Ferne Clyffe State Park and Devil’s Kitchen even have trout
fishing! Crab Orchard Lake and Horseshoe Lake, along with the
Union County Wildlife Refuge are major stops on the
Mississippi Flyway allowing Southernmost Illinois once to be called
the “Goose Capital of the World.”
Hunters also find trophy
deer as well as a variety of small game in the vast Shawnee National
Forest, which stretches all the way across Southern Illinois.
Campers and hikers enjoy many secluded beauty spots such as
Heron Pond, Panther Den Hollow, and Buzzard’s Roost.
The area along the Cache River has the northernmost cypress and
tupelo wetlands in the country, which can be enjoyed on foot or by
canoe. This is also a bird watcher’s paradise with
more species of birds residing in or going through this area than
almost any other area of the country. Giant City State Park, with
its unique “city” of glacier-carved stone blocks, provides hiking,
horse trails, and its great Lodge with the famous family
style chicken dinners.
Spend a lazy afternoon touring the many wineries along the Shawnee
Hills Wine Trail. Area vintners are happy to let you sample
and tell about their award winning wines and the new American
Vinters Association designation, now officially “Shawnee Hills”
wine.
Many special and historic sites attract and encourage
visitors and residents alike. Our own Jonesboro was the site of one
of seven Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Footprints lead from the
town square to the site which has statues and educational
information commemorating the event. In nearby Thebes is the
courthouse where Lincoln once practiced law.
Near historic Cairo, home of the stately 14-room Magnolia Manor
where President Grant often stayed, is Fort Defiance Park, at
the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. It will soon be
the home of a new replica of the fort that once stood there.
Fort Massac State Park sparks historic interest with its excellent
reconstruction of an early French fort. A marker indicates
the spot where George Rogers Clark and his “Long Knives” first
landed in Illinois in 1778, enroute to Kaskaskia and the liberation
of the Norwest Territories. The site hosts several reenactment
weekends throughout the year for history buffs and families looking
for quality together time.
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