Day 1 (Afternoon)

The Chicago Southland experience begins with a visit to Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant in Orland Park! Fabulous food, award-winning wines and specialty shopping is combined to delight the group's senses at Cooper's Hawk, a modern casual restaurant with a menu created with their own handcrafted wines in mind. The group can start in the Napa-style tasting room and sample the winemaker's latest creations. Next a stop in the gift store, for a unique food or wine related gift to bring home. Finish in the restaurant to enjoy a delectable dish designed to pair with Cooper's Hawk's own award-winning wine for a dining experience the group won't soon forget.

Day 2

Enjoy a hearty breakfast at Stacked Pancake House in Crestwood. With an extensive breakfast and lunch menue, even the pickiest of eaters will find something delicious. Pile your pancakes high with delicious toppings. Savor red velvet, Oreo, strawberry cheesecake or lemon blueberry pancakes, just to name a few.

After breakfast, the group will enjoy a relaxing shopping experience in the small-town setting of downtown Frankfort. From upscale to eclectic, the boutiques and stores in Downtown Historic Frankfort offer unique selections and personal service that you won't find at shopping malls.

After some fun shopping around downtown Frankfort, it's time to cook our way through lunch! The famous Francesca’s Fortunato Restaurant chef, Mario Lopez, will demonstrate how to make a four-course meal in front of the group, which they will later enjoy eating.

A visit to Historic Pullman, America's first Planned Industrial Community, listed as a National Historic Site and recently designated a National Monument, is a perfect place to learn history and experience 19th and 20th Century architecture. The well-preserved area was built in 1880 by George Pullman, for the production of his famous sleeper car. This fascinating tour includes visits to the Visitor Center, Greenstone Church, Hotel Florence, administration building and factory grounds.

With more than 30 years of winemaking experience, Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery is the first winery in Chicago and the only producer of mead on the Northern Illinois Wine Trail. Being a mead producer, Wild Blossom raises their our own bees and collects their own honey. The group will take a guided meadery tour and participate in a class.

Day 3

The group will be impressed with their final “healthy and innovative” meal. The concept is simple: from the farm to your table. Harvest Room Restaurant specializes in familiar dishes made fresh with local, organic or organically raised ingredients purchased from area farmers when possible. The restaurant also has a great selection of crafted, loose leaf teas blended in-house with blue zone and raw honey.

The tour wraps up with Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens an 85-acre park that includes woodlands, prairie, wetlands and a 10-acre lake. Unique group programs such as Geocaching, Beginning Birding and Fly Fishing make this location special for groups of all ages.

**Please note: Itinerary may be modified to meet your group’s specific needs. Locations and selections are subject to availability. Please contact Tobie at [email protected] or 708-895-8200 to obtain current pricing and confirmation of dates and locations.