RDO & C-Far: Agritourism in southern Illinois

RDO -Rural Development Opportunities

RDO is a research and applied economic development project funded by the Illinois Council on Food and Agriculture Research (C-FAR). The focus is to improve and expand the rural economies of southern Illinois communities. The project is broken up into five sections that apply to different aspects of rural economies, with agri-tourism being one section.

Agri-tourism

Southern Illinois is rich in cultural history and natural recreational resources. The family farm has been in transition and seeks to maintain vitality by expanding offerings that not only are food related but capture the imagination of visitors. The cultural heritage of southern Illinois includes the history and traditions of these family farms as well as the history of our Native American Heritage.

Barns

Barns in the area are very rich in heritage and we have documented some of these. The barns are owned by local barn enthusiasts, who are committed to the preservation of the heritage of Union County. Shown on the right is Rich's Barn in Anna, Ilinois.

Barnstorming Union County

The Tourism Committee of the Union County Chamber of Commerce along with the SIUC's RDO has come together to create the Union County Barn Trail, Barnstorming Union County. It highlights working barns and barns of unique historic value, both contributing to the cultural heritage of southern Illinois. Please click on the barn or the link above to learn about this exciting new project.

Rich's Barn in Anna, Illinois

Farms

The focus is to expand and promote the farms as a tourism destination. By expanding the offerings of the family farm to include interpretive experiences and consumable goods the small farmers of Union County can broaden their income. Shown here is the Walton Sheep Farm.

Vines

Union and Jackson Counties are home to the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. Owl Creek Winery (pictured right) is one of the 5 wineries currently on the trail and more are on the way. The area is becoming well known for their excellent wines and beautiful wineries. The annual wine festivals bring in hundreds of tourists so the economic impact of the wineries is felt by many tourism related businesses each year.

Owl Creek Winery

Antiquities

Southern Illinois has strong ties to the Native American culture. The researchers at RDO are in the process of inventorying sites, relevant items and documents, and folk lore found in and around Union County, Illinois.

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For more information about the project please click on the e-mail link above or call Maggie Flanagan at (618) 453-2427