from the local experts at DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau

More than just a sandwich in Sandwich....from golfing to award-winning whiskey tasting, the south end of DeKalb County is a great couples destination.

Make sure to check with attractions ahead of time for up-to-date operating hours, travel policies and health and safety information.

  • Sandwich
  • Hinckley
  • DeKalb
  • Sycamore

Explore the Highlights
  • Day 1: Sandwich & Hinckley

Welcome to the south end of DeKalb County!

Start out your day with a round of golf at the Edgebrook Golf Club! This course offers a beautiful natural landscape with a championship layout that intrigues golfers of all abilities. Golf not your thing? Enjoy a visit to the Sandwich Stone Mill Museum and Historical Society in downtown Sandwich.

We’re sure you’ve worked up an appetite by now, so why not have some award-winning barbecue? Try South Moon BBQ in Hinckley, which offers a casual friendly atmosphere and homemade sauces and sides! They slow smoke true southern barbecue fresh daily and are sure to sell out by the evening. Make sure to save room for dessert. Head to Dairy Joy Drive-In and indulge in soft-serve ice cream or another one of their fun and delicious creations.

Head back to downtown Sandwich where you can do some shopping at a variety of shops, take a paint class at the Petite Pallet, or enjoy a wine tasting at Vinez, which features specialty wines from all around the world. Grab some dinner and watch a show at the Sandwich Opera House — a historical theatre with a history dating back to 1878!

After your night out, settle in at the Montcler Hotel. This impressive Sandwich hotel features 58,000 square feet of meeting and event space, one of the largest indoor murals in the state, private trails, an indoor pool, and of course, extremely comfortable rooms.

  • Day 2: Sandwich, DeKalb & Sycamore

Enjoy the morning sun at one of our many forest preserves. Appreciate the fresh outdoors at Sannauk Forest Preserve between Sandwich and Somonauk or Afton Forest Preserve in DeKalb. Almost all the forest preserves in DeKalb County are over 40 acres, but Afton is the county’s largest with 316 acres!

Time to refuel. Grab a baked-from-scratch bagel sandwich at Barb City Bagels, which is located in the heart of downtown DeKalb, right across the street from the History of DeKalb mural. You’ll also find many other iconic art landmarks, including the Egyptian Theatre and one of five Lincoln Highway Interpretive Murals.

Now it’s time to head over to Whiskey Acres to quench your thirst. Meet farm crafted spirits, grown from the finest grain, handcrafted and distilled on their fifth-generation family farm. From us to you. From seed to spirit. Whiskey Acres is the first estate distillery in Illinois to grow all the grains they use to distill their whiskey, vodka, bourbon, and ryes.

Dinner sounds great. Try Tapa La Luna for small plates or the Ellwood Steak and Fish House. Then, make sure that you allow yourself plenty of time to mentally prepare for your escape at Syco Escape Rooms. Feeling like you need less mental and more physical? Head right next door to Northern Axeposure for some axe throwing.

Continue your night out in downtown Sycamore or head back to your hotel and get a good night’s rest.

  • Day 3: Sycamore

Wake up and get energized for the car ride home with breakfast at Eggspress! Want to grab a souvenir before you head out? Stop at Blumen Gardens! This old warehouse is now a beautiful garden center filled with local goods and plenty of unique and exciting finds.