As the waters begin to freeze at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, the Loading Dock Ice Rink offers a place like no other to enjoy winter right on the riverfront. Embrace the cold with that special someone or friends and family, lace up a pair of ice skates and glide into…
The crisp cool air and open waters of the Mississippi Flyway are a refuge for eagles, trumpeter swans and visitors alike in Alton, Illinois. Just 25 miles north of St. Louis on the Mississippi River, the Great Rivers & Routes region has become a winter home to the eagles. Before dawn breaks on the…
It's a peaceful image: Trumpeter Swans gliding along the waters in the early morning sunrises. That image is now reality as literally hundreds of swans find their way to the Great Rivers & Routes region and their winter homes. Significant populations of the birds are found in the bays and inlets…
“We can’t stand it. We have to get out.” The voice on the other end of the line was my son’s, cooped up in his home six blocks away in North Liberty with a wife and three kids, all working and learning from home, all staring at screens for endless hours, all piled on top of each other like lab rats…
Great Hikes to Take This Fall COVID taking a toll on your mental health? Take a walk. The Great Rivers & Routes region has the perfect prescription to help work off some of that pandemic stress with off-the-beaten path hiking trails sure to restore your equilibrium and keep you physically and…
Oh the fun you can have and the places you will go -- when you explore the Great Rivers & Routes region in southwest Illinois! Looking for fun? Adventure? Relaxation? The Great Rivers & Routes region (which includes six counties just outside St. Louis) has you covered. And just to make it a bit…
Turn your eyes skyward or take a few moments to scan the Mississippi River right now and you are likely to see flocks of American White Pelicans flying high on air currents or bobbing lightly on river waves. Thousands of the migrating birds have landed in the Great Rivers & Routes region on their…
Planning your next fall vacation? You’ll find plenty of things to do throughout the Great Rivers & Routes region in southwest Illinois, this autumn. Visit the riverfront communities of Alton, Grafton, Godfrey and Elsah or the Route 66 attractions in Litchfield, Carlinville, Livingston, Collinsville…
(Biking at Lake Lou Yaeger in Litchfield. Photo by John Locus) Cool breezes, the sun sparkling high in a brilliant blue sky, the scent of bonfires and marshmallows swirling through the air: Mother Nature is telling you it’s time to come out and play in the Great Rivers & Routes region. Grab your…
Does your dog ever look at you like they are tired of running around in the same yard day after day? Do you ever get tired of doing your everyday ordinary routine? Then it sounds like you both need a vacation together! Why not make your next vacation a pet-cation and bring your best four-legged…