A day-trip that I do at least once per year (and often 2-3 times per year) is a visit to the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. There is a stretch of highway between Alton and Grafton, Illinois that people refer to as the "Mississippi River Road." Here, you drive right along the river with water on one side and bluffs on the other side.
http://forums.travel.com/photos/show...o/1423/cat/567IMG_0259.jpg
While you can cross over to Illinois via the bridge at Alton, we prefer to use one of several ferries that cross the Mississippi from St. Charles County. One of our favorites is the Winfield Ferry just below the Winfield Lock and Dam. You can sometimes see river barges passing through the lock there. However, it is somewhat out of the way of our target town of Grafton.
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If you wish to access Grafton directly, you can do so via the Grafton Ferry. The ferry access point is very close to Smartt Field (Airport). Grafton itself is a growing tourist area. What we like there is a place known as the Loading Dock. Its a converted warehouse (formely a riverside loading dock). The place has been made into an outdoor bar and grill where you can relax while watching the river traffic and bluffs (Grafton is also a noted area for viewing Bald Eagles in the winter). Sometimes they have live music on the weekends.
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Nearby Grafton is the small village of Elsah. It has one restaurant known as "Just Desserts." It also has quite a few bed and breakfasts considering the small size of the town. You can have a nice stroll around this shady little town or make the circular drive in a few minutes.
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Also, on the outskirts of Alton is the image of the native American Piasa Bird image painted into a bluff.
Well, that's just a starter. I'll come back and expand on this another time.
Cheers! -- Rik
View many pictures of the above mentioned places here:
http://forums.travel.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/567 
Day Trip: Mississippi River Bluffs, Grafton, Elsah Illinois 
