Amish Country Tours

A step on guide will accompany your tour of the Amish countryside. The tours will also include meals in Amish homes, and Amish home, buggy shop, dairy farm and woodworking tours. Additional highlights include an Amish museum, local attractions, restaurants, and accommodations.

CITY: Arcola

Rockome Gardens

Located in the midst of Illinois' Amish country, Rockome Gardens features the Illinois Amish Interpretive Center, a cheese factory, gardens, shops, Amish dinners, special events, and farm and house tours.

CITY: Arcola

Dvorak Concert Hall

This hall offers a wide variety of recitals and concerts year round, and is home to the renowned Eastern Illinois University Symphony Orchestra.

CITY: Charleston

Illinois Amish Center

Recently relocated to Rockome Gardens in the countryside near a prominent community of Old Order Amish, the largest in Illinois. The museum originally opened in 1996 and features exhibits on most aspects of Amish life, as well as an introductory video about the Central Illinois Amish. Through the museum, tours can be scheduled of the Amish countryside, Amish homes, farms, businesses and meals in Amish homes.

CITY: Arcola

Olde Brick Wall

Here at Olde Brick Wall we carry a wonderful collection of upholstered and early American reproduction wood painted furniture. There are several styles and colors to choose from. To complete your whole room, we carry paint, curtains, shower curtains, pillows, rugs, chandeliers, shelves and pictures. Established in 1994 in a charming, old hotel building in the heart of Illinois Amish country, Arcola, the Olde Brick Wall features a wonderful gathering of tinware, light fixtures, candles, redware, folk art and primitives. We offer everything you could ever want to give your home that special look, feel and smell of country that we all love so much.

CITY: Arcola

Amish Country Heirlooms, LLC

Area's largest of hand-crafted Amish and oak furniture, collectible prints, and accessories, along with Country Dreams furniture exhibit.

CITY: Tuscola

Arcola Architectural Tours

Arcola is a pristine showcase of small-town America that still retains many examples of more than a century of architectural changes in the American home. Two tours daily from April through October.

CITY: Arcola

Arcola Historic Train Depot & Information Center

This 1885 train depot displays Illinois Central Railroad memorabilia, the largest Louis Klein collection of antique brooms and brushes in the United States, and interesting Arcola relics and keepsakes. Because Arcola is the birthplace of Raggedy Ann creator Johnny Gruelle, Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls and collectibles are also on display.

CITY: Arcola

Sisters

Locally hand crafted goodness, baked goods, fun decor for the home, children's section & more, soaps, blankets, antiques, sock monkey & designer fabrics, amish souvenirs, hand woven rugs, teapots and more.

CITY: Arcola

Amishland's General Store

Nostalgic general store filled with Amish wood crafts, quilts, food products and souvenirs.

CITY: Tuscola

Country Charm

Small craft and gift shop. Some antiques.

CITY: Mattoon

Lori's Pins 'n' Needles

Quilting supplies, over 3000 bolts of material for quilting. Authorized Husqvarna Viking sewing machines.

CITY: Paris

Charleston Alley Theatre

Located in the historic courthouse square. A local theater at its best. In an intimate setting, offering a wonderful mix of old and new drama.

CITY: Charleston

Lincoln Douglas Debate Museum

Charleston's newest heritage tourism attraction. Learn more about the 1858 political debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. This site is a designated, "Looking for Lincoln" site.

CITY: Charleston

Vintage Karma

Handmade goods from local artists. Oh, and it’s got one of the most unique floors you’ll ever see – check it out for yourself and bring your camera!

CITY: Tuscola

Independence Pioneer Village

Visit this log home village from the early 1800s, including a blacksmith shop, church and schoolhouse.

CITY: Oakland

Mattoon Welcome Center/Peterson House

The historic Peterson House serves as the Mattoon Welcome Center, offering information about area events and attractions.

CITY: Mattoon

Hiram Rutherford Home

Home of Oakland's first physician, the restored 1850s Dr. Hiram Rutherford Home features a summer kitchen, doctor's office and a museum of agricultural history.

CITY: Oakland

Charleston Historic District

Downtown Charleston includes a historic courthouse and many historic homes listed on both the Coles County Register for Significant Places and the National Register of Historic Places.

CITY: Charleston

Historic Charleston Courthouse Square

See the majestic Coles County courthouse and discover historic murals in Charleston's Courthouse Square.

CITY: Charleston

Lincoln School Museum

The Lincoln School Museum is a restored 1880’s one-room brick school located one mile north of Martinsville, Clark County, Illinois on a spur of the National Road. The Lincoln School is representative of the brick construction of one-room schools built during the 1880’s, representing the typical one-room school of the era, and the education available of that time. The Lincoln School Museum is open to the public on weekends from June through August and any time by appointment.

CITY: Martinsville

The World's One and Only Hippie Memorial

Created by the late Bob Moomaw. Bob worked as a railroad clerk and tax assessor, but did not like either job. As an eccentric, independent artist with strong beliefs, he was able to give voice to his feelings, passions, and opinions through his art and the writing on the sides of buildings. He created the 62-foot-long artwork starting in 1992 to say something about his life and the era during which he lived. A nearby marker gives an interpretation of his work.

CITY: Arcola

Dennis Hanks Gravesite

View the burial site of Abraham Lincoln's tutor in the Old City Cemetery.

CITY: Charleston

Douglas County Museum

The award-winning museum features short-term exhibits about a wide range of topics pertinent to the history of Douglas County and East Central Illinois. The museum’s collections include clothing and textiles, military and medical equipment, decorative arts, archives and more! Plus, it’s also host to the Rural Life Antique Show held in March and November of each year

CITY: Tuscola

The Yarn Studio

Visit our shop in downtown Casey and your creative spirit will soar. The newly renovated space provides a relaxed atmosphere for browsing. Our supplies include items for knit, crochet, spinning, and weaving. Many items are sold exclusively through independent retailers. We strive to help the beginner as well as motivated advanced knitter.

CITY: Casey

English Farm

As you drive by this farm, your eye is drawn upward to a towering brick structure located near the modern home. The structure, erected around 1913, is one of a dozen brick water towers still standing in Illinois.

CITY: Paris

Indian Treaty Site

A marker commemorates the point where two important trails intersected on the prairie: Detroit to St. Louis and Peoria to Terre Haute. In 1765, the British and the Illinois Indians signed a peace treaty here.

CITY: Paris

Heartland Antique Auto Museum

Walk among early cars from the turn-of-the-century through the early 1950s. This museum is also the site of a restoration shop for classic V12 and V16 Cadillacs and Duesenbergs, as well as custom-built vintage Indy cars.

CITY: Paris

Edgar County Historical Society

Compare pioneer and Victorian lifestyles when you visit the log cabin and brick Italianate home. An exhibition gallery in an adjacent building features rotating exhibits of the historical society's collection.

CITY: Paris

Calico Basket

Country gift shop, collectibles, pictures, Pipka Lizzi High dolls, Santa's Pat Richter pictures, year-round holiday room, and Yankee candles.

CITY: Paris

Tarble Arts Center at Eastern Illinois University

Offering a year-round schedule of art exhibits and activities for all ages. Gift shop and sales rental gallery. Focus on Paul Sargent and Midwest art.

CITY: Charleston