Limestone bluffs over the Mississippi, brick main streets that still mean it, and farm roads that never learned to hurry. A place with its own state of mind.
On the northwest side of Illinois is a place where natural beauty, wide-open spaces and quaint towns shape the character of the people as much as the generations before them. Winding rivers, rolling landscapes and rustic family farms set the stage; the rest is up to you.
It is a place in tune with the need to reconnect with nature, and a reminder to stay in touch with each other.
Every place in the county, on one map. Choose a direction and let the next stop find you.
River-town diners, supper clubs and the free watermelon at Melon Days.
BrowsePalisades bluffs, the Lost Mound backwaters and the Great River Road.
BrowseCabins, campgrounds and inns with a porch worth sitting on.
BrowseA summer playhouse since 1961, depot museums and a historic square.
BrowseAntique stores and main-street shops that answer to a founding year.
BrowseHalls, stages and venues for the whole crowd.
Browse
HolidayLanark Lighted Parade & Tree LightingNov 27 · 6:30 PMDowntown Lanark · LanarkLanark starts the holiday season the night after Thanksgiving with a lighted parade, music and the lighting of the town Christmas tree.Savanna runs downhill to the river. Mount Carroll keeps a square on the National Register. Thomson calls itself the Melon Capital of the World, and means it.
Half DayItineraryA Day Trip to Mount CarrollCarroll CountyMt. Carroll is a quaint midwestern town and only 2 hours from many of the bigger cities in the area like Madison or Chicago. It's a perfect day trip or overnight destination, spending some time exploring the local shops and boutiques and local makers at the market. With a good selection of local restaurants you won't be disappointed!
Half DayItineraryA Hole in One: Family Fun in Carroll CountyCarroll CountyIt's easy to fill a full day in Carroll Co Illinois when you combine the County Fair, mini golf and a nature walk. Make sure you have time in your schedule for the midway rides and delicious fair food and see what the local community comes together with in their fair exhibits and events. Appreciate the Mississippi River basin's contribution to the larger ecosystem on your nature walk and make a pit stop for some mini-golf at Trailside to start or end your day!
2 DaysItineraryFeaturedA Weekend in SavannaCarroll CountyA cabin above the Mississippi, an old movie house, coffee and books on Main Street, bluff trails, wildlife backwaters, and a choose-your-own lunch crawl, all within a few miles of Savanna.CouplesFriendsOutdoors
OutdoorsSeptember is one of the best months to spend outside in Carroll County. The heat of midsummer begins to ease, mornings feel cooler and the landscape starts its gradual change toward fall.
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SeasonalWhen September brings cooler mornings and the first hints of fall color to northwest Illinois, Carroll County becomes an easy place to slow down for a weekend.
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History & HeritageYou do not need a time machine to explore the past in Carroll County. You only need a comfortable pair of shoes, a little curiosity, and enough time to notice what is around you.
Read more →We are living in a world of beauty, but few of us open our eyes to see it.
Lorado Taft
Save places and events while you browse, then take the plan with you as a printable guide. No account, no hurry.
