Group Farm Tours

 

Experience what farming means today in the rolling hills of scenic northwest Illinois during custom group tours planned exclusively for your motorcoach group.  Depending upon your interests and the farmers’ availability, choose from:

 

Galena Cellars and Massbach Ridge Wineries

Wooded Wonderland Sawmill & Country Store

Cedardale Flower Farm

Dairy Farms

Beef Cattle Farms

Horse Farms/Equestrian Operations

 

 

A typical farm tour would start with a stop in Elizabeth, IL, to pick up your local tour guide, who will provide participants with insight into why the land in northwest Illinois is as beautiful as it is, what industries exist here, and what farming means today.  You would then visit a family dairy farm where the owners would give you an hour-long tour of their operation, including a chance to get up close and personal with calves.  That would be followed by a winery/vineyard tour and wine-tasting, with lunch at the winery.  Following lunch, drive into Galena for shopping on your own and overnight lodging.  Costs depend upon number of destinations toured and if lunch is included.

 

Group Nature Tours

 

The nature and scenery of Jo Daviess County, IL, are truly spectacular!  Here in “the Driftless area” we have striking topography of ridges and valleys.  We have forests and prairies and these natural attractions:

 

- a huge variety of birds…over 270 species (90% of all Illinois birds)

- diverse vegetation; though our county covers less than 2% of the state’s land, it supports 42% of native Illinois flora

- 45 species of mammal (78% of all Illinois mammals)

- approximately 1,600 miles of rivers, streams & shorelines, including the Mississippi River, the most important bird migratory corridor on the continent

 

Nature destinations include:

Apple River Canyon State Park 

Schurmeier Teaching Forest 

Mississippi Palisades State Park

Hanley Savanna

Lost Mound National Wildlife Refuge

Elmoville Prairie

Gramercy Park Native American Indian Mounds

Eco-cruises of the Mississippi River 

 

A typical nature tour would start with a stop in Elizabeth, IL, to pick up your local tour guide (typically a trained ecologist or naturalist), who will provide participants with insight into why the land in northwest Illinois is as beautiful as it is and what types of wildlife can be found here.  After a guided tour of significant natural attractions that you can observe from the bus windows, you would stop at Schurmeier Teaching Forest for a short walk in the woods to see wildflowers in the spring, or identify native trees and shrubs in the summer and fall.  Depending upon the time of year, that could be followed up by birdwatching along the Galena River or a visit to Hanley Savanna to learn how many people are trying very hard to bring back prairie to the “Prairie State.”  Your nature tour could conclude with lunch, shopping on your own, and overnight lodging in Galena.  Costs depend upon number of destinations toured and if lunch is included.

 

Tours can be either a half-day or full-day in length

Combine a half-day tour with lunch and shopping in historic Galena

Consider a half-day nature tour one day and a half-day farm tour the next.  Or combine a farm with a nature destination on one half-day tour.

 

Call 815-858-9100 to check availability and pricing.