The south­east­ern Illinois town of Olney has gar­nered national atten­tion for being the “White Squirrel Capital of the World.” The fall is a per­fect time to visit Olney and check out these won­der­ful albino squir­rels.
There are sev­eral dif­fer­ing accounts of the dis­cov­ery of the white squir­rels, but they gen­er­ally put the date of dis­cov­ery of […]

When you think of Southern Illinois, the word “pirate” doesn’t usu­ally come to mind. Pirates? In Illinois? That’s right! The name­sake attrac­tion of Cave-In-Rock State Park, located on the Ohio River shore in Southern Illinois, has a noto­ri­ous his­tory of river piracy!

You have to travel to the very south­ern por­tion of Illinois to dis­cover one of its hid­den trea­sures, the stal­wart Fort Massac, near Metropolis, Illinois. Overlooking the Ohio River, this replica of the orig­i­nal 1802 American fort is Illinois’ first state park, ded­i­cated in 1908.

After you’ve had your fill of white squir­rels, head south from Olney and check out the won­der­ful fall foliage of the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois. This huge National Forest is nes­tled between the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and fea­tures rolling hills, forests, open lands, lakes, creeks and rugged bluffs.
Shawnee National Forest, once known […]

Fall is the per­fect time of year to visit Southern Illinois. Whether you want to take a leisurely scenic drive through Shawnee National Forest to see the beau­ti­ful fall foliage, a boat trip on the Ohio River to explore the shad­owy his­tory of Cave-In-Rock, or get a glimpse of the famous white squir­rels of Olney, Southern Illinois has plenty to do for the entire family!