Honker Hill Winery — Attraction in Illinois

Wow. I took a tour of their lodge. Pulled up and immediately thought the outside was a bit dilapidated (but it had a charm so I wanted to go in anyways). The inside was was dirty and run down. One of their couches had huge cracks in the fake leather and looked like it had never been cleaned in over a decade. Everything creaked, the blankets looked dingy, the shower in the sauna doesn't work, and the tiny kitchen is practically non-functional. For $250 a night, I was really on the fence about it. Way pricey for a cruddy place like that, but the view out front was gorgeous. That was until the owner said that next year they're raising the price per night to $500. Yes, doubling it to FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS A NIGHT. Yikes. They really think they have something...

When pulling up, I'm thinking to myself that this is a "happening place ". Much to my surprise, it wasn't, at least not for me. It took us over 10 minutes to even be acknowledged, even after the gentleman unloading the dishwasher looked at us several times and didn't say a word. Once waited upon, we were not told anything about the wines, or history in the making. She just poured the glass, and moved on to other people. We were very turned off by this and would not recommend this...

We stopped at this place on the way to Nashville because it was close to the interstate. The staff was great to talk to and offered us some good information about their wine offerings. We liked the blush so much that we bought two bottles. This location is in the path of the 2024 solar eclipse and we're hoping to make another trip. We walked through the vineyards, sat in the gazebo and quietly drink our wine in serene settings. Thoroughly...