“There won’t be someone chasing you with a chain saw on this tour. This is the real deal,” said Len Adams, head tour guide for Alton Hauntings Tours, during his pre-tour talk. Read more
Alton Hauntings Walking Ghost Tour: I Smelled the Jasmine
Attractions & Events
Cruise the Upper Mississippi on the La Crosse Queen, La Crosse WI
It’s a scene reminiscent of the Mark Twain era. The bright white riverboat, powered by cherry red paddlewheels, pushes upstream along the Mighty Mississippi. Blue heron or egrets may wade along the shoreline, while bald eagles perch high up in the trees. You can become part of this scene when you take a narrated sightseeing tour or a meal cruise on the La Crosse Queen, one of only a few authentic Mississippi River paddlewheel riverboats in operation today.
Board the boat at Riverside Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and take a seat either on the open-air upper deck or on the enclosed lower deck. The lower deck is where meals are served on the brunch, lunch and dinner cruises and where you can purchase beverages (including adult beverages) on the sightseeing tours.
Your tour guide narrates the sightseeing trip, explaining what makes the riverboat authentic, pointing out wildlife along the shore, explaining the river’s history and geography, and throwing in a few corny jokes.
As you cruise upstream, you’ll pass through a railroad swing bridge, most likely see barges navigating the river, and on the longer cruises, experience going through the locks. Depending on which meal cruise you choose, the trip may be narrated or you may be entertained with music.
Purchase tickets at the boat dock at the north end of Riverside Park next to the Hiawatha statue. Meal cruises require advance reservations. La Crosse Queen Cruises run from May through October. For further details, including schedule, visit the La Crosse Queen Cruises web site.
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Bike or Hike through Railroad Tunnels in Sparta WI, the Bicycling Capital of America
When I first heard you can bike through railroad tunnels in southwest Wisconsin, I envisioned a cartoon character entering a dark tunnel only to be flattened by an oncoming train. Of course, that can’t happen in Sparta, Wisconsin, known as the Bicycling Capital of America, since the railroad tracks have been gone since before 1967, when America’s first rail-to-trail opened, sparking a nationwide trend. Today you can hike or bike 101 miles of four connected state trails in southwestern Wisconsin, running from Reedsburg to Onalaska, north of La Crosse.
You’ll pass through three tunnels on the Sparta-to-Elroy trail, so if you’re riing just one of the trails, that’s the one to do. And if you don’t want to bike the trails but want to walk through the tunnels, you can do that, too. Visit the Sparta Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, stationed in an old railroad depot, and where the Sparta-to-Elroy trail and the La Crosse River Trail meet.
The visitor center staff can map out parking areas with easy tunnel access. Tunnel #3 is closest to Sparta and is also the longest tunnel, at 3,810 feet. The tunnels can be twenty degrees cooler than the outdoor weather, so dress appropriately. You’ll need a flashlight, too, since the tunnels are completely dark. Bikes must be walked through the tunnels. Visit the Elroy-Sparta State Trail web site for details on state trail fees and bike rentals.
Where to eat
Several restaurants are available in Sparta. I enjoyed Ginny’s Cupboard, in Sparta’s downtown area, which offers sandwiches and soups made with fresh ingredients, many of them locally sourced. My turkey sandwich was made with thick slices of freshly-baked wheat bread and the pumpkin sausage soup was creamy but not too heavy, with a hint of an herb that I guessed to be sage.
The art background of the eatery’s owner, Deb Moore, is evident in the décor, nostalgic with lots of Coca Cola items, vintage Formica and chrome kitchen tables, and memorabilia from former local businesses. You can opt to sit on the back deck, surrounded by pots of herbs used in the dishes and overlooking one of four foot bridges in Sparta.
Be sure to stroll through the downtown area while you’re there to see foot bridges and visit specialty shops, like Maiden Wisconsin, where all products are Wisconsin made.
Sparta, Wisconsin, is located in Monroe County, about 30 miles east of La Crosse, off of I-90. For further information on restaurants, accommodations and other area attractions visit the Sparta Chamber of Commerce Tourism web site.
Thank you to Travel Wisconsin and the Country Inn by Carlson for their hospitality.
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Visit Stade’s Farm & Market’s Shades of Autumn for Family Fun
Play in the corn, shoot the corn, or find your way through the corn. Slide down the slides, jump on the giant pillow, or climb on the web. Every weekend through October 27 Stade’s Farm & Market celebrates fall in a big way. Read more
It’s Apple Picking Time at Royal Oak Farm Orchard, Harvard IL
Apple pie, apple strudel, apple turnover, applesauce, apple butter, apple cider, or a big bite into a crisp, freshly picked apple. Sweet, tart, or somewhere in between. However you like your apples, Royal Oak Farm Orchard has them for you to bake, cook, or eat as-is. Wow, do they have the apples, 15,000 trees and 29 varieties.
For three months every year, from mid-August to late October, Royal Oak Farm Orchard, the largest orchard in northern Illinois, is open six days a week (closed Sundays) for you to pick apples. Raspberries are available in late summer and early fall, and you can pick your Halloween pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, too.
Royal Oak has a great cafeteria-style restaurant that serves sandwiches like pulled pork or Italian beef, entrees like their famous chicken pot pie, salads, soups, and delicious desserts like fresh-baked pies and apple slices.
Besides apple picking, lots of activities are available, too. You can listen to music, sometimes live, as the kids play on the playground or visit the petting zoo.
Ride with the kids on the Royal Oak Express, a trackless train ride, or the carousel.
On the hay wagon tour of the orchard, you’ll learn the orchard’s history, see the present and hear about the future, like the apple tree maze that was planted and will be available for use in 2015. The trees are planted close together to form European-styled hedge maze.
Be sure to stop in to the Country Store, where you can purchase fall decor items, jams, jellies and syrups, and baked treats like fruit pies, turnovers, strudel, and their popular apple cider donuts.
If you don’t care to pick your own apples, you can buy them pre-picked in the Apple Barn, along with lots of other fresh, colorful fall fruits, vegetables, pumpkins, and gourds.
Royal Oak Farm Orchard is located at 15908 Hebron Road in Harvard, Illinois. Admission is free, but there is a small fee for the train, carousel and orchard tour. They are open in 2013 through November 16. Check the web site for exact hours and u-pick schedule.
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Richardson Adventure Farm: World’s Largest Corn Maze and a Whole Lot More
The corn maze laid out in a complex pattern commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ First Album is the world’s largest. Yet, it isn’t technically a maze because it isn’t full of dead ends. It’s more of a labyrinth that includes four games, ranging from a simple one that young kids can complete to the challenging full 10.7 miles of trails with 24 checkpoints. You can do it at night, too, to add to the adventure. As amazing as the maze is, it’s only part of the fun at Richardson Adventure Farm, packed with activities for every age.
You can climb this 50 foot tower…
…and see the corn maze below.
Or stop at the 30 foot level and zip line down the 700 foot line.
There’s a little zip for the kids, too.
And a mini rope maze with a timer for competition.
The kids can slide through a tube…
…or jump on the jumping pillow. I was tempted myself.
You can orb, roll down the hill while strapped in this giant ball if you dare.
Take in a show of the singing chickens.
Or visit the petting zoo, where bunnies have their own village and goats cross a bridge to get from one pen to the other.
You have to see the fun pig races.
See a pig race here:
And you can pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, too.
The main attraction, of course, is the giant corn maze, but there is plenty to keep you busy the entire day, or even into the evening, when the campfires begin and the farm takes on a totally different persona.
Richardson Adventure Farm is located at 9405 Richardson Road in Spring Grove, Illinois. One admission includes the corn maze and many activities. There is an extra fee for some activities. Check the Richardson Adventure Farm web site for details.
Do you have a favorite corn maze? Post in the comments below.
Enjoy this post? Click the Subscribe2 button to the left to be notified whenever I publish another post on MidwestWanderer.com. (Be sure to click the link when you get the e-mail asking you to confirm.) Visit the Midwest Wanderer Facebook Page, and check out my Examiner.com page, too, where I’ve had over 70 articles published.
(Some photography and the video by V.C. Reed, Jr.)