Destination Randolph County
Thousands of people pilgrimage to Randolph County every year to visit the Popeye Character Trail in Chester. Others visit to see one of the ten best views in America ... the Mississippi River Valley from the observation deck of the Randolph County Courthouse. April visitors prize the Morel Mushroom and find thousands in the Randolph County region.
There is History here in river tales and stories of the first settlers. There are monuments to these pioneers including Shadrach Bond and Pierre Menard. You can see the oldest church in Illinois, the French Colonial Historic District of Prairie du Rocher and Fort de Chartres, once the western boundary of the United States, and Fort Kaskaskia overlooking the Mississippi River. Visit an eight-sided schoolhouse, museums, and the Cohen Home.
Find a quiet place at the Confluence Heritage Area and become one with nature while watching birds and river wildlife. Gaze at the river barges moving along, and if you're lucky, you may even see the Queen of the Mississippi or the Mississippi Queen Riverboats. Plan a week on the Kaskaskia Cahokia Trail, Illinois' first road.
Fort de Chartres and Sparta hold festivals yearly, and car shows attract thousands to Randolph County annually.
The Randolph County region is a sportsman's paradise. Trophy fishing is available at Baldwin Lake and the Randolph County State Recreation Area, and the World Shooting & Recreation Complex draws thousands each year. In many locations, you can hunt ducks, geese, turkey, and deer. More deer are harvested in Randolph County than in any other county in Illinois. You can also fish the Kaskaskia and Mississippi Rivers for blue cats. Or just walk a trail and let the serenity flow through you—a respite from the world.
Then there is Autumn in Randolph County. Click on our Pinterest pages to see the majesty of Autumn and many more Randolph County sites for all seasons of the year. Or click on some of the links to view video clips.
The French Colonial Historic District is conveniently accessible by river ferry from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, by Illinois SR 155, and, by the beautiful Bluff Road route. To find out more information on the schedule and rates of the Ste. Genevieve/Modoc River Ferry, you may visit these links anytime:
Come for the Festivals. Come for the Sights. Come for the History. Come for Nature. But come soon.
You'll never forget Randolph County, Illinois!