourism and Southernmost Illinois for this trip. Our family enjoyed exploring new outdoor spots, as well as experiencing the Murphysboro Apple Festival.
Where We Stayed
The Cottage at Rendleman Orchards
Our cottage was located in Alto Pass, Illinois and is a 1920s renovated farmhouse. Rendleman Orchards is 812 acres in beautiful Southern Illinois. It is owned by 5th generation owners and they are currently in their 152nd season.
Our cottage was 17 minutes from downtown Murphysboro and 14 minutes from Bald Knob. We had 2 adults and 4 kids (our daughters are 8yo, 6yo, 4yo and 1.5yo) and there was plenty of space for all of us. Some highlights were the snack bar (QR code to buy), outdoor game closet (with yard games, a grilling set and much more), a golf cart (for rent) to explore the orchard and a chicken coop that was next to The Cottage! The beds were so comfortable. My favorite thing was sitting on the porch swing and taking in the farmland. The views of the orchard were just breathtaking and we loved making s’mores around the campfire.
**Note: This is a commercial orchard, so there is no picking fruit from the trees. However, there is a fantastic farmstore and u-pick options up the road at Rendleman Orchards.
Day 1
We drove to Murphysboro after our girls finished school. The drive was SO easy, especially with it being only 2 hours. This really was a great weekend trip for a family with young kids!
Murphysboro Apple Festival
We drove straight to the historic Murphysboro Apple Festival. The Murphysboro Apple Festival is the oldest and largest alcohol-free festival in Southern Illinois. It is always held the second weekend after Labor and the whole city comes together to help. There are over 45,000 people that visit Murphysboro for this! It started in 1952 as a one-day event to help promote local businesses. Now it is a huge four-day festival!
Next, we checked into The Cottage, did some star gazing and headed to bed!
Day 2
We woke up in the morning as the sun was rising. We went out to the back patio and rocked on the porch swing! There were fresh chicken eggs from the farm in our fridge. We also had fresh Faye biscuits in the freezer (you can scan a QR code to purchase). We enjoyed scrambled eggs, biscuits and apple cider slushies! It was such a wonderful way to start the day.
Murphysboro Appletime Grand Parade
This is now considered one of the largest parades in Illinois! It has an average of 160 units participating and is 2 hours long. People lay out their camping chairs a month before the parade! Chairs lined downtown Murphysboro for the parade. It was a wonderful family environment with many marching bands and floats. Captain Applesauce (Murphysboro’s own super hero) even made an appearance. My favorite was having apples passed out by the mayor!! We had our chairs in front of Faye and went in for lunch halfway through the parade. We could still view the parade through the front restaurant window!
Rendleman Orchards
9680 IL-127, Alto Pass, IL 62905
This was our first time here and we were blown away!! Rendleman Orchards is 812 acres in beautiful Southern Illinois. It is owned by 5th generation owners and they are currently in their 152nd season. Our favorite was the Cosmo wildflower U-pick field. They offered flower picking of the flower field and had scissors right along the entrance to each field. Don’t skip on the fabulous apple cider slushies (made fresh from the orchard’s apples) and the incredible Farm Market.
Dinner at Giant City Lodge
460 Giant City Lodge Road
Giant City Lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s in Giant City State Park. It is built with sandstone and oak timber with a beautiful wooden interior. We really enjoyed dinner here! They have a wide variety of food options, but are especially known for their all-you-can-eat fried chicken.
We ended the night with s’mores around the bonfire behind our cabin!
Day 3
Bald Knob Cross of Peace
3630 Bald Knob Rd, Alto Pass, IL 62905
This cross on a hill offers 360 degrees of Southern Illinois. Standing 111 feet tall, Bald Knob Cross is located in Alto Pass, Illinois. First built in 1937, two locals wanted a place of all denominations to gather. You can park and then walk to the base of the cross. There are history plaques at the lookouts, as well as images showing what landmarks are in each direction. The trees were just starting to change color, but I bet the view would be amazing in October! Entrance to this area is free and there is a gift shop/cafeteria too.
Boo Castle Park
31 Homewood Dr, Carbondale, IL 62902
Boo Castle Park (Jeremy Rochman Memorial Park) is a privately owned park that is open to the public. It is free! The park was created in honor of Jeremy “Boo” Rochman, who passed away in a car accidents in 1993. The park has a Dungeons and Dragons theme, a fun castle and over 30 sculptures. It is such a great place to explore! My kids had such a fun time.
Faye Restaurant
1616 Walnut St, Murphysboro, IL 62966
We headed to my favorite restaurant that I’ve ever been to. Our family partnered with Murphysboro last year and I’ve been dreaming of eating here again. If you get one thing from this blog post, please go and eat at Faye!! You’ll thank me later.
My husband, Mark, and I both had the brisket benedict, which they use homemade biscuits, from-scratch hollandaise sauce and brisket from 17th Street Barbeque next door. Our kids loved the homemade French toast with strawberries, bananas, toasted pecans and praline syrup. They serve Onyx Coffee and their orange juice is hand-squeezed (it took 8 oranges for each glass of our orange juice).
Amy Mills is the owner of 17th Street Barbeque that is next door. She launched The Factory at 17th Street, their barbeque sauce co-packing facility. Faye, a coffee/cafe/gourmet provisions shop and opened in 2022. Faye used to be an auto shop, and Faye gives a nod to this history by incorporating headlights and a color scheme of the car was on display here.
Faye is such a staple here in Murphysboro. From the beautiful decor and rich history, I definitely recommend eating here.
Mileur Orchard
172 Mileur Orchard Rd, Murphysboro, IL 62966
After Faye, we explored Mileur Orchard! In 1961, the Mileur Orchard opened as an orchard. It now has 3 generations of being an orchard! The land has been in their family since the 1850s. The land here is gorgeous with 25 acres of peach and apple trees (92 acres of total land).
Mileur Orchard has a fabulous farmstore! You can buy many homemade and handmade items here. My kids’ favorites were homemade caramel apples and homemade apple cider slushies. They also make sausages in house too! We brought home some of the original Bratwurst at our last visit and they were fantastic. U-pick apple picking will be available at the end of September. We got the chance to go apple picking in the orchard and it was wonderful to walk through the rows of apple trees!
We really loved this trip to Southern Illinois and I can’t believe that this gem is just 2 hours from St. Louis! If you are looking for a vacation spot with outdoor adventures and great food, look no further than Southern Illinois!
