The Shawnee bonus on a family road trip to Memphis -- Major Lea...

With two young children in tow, my husband and I decided we shouldn't try to drive from Chicago to Memphis in one day.

[hotel room photos]

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[BigD]

Look, if scoring a cup of good coffee figures prominently in your travel column, you should be writing about something else.

[mark]

Good piece. Memphis needs more pub. Its a great place with tons of history, great food and fun attractions.

[traveler]

I appreciate the writeup of the Garden of the Gods and the Shawnee National Forest - probably Illinois's least known natural treasures. Next time, we'll stay in Elizabethtown and bring our own French press. There are also some fabulous geological formations in the state parks near I-57 south of Carbondale (e.g. Fernclyff).

[SN of Libertyville]

You should have gone to the E-Town Diner! My husband and I were down in Shawnee last autumn for the snake migration and "dined" at the E-Town. The food was OK (fried catfish, fried sides, all served on styrofoam), but where else could we have eaten in a restaurant that floats? It was fun, and it made a great memory for us.

[Barb]

You missed out by not eating at the E-Town River Restaurant in Elizabethtown. We happened to dine there a few years ago and had the best catfish and hush puppies you'd ever want. Sure, it's not fine dining, but it's great food! Finding tasty meals at local joints is one of the adventures-and charms--of travelling off the beaten path.

Southern Illinois offers a variety of things to do and is still a well-kept secret, I think. We are planning another trip there to see and do many of the things we couldn't fit in last time.