Hidden within hills and away from highways in southeast Jo Daviess County is a tiny community best known for its annual music festival and large antique barn – attracting social butterflies and lovers of bluegrass, gospel and country music.

Pungent smells and sour tastes often are what one thinks of when it comes to sauerkraut, but Forreston makes a big deal about it – with plenty of fun and entertainment in a four-day festival that is pleasant and appetizing.

The hymnals inside an Elizabeth church building have long been silenced, and now there are hops hopping all over it – gathering beer enthusiasts who cruise along Highway 20 looking for a lager or Kölsch.

Down on the corner: What might appear to be Sam Malone serving drinks inside a house is actually a Stockton bar with a longtime owner in charge who keeps his customers talking and wanting more.

Before the kids go trick-or-treating at October's end, Mount Carroll attracts the kids on the weekend before the spooky holiday for a festival full of fun, shopping and running around town. This year’s event is 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.

Rather than shopping at a grocery store for apples, pumpkins and raspberries, a Jo Daviess County farm gives customers the opportunity to pick them straight from the crop, all with plenty of fun around them.