Greetings!

Photo Above: Beall Woods State Park in Wabash County

There is no denying it – we all need a little time out of the house. Many of us have been socially distanced for over a year, and while the situation with the pandemic is improving – it is still important to be cautious with large crowds and overpopulated venues. With that said, we have dedicated this issue of the Tourism Times to outdoor adventures and road trips. Normally this publication highlights several events taking place over the next couple of months, but with many events canceled or postponed until the fall – we thought it was important to use this edition of the Tourism Times to give you some unique travel ideas that perhaps you have not done yet! From hiking, biking, and fishing to sailing, disc golf and pick-your-own orchards – there is SO much to experience in our 22-county region of Illinois!

For those of you who are looking for the occasional event, there are some that are still planning to take place. For more information on events within our territory, make sure to visit illinoisouth.org/Events.

As you will read in the next several pages, ILLINOISouth is the PERFECT place to take a road trip or two this summer. There are four major interstates that travel through our territory that can lead you to everything from a 300 year-old French fort to the largest man−made lake in the state. Be sure to take A LOT of pictures of your adventures, and feel free to tag us if you post them to social media! Speaking of social media − give us a like or a follow on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube for a ton of great video content that will give you a better idea of what to expect when you’re in our neck of the woods. Have a great summer, we hope to see you in ILLINOISouth!

Left to Right: Christine, Elaine, Darline, Andy and Katerina

Welcome to the Team!

ILLINOISouth is excited to announce a new addition to our team – Graphic Designer and Social Media Specialist, Katerina Engle. Katerina comes to ILLINOISouth with several years of professional experience working in graphic design. She will be working closely with the team to help promote area attractions and events by designing eye−catching graphics to display in publications and online. Katerina is a Belleville native, and graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a specialization in Communication Design. Not to mention, if you are reading this Tourism Times – she is the one who designed it as well!