Fall 3 Day Itinerary
in Central Illinois Amish Country
Think autumn-vivid hues, bright skies, crisp days, apples galore, hearty foods and exploring lively activities, and family fun comes to mind.
This three-day Fall Frolic Tour in Central Illinois Amish Country delivers autumn’s best and then some.
“Traveling scenic Illinois Amish Country is great anytime, but there is something magical about the fall that makes it our favorite time of year to welcome group tours,” said Christy Miller, travel trade marketing director for Illinois Amish Country . “I don’t know if it’s the smells in the air of apples and cinnamon rolls or all the beautiful colors with the leaves and the harvest colors and mums but it just puts a smile on everyone’s face. I believe that fall in Illinois Amish Country is just a wonderful time.”
ACM Tours can arrange these details in any order for individuals or large groups.
Day One:
Arrive anytime and spend the day visiting the many family shops and the nearby countryside in and around Arthur, the Heart of Illinois Amish Country.
Begin your day exploring down town Arthur. 
Here you will experience a vibrant, small , Midwestern downtown at its finest! Locally hand crafted quilts and handmade Amish furniture, crafts and collectibles, antiques, bolts of cloths and tons of sewing supplies, sporting goods, world class art, fall gifts and decorations, local history, Amish cultural information, and area photography.
As you wander down the sidewalk you will smell the aroma of fresh baked goods and fresh pretzels coming from Cheese and More, find fresh fudge being made in the Arthur Flower Shop, partake in a Green River or a Phosphate ate the Dick’s Drug Store’s antique marble soda fountain, or try a tasty custard with all the toppings at the new Tasty Cup shop downtown.
If the ice cream, candies and baked goods don’t tide you over until supper time, you can grab a soup and sandwich at Cheese and More downtown, or head over Pauly’s BBQ for a special lunch. If the day gets away, as it might, you can save yourself for supper at Yoder’s Kitchen for their famous fried chicken on their bountiful buffet.
Day Two:
This day promises a guided, autumn-themed culinary journey exploring the scenic Arthur Amish countryside tinged with hues of orange, red, and gold. Throughout the day, you can gather ingredients for a apple or pumpkin treat, dip a caramel apple and participate in a pie-making demo. A tasty highpoint of this day out in Illinois Amish Country is a traditional “haystack” lunch served by local Amish ladies on a authentic Amish homestead.
More fall fun is in store as you head to Arthur’s largest apple orchard just outside of town where you can watch them press fresh apple cider or enjoy a fresh made apple slushy. Not far down the road you may wish to look at some of the gorgeous quilts that are on display at Melrose Quilts.
In the afternoon we will visit the Great Pumpkin Patch just outside of Arthur, where they grow over 400 varieties of pumpkins, squash and gourds on their seasonally decorated centennial family farm. Explore their historic seed archives and learn a bit about cucubits (squash) grown around the world from their seed master. You might want to pick up a seasonal decoration or unique squash to take home to display or even eat. While at the Patch we will tour their on-farm bakery where we can watch them making pies, cookies, cakes and cinnamon rolls and taste a number of their special pumpkin treats.
We will wrap up the day at another Amish farm home visit. We will dine family style in the Amish home on fried chicken, homemade noodles, mashed potatoes, salad, vegetables, and fresh homemade bread with “Church Peanut Butter” spread. No one goes away hungry… (famous last words here – “leave room for pie”.)
Day Three:
As there is more of Amish Country to see, you can make day three as long or as short as you wish and depart on your schedule with lots of great memories.
Your final day may offer the chance to meet the real housewives of Illinois Amish Country with an Amish Home Tour, and see firsthand how they manage their farm homes, do household chores without electrical appliances and run their country businesses without modern technology.
At one Amish home, we may enjoy a cinnamon 
roll demo (and tasting), or at another, sit down to a haystack lunch followed by a peanut butter crumb pie-making demo. Get to meet your hosts while they talk to you about their cooking secrets and experiences.
Other experiences include learning how an Amish buggy maker builds Amish buggies at an on-farm buggy shop or talk to an Amish farmer about his goat farm and see firsthand what goes into the production of on-farm cheese making. While at this farm you can take a ride in a real buggy to top off your Amish experience.
You can make day three as long or as short as you wish and still get home on your schedule with lots of great memories.
As you can tell, this short list of activities can easily fill three days with memories and experiences not found elsewhere in Illinois.
We can’t always get all this in to one visit, so Let ACM Tours help you plan an Amish Country adventure just for your family or group.
