spoon river drive :: things to do

have you heard of the spoon river drive?  it's a beautiful scenic drive thru rural illinois that has become quite the event every fall.  each year, during the first two weekends of october, vendors from all around set up in the towns along the way.  you can find antiques, furniture, crafts, clothing, harvest foods and just plain junk!  if you don't find what you are searching for from the hundreds of vendors, you can try your luck at a garage sale because they are plentiful as you travel between towns.

my family and i took this little adventure last weekend and had a blast.  there really isn't detailed information online about it, so we just hit the road with our fingers crossed.  "the monster" found many 50 cent treasures and i found a few special items myself.  here's the route we took:

1. we began canton and hit up a couple garage sales. then headed west on 95
2. between canton & cuba, there was an antique shop closing down, with the parking lot full of antique vendors.  i got a vintage suitcase and a superman toy for "the monster".
3. we stopped at the pleasant row orchard in cuba for some apple cider and caramels...yum!
4. then we kept on 95 to smithfield, where about 50 vendors were set up around a playground.  this was perfect!  "the monster" played while i shopped.
5. down (south) to bernadotte was an incredibly beautiful drive.  lots of hills and changing leaves!
6. in bernadotte, there were over 100 white-tented vendors with furniture, and other handmade items.  i found a darling sewn owl for "bump".
7. we then went back east to lewistown.  the fairgrounds there was filled with dollar store junk.  do not stop.
8. about this time, everything was closing up (5pm) and it was time for us to head home...  we didn't even see half of it!  next year, we'll camp and go for two days!