Sinnissippi Forest 3122 South Lowden Road, Oregon, IL 61061, Located next to Lowden-Miller State Forest, 815-732-6240, Northern Illinois' premier Christmas tree farm features acres of beautiful trees, hot or cold apple cider, hot cocoa, coffee, and freshly popped popcorn for visitors, and coloring books and candy canes for the children. Special weekend attractions include horse-drawn wagon rides through the Christmas trees, Santa and Mrs. Claus, fresh hot apple cider, donuts, and hot sandwiches. Field trips that are fun and educational are available, teaching all about Christmas trees, from planting through harvesting. The Holiday gift shop with an array of beautiful decorations, including the annual Sinnissippi ornament is on-site. The tree farm is open daily from Thanksgiving Friday through noon December 23rd.

Chana School Museum Located in City Park East, 815-732-4714, This two-room schoolhouse, now referred to as simply Chana School, served the Oregon community from 1883 until it was retired in 1953. One room is set up like the original classroom might have been, while the other room has displays showing what education was like in the 19th century. Call to set up tours.

Ogle County Courthouse Located in historic downtown Oregon, This beautiful three-story, 1890 building is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. It has been refurbished and is open for public tours. Several monuments adorn the courthouse grounds including the 1916 Lorado Taft Soldiers' Monument commissioned by Ogle County Board to honor veterans of the Civil War and Spanish American War; two mismatched Civil War cannons, installed in the late 1890's; and a monument honoring World War I and World War II veterans, with additional plaques to honor veterans who served in Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf war.

John Deere Historic Site 8334 South Clinton Street, Oregon, IL 61021, Located in Grand Detour, Illinois, 815-652-4551, John Deere established his homestead on this site, and built his first "self-polishing" steel plow here. The new plow allowed the pioneers to till the sticky and moist prairie land. Visitors to the Historic Site will see the archeological site, with many of the artifacts actually found on the site; a blacksmith shop; John Deere's home which is authentically furnished with actual household objects that show how pioneers cooked, cleaned, bathed, and spent leisure hours; a visitor's center depicting the life of John Deere, the opening of the prairie, and the development of his plow; a gift shop; and a natural prairie as it existed over a century ago.

Art Casting of Illinois, Inc. & Adagio Fine Art 5 Madison Street, Oregon, IL 61061, 815-440-2442, This bronze foundry, located on the banks of the Rock River, serves artists from all over the country by casting fine art, using the time honored "lost wax" process. The gallery shows their clients work, as well as original works by Rembrandt, Durer, Whistler, Rodin, and Renoir. Guests visiting the gallery, may also be able to see sculptures being cast in the foundry.

Billy Barnhart Museum 201 North Third Street, Oregon, IL 61061, Located at Conover Square, 815-732-3950, This small privately owned collection of antiques features rooms of vintage toys, collectibles, sleighs, farm equipment, and relics of the past.

Blackhawk Model Railroad Club 201 North Third Street, Oregon, IL 61061, Located at Conover Square, 815-734-6044, Model train enthusiasts will love visiting the Blackhawk Model Railroad Club. It is open on weekends.

Eagle's Nest Colony Art Collection 300 Jefferson Street, Oregon, IL 61061, Located in the Oregon Public Library, 815-732-2724, This art collection is a historic treasure of paintings and sculpture from the late 1800's and early 1900's. The Eagle's Nest colony was established in 1898 by famed sculptor Lorado Taft, to provide artists, writers, musicians, playwrights and other talented individuals a place to escape the city heat, enjoy the beautiful countryside, and create. An art gallery, which they used for art showings and lectures, was incorporated in the Public Library building plans. In 1918 the colony members began donating works of art for a permanent collection, and when the last founding member of the Eagle's nest Colony died in 1942, the library was in possession of 31 paintings and 25 sculptures.

Heritage Farm Museum 7993 North River Road., Oregon, IL 61010, Located in Byron, IL, 815-234-8535, Located in the Byron Forest Preserve District, this museum features a reproduction farmhouse, that looks similar to the original house on the property. There are five rooms in the house including a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, a summer kitchen, and a room showing a section of original grout house. Furnishings representative of the time period 1843 - 1869 decorate the house. The outbuildings, which include the big barn, the corncrib, the hog barn, and the milk house, are being restored. There is also an outhouse and a garden.

Jarrett Prairie Center Natural History Museum 7993 North River Road, Oregon, IL 61010, Located in Byron, IL, 815-234-8535, ext. 217, This museum depicts how the area appeared before the arrival of the European settlers, and features prairie, woodlands, and wetland exhibition areas. There are large diorama aquariums with native turtles and snakes, a glass-sided beehive, and a wolf den for children to climb through.

Jeff Adams' inBronze Studio/Gallery/Foundry 309 North Wesley Avenue, Oregon, IL 61054, Located in Mt. Morris, IL, 815-734-7578, The inBronze foundry is the inspiration of noted sculptor Jeff Adams. The foundry provides full-service casting and finishing for Jeff's work as well as those of other artists, utilizing the lost wax method of casting. The on-site gallery displays many of Jeff Adam's sculptures.

Stuka Military Museum 3178 South Daysville Road, Oregon, IL 61061, 815-732-2091, If you are interested in military history, you will enjoy a visit to the Stuka Military Museum. This museum features uniforms, helmets, swords, medals, patches and souvenirs from the past conflicts from the Civil War to Desert Storm. The museum is open year round by appointment.

The Nash Home and Museum 111 North Sixth Street, Oregon, IL 61061, 815-732-6876, Visit this 1878 house, which is representative of Midwestern prairie-type architecture and features antiques and artifacts from all over the country. The house is furnished in the style of the 1880s and showcases a pianoforte played at Illinois Governor Ford's inauguration in 1842, a 30-day clock, a bust of a young woman attributed to the sculptor Lorado Taft, a courtroom chair used by Illinois Supreme Court Judge Cartwright, a large 1864 map of the county, and much more.

Oregon Sculpture Trail 815-732-2100, Visitors to Oregon can enjoy a sculpture tour, while driving through Oregon on Illinois Route 2. This trail began in 1911 with the creation of Lorado Taft's sculpture, commonly referred to as Black Hawk. Since that time, numerous pieces have been added to Oregon's rich art legacy.

Pride of Oregon Paddle Wheeler Rt. 2 North, Oregon, IL 61061, Docked adjacent to Maxson Riverside Restaurant, 815-732-6761, Enjoy a two-hour lunch or dinner cruise, on the scenic Rock River, aboard The Pride of Oregon, an authentic paddle wheel boat. Cruises are available from April 1 - November 15, for a special event, a wedding, reunion, tour, business meeting, school or church function, or individual outing.