SI Sojourns

11/28/2025

Designs By Lisa Boutique, located in Pinckneyville, is a wonderland of gift options you have to see to believe! Highly recommend! by Lisa

11/20/2025

vineyard Hand

11/20/2025

The first session of the Women Winemakers Class was devoted to the topic of fermentation, the conversion of grape sugars into alcohol by yeast. As you can see from these photos, the class was held in the production room of Wichmann Vineyards. Through instruction, experimentation and hands-on experience, we learned about the winemaking process from grape to bottle. Hanna and Karen were great instructors, BTW! Vineyard Hand

11/20/2025

On Saturday, September 13, I embarked on one of the coolest educational endeavors I've ever experienced; the Women Winemakers Class, hosted by Wichmann Vineyard of Cobden, Illinois. https://www.wichmannvineyard.com/events-1

Limited to just 10 fortunate participants, the class quickly filled up with an enthusiastic group of students eager to unravel the mystery of making their favorite beverage! Our guides for this adventure would be award winning winemakers Karen Hand and Johanna Wichmann. It doesn't get any better than that! In future posts, I'll be sharing some of the highlights of this experience! Come follow along!

07/31/2025

Can’t wait to see this amazing display of summer beauty!! And, of course, enjoy some delicious fresh peaches, too! Ah, summer in SI!

FLOWER FIELDS POLICY: Answers to most common questions: We now have MULTIPLE U-Pick fields: Zinnia’s, Cosmos, Strawflowers, Mums, Yellow Sunflowers, Autumn Mix Beauty Sunflowers, Pumpkins!1 acre of Multi-Color Zinnias, 1 acre of Pink & White Cosmos, ¼ acre Strawflower patch, 900 Multi-color M...

08/20/2024

We’ve made a sweet discovery and we’re excited to share it with our friends! Located on Tower Square in Marion, Milkwood Provisions is totally unique! It’s a great place to choose from a wide selection of wines and sit, sip and visit with friends in a lovely setting. If wine isn’t your thing, you might order one of Kara’s elegant charcuterie boards and pair it with another beverage. Looking for a gift? There are so many tasteful and totally unique options! We’re in love with this place! You need to check this place out!

06/30/2024

We encourage you to spend a relaxing summer afternoon at Southern Illinois’s newest winery! In truth, it’s not really new, but it really feels like it! Clad & Cordon Winery is located on the old Bella Terra Winery property in Creal Springs. The tasting room has been beautifully restored and reappointed! The vistas from every vantage point are stunning! The new owners are charming and their wines are excellent!! We attended their Wine Release Party yesterday and were delighted with the flavor and complexity of their wines! Family owned and operated (CLAD represents the initials of the siblings), Clad & Cordon is absolutely worth a visit! Once you discover this beautiful spot, it will quickly become an SI favorite! Guaranteed!

&cordonvineyard

06/29/2024

Enjoying the release party at & Cordon Vineyard in Creal Springs. Very good wines and free burgers. Can’t go wrong there.

01/17/2024

As dedicated travel enthusiasts, we’re very excited to introduce you to a brand new travel site hosted by our personal travel guru! Mara taught us everything we know about traveling well on a shoestring! Now Mara and her daughter Joy are ready to share their many travel tips with all of you!! Check out Savvy Travel Mamas! You’ll be glad you did! ✈️

💫 Mother-Daughter Duo
🫶🏻Helping mamas turn 🛒 into real-life travel with 💳 points
✈️ No overwhelm. No hype. Just savings + trips.
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