Follow the red oval signs for a self-guided tour of the spectacular Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive, which spans more than 100 hilly miles of scenery that’s so impressive it inspired Edgar Lee Masters to write the famed Spoon River Anthology. A great time to visit is during the annual Fall Festival, held October 3-4 and 10-11, when some 15 small towns along the drive offer visitors everything from fresh-churned apple butter and ham to live music and country crafts.
Deemed “the world’s most beautiful drive” by Theodore Roosevelt when he visited Peoria in 1910, Grandview Drive still boasts the elegant mansions and breathtaking Illinois River views that made its name. Get a guided tour of Grandview Drive aboard a Peoria Historical Society trolley tour.
