That invigorating fall season – with its crisp air and those billowing scents – will get you every time. Especially when you head out of the city for a day trip.
“A trip to Elkhorn is absolutely worth the hour’s drive from all points of northeastern Illinois,” says Kate Abbe, partner engagement and marketing director for the Elkhorn Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Center. “Leave the suburban hubbub behind for a day and enter the mesmerizing Wisconsin countryside.”
A visit should include treasured family farms like the Apple Barn Orchard Winery. The original farm homestead was settled in 1848 and has been a family operation for six generations. Visitors can pick up to 13 varieties of apples and head to the pumpkin patch.
The biggest surprise, though, is the winery, which serves up delicious fruit wines made from the farm’s fresh, non-grape fruits and berries. Yes, you can eat an apple you just picked here, but why not also sip the Honey Crisp Apple Harvest wine, the Hardy Pear and Apple Barn Blush, Backyard Blueberry or Big Buck Blueberry wines, to name a few?
Visit the Country Store & Bakery and you’ll find made-from-scratch cider doughnuts, shortcakes, cookies and apple pies, plus caramel apples, homemade cider and other favorites. Enjoy the fresh fall aromas that fill the store for as long as these treats stay on the shelves.
While you’re exploring the farmland of southern Wisconsin, try your hand at hunting for Walworth County’s colorful barn quilts. These brightly painted patterns are usually created using large wooden squares, mounted on the front of the building. Finding them all has become a fun challenge for families, and there are special tours to help you learn more.
“The trail continues to expand with more than 80 barn quilts to discover in Walworth County,” says Abbe. “This project came about to promote what happens on the farm and to highlight the beautiful structures and histories of each barn. What better time to do that than in the fall season?”
To discover the beauty of Elkhorn, go to elkhornchamber.com.