Bishop Hill, Illinois

http://qctimes.com/app/goanddo/family/fun/?itemID=266&t=Bishop_Hill,_Illinois_|_100_North_Bishop_Hill_Street,_Bishop_Hill,_ILI love coming home to Illinois for the summers. I love relaxing by my parent's pond or taking a drive in the country with my camera in tow. There are a few places that I make a point of returning to every year. The first is Bishop Hill, Illinois. I love the quaintness of this small Swedish settlement tucked away on the rolling plains somewhere between the Quad Cities, Galesburg and Peoria, Illinois. (See this article http://qctimes.com/app/goanddo/family/fun/?itemID=266&t=Bishop_Hill,_Illinois_|_100_North_Bishop_Hill_Street,_Bishop_Hill,_IL)
My favorite time to visit Bishop Hill is in the Fall, when the old maple trees that line the park have big golden leaves.

I love eating at the Red Oak (http://www.theredoak.com/) where you can order Swedish Meatballs on mashed potatoes (or homemade noodles) with lingonberry cream sauce, and I love a big piece of melt-in-your-mouth Five Berry Pie. The Colony Bakery (http://www.bishophillcolonybakery.com/), just across the street, sells the most delicious Swedish breads and cookies. I always make a point of purchasing a piece of pottery from Jeff at the Bishop Hill Colony Pottery where you can watch Jeff throw his pottery on the wheel right in front of you. (http://www.bishophillpottery.com/)

Perhaps, the reason I love Bishop Hill so much is that my father, the late Robert P. Sutton, wrote about this beautiful little town in his book Communal utopias and the American experience: religious communities, 1732-2000, and he used to take me here when I would visit for the summers. I have fond memories of listening to a local band playing in the park, eating in the Red Oak, and purchasing antiques and pottery with him. It is a wonderful town to walk around and spend time with friends and family.