Need a Quick Getaway?

Do you ever feel the need to get away but don’t have the time or money for a trip to Tuscany or the South of France? My good friend Jessica and I had that feeling last Saturday. Look what we did!

First stop, Alto Vineyard in Alto Pass, Ill. My advice? Avoid the highway and head north on the hilly back roads. After a beautiful hour and a half drive we arrived at Alto Vineyard. They will let you taste up to six wines for free. I’ve always been under the misconception that all the wines from Southern Illinois were too sweet, so I wasn’t expecting much. But they actually have a wide range and I found a red that I really liked! We grabbed a bottle and some cheese can crackers and parked ourselves on their nice little shaded deck and enjoyed some girl talk and the beautiful view. It’s hard to believe we were only 65 miles from Paducah. Look how relaxed we look:

On the way back we drove through the adorable little town of Cobden and had dinner at the Yellow Moon Cafe. It’s a cute place on their quaint little block-long downtown strip that serves breakfast and lunch during the week and dinner on the weekends. Their menu is small but delicious and although we didn’t stick around for it, they had an open mic night that night and often have live music on Saturday nights. The place was packed full of locals who all knew each other and it was a really nice end to a beautiful day! And look how cute it was:

I wanted to check out Anthill Gallery, but we arrived just after they closed. We also met a local bead maker who has a shop in town. Looks like we’ll have to go back soon!