Dog days getaways at 3 Illinois Bed & Breakfasts

 It's B&B time when the dog days of summer move in to your world. Renew and recharge in the Shawnee National Forest. It was the energizing break I needed. If you want to escape for a day or two, try a B&B. Any of these B&Bs are the perfect hideaway. All are excellent homebases for a trek along the Wine Trail.

Cave in Rock from the inside. photo PBH

1. Makanda Inn bed & breakfast

Makanda Inn is getting a steady business simply by word of mouth. The Makanda Inn is a green retreat and a delightful B&B. Inn keeper Janelle Weber can help plan your stay, or make sure you have the quiet retreat you desire.

Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere, king-sized beds, modern rooms and seasonal breakfast menu. It’s the kind of harmonious retreat where guests tend to return and consider the Inn their own private getaway. Every guest has access to LCD TV, DVD player, Ipod home stereo and free wireless internet.

Details: Makanda Inn. 855 Old Lower Cobden Road, Makanda, Illinois 62958, phone: (618) 697-7929. Makanda Inn is in The Shawnee National Forest just a half mile south of the Makanda Boardwalk and only 15 minutes south of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. The Inn is directly adjacent to Giant City State Park.

2. Give Me A Break to an Irish Inn

Irish Inn, is a log and stone home nestled in the Shawnee National Forest where you are limited only by your imagination and the time you have to spend in this woodland hide away. It's the perfect place to write or read that great American novel, total James Bond movie submersion or, escape for or from romance. There's Irish tea and a full Irish breakfast daily. Guests love the Gilchrist & Soames of London luxury bath and personal products, as well as Greenwich Bay botanicals.

Inn Keepers Brian & Lynn McCreery will arrange your stress free stay in a luxurius two room suite filled with every convenience , it's there, even before you think of it. There is a huge library - both book and DVD, satellite television, large HDTV, and high-speed fiber optic wireless internet. Let Lynn know ahead of time and she will make sure your room has fresh flowers, champagne, a private gourmet dinner for two, or all special order meals served in your room. Request a Chocolate Factory stash in your room, or try climbing in Jackson Hollow, hit the Tunnel Hill State Bicycle Trail every morning of your stay.

Call: 618-695-3355 E-mail: irishinn@lycos.com irishinn.tripod.com See the video on youtube: . Use the physical address for the GPS locator in your vehicle: 600 Soloman Lane - Ozark, IL - 62972 – USA. Call: (618) 695-3355 or (618) 695-5683.

3. Give Me A Break to Water Valley Inn

 Water Valley Inn is a fabulous, well furnished two story farm house on100 acres of beautiful Illinos farm land. Guests get the run of the antique filled house. You will feel like you are home when you arrive. Water Valley is a big old farmhouse lovingly maintained. There are cookout areas and picnic tables. Plan well and you may not have to leave this historic home until time for checkout.

For breakfast, a well stocked refrigerator with breakfast items such as bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits, milk and juice. The pantry has pancake mix, syrup, oatmeal, gravy mix and more. Or, if you prefer we can have homemade coffee cake/muffins or overnight casserole waiting in the refrigerator for you. (And there was a delightful surprise, a filled cookie jar setting on the kitchen table when we walked in.)

Water Valley Inn is located just 20 miles from Carbondale, Illinois and only 35 miles from Cape Girardeau, Missouri and 60 miles from Paducah, Kentucky.  Water Valley Inn offers less than a hours drive from a vast array of destinations. Water Valley Inn Bed & Breakfast 3435 Water Valley Road, Cobden, IL 62920 Union Tel: 618-534-2244 E-mail: watervalleyinn@gmail.com  A 2 story farm house on 100 acres. 

Southernmost Illinois Travel Bureau for more Illinois information. Call: (800) 248-4373

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