TREAT YOURSELF TO A HOLIDAY GET-AWAY AT A STATE PARK LODGE
CONTACT: 217/785-0970
TDD: 217/782-9175
FAX: 217/524-4641
TREAT YOURSELF TO A HOLIDAY GET-AWAY AT A STATE PARK LODGE
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. -- If you are looking for that perfect
holiday get-a-way spot, a state park lodge may be the ideal
solution. Picture yourself at a comfortable, beautifully
decorated lodge in a charming rural setting, far away from the
hustle and bustle of the busy holiday season.
"Guests at our lodges can enjoy the festive holiday spirit
in a relaxed atmosphere without sacrificing wonderful meals or
the excitement of special holiday activities," said Department of
Natural Resources Director Brent Manning. "Many lodges even offer
special packages, but because they are so popular, I encourage
you to make your reservations as early as possible."
In addition to bountiful Thanksgiving dinners, this year's
agenda at the various lodges includes a dinner theater, fireside
entertainment, breakfast with Santa, concerts, Christmas meals
and programs, New Year's Eve parties, a festival of lights and
lodging packages, one of which offers a controlled pheasant hunt.
White Pines State Park will come alive with thousands of
holiday lights illuminating the White Pines Inn, a rustic log
structure snuggled in the woodlands near Oregon in northwest
Illinois. The Inn is flanked by 25 small cabins, open for
occupancy from March through Dec. 22. Cabins can accommodate a
family of four, and some offer fireplaces.
Highlighting holiday activities at the Inn for the eighth
straight year will be "Scrooge, the Comedy," a dinner theater
production running from Nov. 23 - Dec. 22. Special Saturday
morning performances will feature two 14-year-old actors in the
"Children's Version of Scrooge."
White Pines Inn provides a wonderful setting for Christmas
parties with its delicious food and cozy, charming atmosphere. In
addition to its theater productions, harpists and pianists add to
the Christmas spirit. Bookings are accepted for private parties.
Three special packages are being offered this year at White
Pines cabins, one of which provides Tuesday night's lodging free
with the purchase of overnight accommodations for Sunday and
Monday. For reservations and information about special packages,
call 815/946-3817.
A warm and gracious atmosphere and thousands of twinkling
lights await visitors to northern Illinois' Starved Rock Lodge
near Utica. Festivities there begin with an annual Thanksgiving
buffet, a traditional feast served in the main dining room on a
reservation-only basis.
Storyteller Bill Myers is an annual favorite at the lodge,
and he will be featured fireside on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. and
Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. in the Great Hall.
Jolly Old St. Nick will be on hand at Starved Rock Lodge for
"Breakfast With Santa" on Dec. 7, 14, and 21. Reservations are
necessary for this popular gathering and can be obtained by
calling 815/667-4211, Ext. 350 or 1/800/868-7625. Reservations
also are being accepted for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
meals, which will be served in the main dining room.
On New Year's Eve, a gala party will be held in the Great
Hall, with hors d'oeuvres, dinner and dancing. Again,
reservations are needed.
Starved Rock Lodge offers package specials such as "Cabin
Fever" and a "Winter Weeknight Special" from Jan. 1 - March 15.
Both packages are available for the main lodge or one of Starved
Rock's cozy log cabin rooms in the woods.
In central Illinois, the Inn at Eagle Creek at Lake
Shelbyville near Findlay is presenting holiday magic at its best.
Its 7th annual Festival of Lights exhibit will run through Jan.
5. With more than 800,000 lights and 450 giant luminous displays
complete with sound, the event has become the world's largest
lights festival. Admission price is $5 per car and $8 per van. A
3-mile light extravaganza will delight visitors as they pass
through Penguin Prairie, Pleasure Pond and Spirit of the Season
displays. New this year is Santa's Toy Company, complete with a
wrap-o-matic machine.
Eagle Creek is offering a Festival of Lights overnight
package for $99 per couple. Amenities include admission and a
ride for two through the light exhibit, one night's lodging,
breakfast for two and a souvenir.
For Thanksgiving, the Inn has a special for $95 per night
for overnight accommodations, which includes Thanksgiving dinner
for two.
An Old Fashioned Holiday Package is offered from Dec. 11
through Dec. 22 that features two nights' stay for a cost of
$99.50 per person. Included is one dinner per person and a ticket
to "An Old Fashioned Christmas" at the Little Theatre on the
Square in Sullivan.
For ringing in the new year, a $189 per couple package
includes overnight accommodations, dinner, a dance to the music
of "Party Time" DJ service, chocolates, and champagne with
complimentary champagne glasses. For reservations or more
information about Eagle Creek activities, call toll free 1-800-876-3245.
As part of a special package that includes a room, dinner
and a pheasant hunt permit, Rend Lake Resort at Wayne Fitzgerrell
State Park, Whittington, is offering controlled pheasant hunts
through Dec. 22. Hunts are held daily Wednesday through Sunday.
The cost is $52.50 per person, double occupancy required. Hunters
not interested in the lodging package will be charged $15 per
person for the pheasant hunt permit. Special waterfowl and quail
hunting packages also are available.
Thanksgiving Day buffet will be served at the lodge's new
conference center for $12.95 per person. Visitors can take
advantage of the special winter room rate of $45 plus tax for
double occupancy from Nov. 15 through March 1. This year, a New
Year's Eve package is being offered for $144 per couple that
includes lodging, dinner, dance, a champaign toast at midnight
and party favors. A "Resort to Romance" package has been planned
for the entire month of February. For further information and
reservations, call Rend Lake Resort 618/629-2211.
Giant City Lodge south of Carbondale near Makanda will offer
its family style chicken dinner on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m., complete with stuffing, yams and cranberry sauce. The
cost is $7.95 for adults and $4.95 for children. Reservations are
suggested.
The lodge, which will be adorned with holiday decorations,
still has a few openings for private Christmas parties, which it
books through Dec. 15. The lodge will then close until Feb. 2,
when it will reopen. Call 618/457-4921 for additional details.
A real feast awaits visitors at Pere Marquette Lodge near
Grafton where a Thanksgiving Day buffet will kick off the holiday
season.
A 20-foot-tall tree will decorate the lobby of the lodge,
where starting Dec. 1, complimentary hot cider will be served
fireside from 5-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday during the holiday
season. A popular New Year's Eve package, which includes dinner,
breakfast and other amenities plus lodging for the night of Dec.
31, will be available at a cost of $130 per person, based on
double occupancy. Couples wishing to stay overnight on New Year's
Day may do so for a rate of $50 per couple, plus tax. For
details on room availability, call 618/786-2331.
###
TDD: 217/782-9175
FAX: 217/524-4641
TREAT YOURSELF TO A HOLIDAY GET-AWAY AT A STATE PARK LODGE
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. -- If you are looking for that perfect
holiday get-a-way spot, a state park lodge may be the ideal
solution. Picture yourself at a comfortable, beautifully
decorated lodge in a charming rural setting, far away from the
hustle and bustle of the busy holiday season.
"Guests at our lodges can enjoy the festive holiday spirit
in a relaxed atmosphere without sacrificing wonderful meals or
the excitement of special holiday activities," said Department of
Natural Resources Director Brent Manning. "Many lodges even offer
special packages, but because they are so popular, I encourage
you to make your reservations as early as possible."
In addition to bountiful Thanksgiving dinners, this year's
agenda at the various lodges includes a dinner theater, fireside
entertainment, breakfast with Santa, concerts, Christmas meals
and programs, New Year's Eve parties, a festival of lights and
lodging packages, one of which offers a controlled pheasant hunt.
White Pines State Park will come alive with thousands of
holiday lights illuminating the White Pines Inn, a rustic log
structure snuggled in the woodlands near Oregon in northwest
Illinois. The Inn is flanked by 25 small cabins, open for
occupancy from March through Dec. 22. Cabins can accommodate a
family of four, and some offer fireplaces.
Highlighting holiday activities at the Inn for the eighth
straight year will be "Scrooge, the Comedy," a dinner theater
production running from Nov. 23 - Dec. 22. Special Saturday
morning performances will feature two 14-year-old actors in the
"Children's Version of Scrooge."
White Pines Inn provides a wonderful setting for Christmas
parties with its delicious food and cozy, charming atmosphere. In
addition to its theater productions, harpists and pianists add to
the Christmas spirit. Bookings are accepted for private parties.
Three special packages are being offered this year at White
Pines cabins, one of which provides Tuesday night's lodging free
with the purchase of overnight accommodations for Sunday and
Monday. For reservations and information about special packages,
call 815/946-3817.
A warm and gracious atmosphere and thousands of twinkling
lights await visitors to northern Illinois' Starved Rock Lodge
near Utica. Festivities there begin with an annual Thanksgiving
buffet, a traditional feast served in the main dining room on a
reservation-only basis.
Storyteller Bill Myers is an annual favorite at the lodge,
and he will be featured fireside on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. and
Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. in the Great Hall.
Jolly Old St. Nick will be on hand at Starved Rock Lodge for
"Breakfast With Santa" on Dec. 7, 14, and 21. Reservations are
necessary for this popular gathering and can be obtained by
calling 815/667-4211, Ext. 350 or 1/800/868-7625. Reservations
also are being accepted for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
meals, which will be served in the main dining room.
On New Year's Eve, a gala party will be held in the Great
Hall, with hors d'oeuvres, dinner and dancing. Again,
reservations are needed.
Starved Rock Lodge offers package specials such as "Cabin
Fever" and a "Winter Weeknight Special" from Jan. 1 - March 15.
Both packages are available for the main lodge or one of Starved
Rock's cozy log cabin rooms in the woods.
In central Illinois, the Inn at Eagle Creek at Lake
Shelbyville near Findlay is presenting holiday magic at its best.
Its 7th annual Festival of Lights exhibit will run through Jan.
5. With more than 800,000 lights and 450 giant luminous displays
complete with sound, the event has become the world's largest
lights festival. Admission price is $5 per car and $8 per van. A
3-mile light extravaganza will delight visitors as they pass
through Penguin Prairie, Pleasure Pond and Spirit of the Season
displays. New this year is Santa's Toy Company, complete with a
wrap-o-matic machine.
Eagle Creek is offering a Festival of Lights overnight
package for $99 per couple. Amenities include admission and a
ride for two through the light exhibit, one night's lodging,
breakfast for two and a souvenir.
For Thanksgiving, the Inn has a special for $95 per night
for overnight accommodations, which includes Thanksgiving dinner
for two.
An Old Fashioned Holiday Package is offered from Dec. 11
through Dec. 22 that features two nights' stay for a cost of
$99.50 per person. Included is one dinner per person and a ticket
to "An Old Fashioned Christmas" at the Little Theatre on the
Square in Sullivan.
For ringing in the new year, a $189 per couple package
includes overnight accommodations, dinner, a dance to the music
of "Party Time" DJ service, chocolates, and champagne with
complimentary champagne glasses. For reservations or more
information about Eagle Creek activities, call toll free 1-800-876-3245.
As part of a special package that includes a room, dinner
and a pheasant hunt permit, Rend Lake Resort at Wayne Fitzgerrell
State Park, Whittington, is offering controlled pheasant hunts
through Dec. 22. Hunts are held daily Wednesday through Sunday.
The cost is $52.50 per person, double occupancy required. Hunters
not interested in the lodging package will be charged $15 per
person for the pheasant hunt permit. Special waterfowl and quail
hunting packages also are available.
Thanksgiving Day buffet will be served at the lodge's new
conference center for $12.95 per person. Visitors can take
advantage of the special winter room rate of $45 plus tax for
double occupancy from Nov. 15 through March 1. This year, a New
Year's Eve package is being offered for $144 per couple that
includes lodging, dinner, dance, a champaign toast at midnight
and party favors. A "Resort to Romance" package has been planned
for the entire month of February. For further information and
reservations, call Rend Lake Resort 618/629-2211.
Giant City Lodge south of Carbondale near Makanda will offer
its family style chicken dinner on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m., complete with stuffing, yams and cranberry sauce. The
cost is $7.95 for adults and $4.95 for children. Reservations are
suggested.
The lodge, which will be adorned with holiday decorations,
still has a few openings for private Christmas parties, which it
books through Dec. 15. The lodge will then close until Feb. 2,
when it will reopen. Call 618/457-4921 for additional details.
A real feast awaits visitors at Pere Marquette Lodge near
Grafton where a Thanksgiving Day buffet will kick off the holiday
season.
A 20-foot-tall tree will decorate the lobby of the lodge,
where starting Dec. 1, complimentary hot cider will be served
fireside from 5-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday during the holiday
season. A popular New Year's Eve package, which includes dinner,
breakfast and other amenities plus lodging for the night of Dec.
31, will be available at a cost of $130 per person, based on
double occupancy. Couples wishing to stay overnight on New Year's
Day may do so for a rate of $50 per couple, plus tax. For
details on room availability, call 618/786-2331.
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