Small library in a small town. However, if you are a fan of Burl Ives, this is a fun place to be…read more Be sure to visit his statue across the way. His bridge is also nearby.

This is a small quiet winery a few miles off of Interstate 70. I have been visiting for a decade,…read moreand appreciate the quiet atmosphere. They have flights, so you can sample before you buy a bottle. There are snacks like cheese, nuts and meat, to purchase in a cooler if you are hungry. There are also plenty of beverage choices if you do not wish to have wine, and milk and juice for kiddos if you are visiting with your family. I have always felt comfortable walking in with my kids. We often stopped here on our way from Indianapolis to St. Louis and stretched our legs. It is also close to a beautiful covered bridge, so i t makes pulling off the interstate a nice experience to pair the winery and bridge together. I feel like the wines are a combination of excellent flavor and yet affordable for yourself or as a gift. This year they has a wine called "Let it Snow" with edible glitter that made a beautiful swirl.

Lovely vineyard nestled in Cumberland County close to the interstate…read more We really enjoyed the ambiance sitting on the porch overlooking flowers, grapevines, and nature. The owners were very friendly and helpful. I tried a flight of wine and a slushy, my husband had the Canoe. We left. with a bottle of Canoe and cherry wine. If you want food you can bring your own or they had cheese and crackers for sale.

Sure, why not? Why the heck not build the world's largest wooden shoes and stick them inside of a…read morecandy store? If you built them, they will come ... to see gigantic wooden shoes, and also buy something while they're here. I've never personally seen wooden shoes that are bigger than these shoes in Casey, Illinois. They are so big, that they have a Guinness World Record distinction as being the world's largest wooden shoe / wooden clog. They measure 11 feet 5 inches long, 5 feet 10 inches wide, and 4 feet 10 inches tall. They weight more than 1,500 pounds each. One might argue that these are not actual shoes, but shoe statues. Can you call yourself a shoe if you can't be used as a shoe? You can't really think too much about such things when you're in Casey, or else the magic starts to fade. Just go with it. These shoes are very big.

The World's Largest Wooden Shoes are found in a candy shop in the quaint little town (population…read more3,000) of Casey, IL. This is one of a dozen "things" offically recognized as the World's Largest: World's Largest Wind Chime World's Largest Golf Tee World's Largest Pitchfork World's Largest Rocking Chair World's Largest Wooden Shoes World's Largest Mailbox World's Largest Gavel World's Largest Truck Key World's Largest Barbershop Pole World's Largest Teeter Totter World's Largest Golf Driver World's Largest Swizzle Spoon Well worth a detour off of I-70.

It was only a matter of time. The Mug Tree was an old tree. Mugs were placed with it and that…read morebrought it alive again in our hearts. Many, many mugs. Travelers along the highway admired that old tree, adorned with mugs. It offered a silent respite in our daily lives. It offered hope, that no matter what pains we carried, there was the Mug Tree. The Mug Tree, which was created out of the generosity of hundreds of people, most likely strangers to each other, but friends with a common goal of taking an old, dead tree along a country highway and giving it purpose, once more. The Mug Tree. A local landmark, never to be recognized as a national monument. Unlike the more famous curiosities just a few miles north in Casey, this oddity stood outside of the door to fame. Yet, to those of us who passed by, it stood for years alongside that country highway, day and night. Like an old trusted friend. So, to those who read these words and never knew the Mug Tree, I am sorry for your loss. And to those thousands of travelers that passed by and noticed, if you grieve, you grieve not alone. Dear Mug Tree: So long, my friend. Thanks for all the smiles you brought to our hearts.

So... It was fun to see this tree in passing on the way to Effingham but I felt like the house on…read moretop could've been utilized for birds or something.

A bit out of the way but how far is too far out of the way to visit a covered bridge? This one is…read morenorthwest of Cowden and hopefully, Yelp leaves the pin where I have placed it. No longer an active bridge as it's been replaced by a boring concrete bridge with no pizazz or fanciness. There is a marker on the bridge that provides some context and history. It reads, "The road on which this bridge is located was once an important route between Springfield and Effingham. The bridge was completed in the Autumn of 1868 at a cost of $2,500 and named for the owner of the first mill near here. It is the narrowest of all the covered bridges in Illinois, with a width of only 10 feet 7 inches. It is 11 feet 4 inches high and the siding stops before reaching the top cord to allow light to come in under the roof. The Howe Truss system, which the bridge uses, consists of panels in which two members cross one diagonal. The truss of this bridge is 105 feet long. The roof of the bridge protected the truss from the weather." It points out that the marker was erected by the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Historical Society in 1972. The north side of the bridge has a parking area that was easy to access. The bridge itself is in fair condition, covered in graffiti and the area is overgrown with weeds. [Review 19685 overall - 140 in Illinois - 657 of 2023.]