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Trip Ideas & Trails
Signature driving trails and day-by-day itineraries across Carroll, Lee, Ogle & Whiteside counties, with real stops, honest timings, and end-to-end maps.
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Driving Trails
Full DayTrailFeaturedPie, Coffee & Country RoadsCarroll County · Lee County · Ogle County · Whiteside CountyEight independent bakeries, coffee shops and an orchard across all four counties: scratch sourdough in Amboy, 140,000 scones in Sterling, a 1942 family bakery in Rock Falls and a fruit-and-honey orchard to finish. One day, four counties, no drive-through.Food LoversFriendsBudget-Friendly
Full DayTrailSmall-Town Antique & Main Street TrailCarroll County · Ogle County · Lee CountyFour main streets, eight shops and a former piano factory with two floors of dealers. Mount Carroll to Polo to Oregon to Dixon, a hunting trip through the region’s best-preserved downtowns, with ice cream halfway and no chain store the entire day.FriendsCouplesBudget-Friendly
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Itineraries
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
2 DaysItineraryPrairies, Palisades & Small-Town BitesLee County · Carroll County · Whiteside CountyCross the region from restored tallgrass prairie to Mississippi River bluffs, using Dixon, Savanna, and Fulton’s independent kitchens as the thread between two very different landscapes.OutdoorsFood LoversFriends
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Every Stop, in One Directory
823 restaurants, trailheads, museums and shops across Northwest Illinois. Filter by town, type or map.