Visit Mount Zion Macon Illinois and the surrounding area to see the top sights. Discover the small village of Mount Zion in Illinois and visit the famous World's Largest Catsup Bottle! This large ketchup bottle model is a popular photo motif and symbolizes the local ketchup factory located here.
What makes Mount Zion's sights so special is the unique mix of historical simplicity and an almost sublime self-satisfaction that can be felt at the sight of the old rails. I remember the first time I took the train from Decatur over the old Main St. Louis-Line drove to Mount Zion – the rat of the locomotive was almost like a nostalgic beat that accompanies the city since the 1850s, when the first pioneers founded the township and broke the land for agriculture. Today the I‐72 sounds, and I usually take the exit 146 to be in the center in a few minutes where the headstone paver is still testified by the first settlers.
People here have a dry humour that is reflected in the small cafes and the only diner – no joke, the food is really great, but the portions are so small that you almost feel they would save the money. I don't quite understand the hype about the annual harvest fair, but the colorful driving on the marketplace is a real eye-catcher if you're honest. And when you look at the fields of Mount Zion Township in the evening, you can see that life is pulsating more slowly here, but with a sublime pride that puts every visitor in a bit.
This guide invites you to stroll through the small but self-contained Mount Zion, as if we met in the pub after a long working day and chat about the best corners of the city.
I always start with the United Methodist Church because it is the heart of the village – a brick building from the early 20th. Century that has more stories to tell than many bestsellers. The high windows let the morning light so that you almost feel like sitting in a church from an old movie. I once experienced a Sunday service coffee meeting there; the community was friendly, but the cake choice was a bit too conservative – no joke, that was an old-fashioned marble cake that smelled more like history than sugar.
A short walk down the main road leads to Mount Zion Public Library. This is not only a place to read, but a meeting place for the kids who are playing board games there after school. I borrowed a book about the history of Macon County and noticed that the staff always speaks a bit too enthusiastic about local genealogy – as if every visitor suddenly wants to become a ancestor. Parking is usually a Klack, except on Saturdays when the weekly flea market chaos blocks the street.
If you have enough of dusty shelves, you go on to Mount Zion Community Park. This is the green heart of the place, with a small lake, a few baseball diamonds and a playground that has more rust than color – but that makes the charm. I made a picnic with friends there in the summer; the water was cool enough to refresh the children, and the old oaks donated enough shade to make the cricket bearable. The park is free, and the only “entry ticket” is the occasional quaken of the frogs, which almost looks like a concert at night.
A little further north, almost hidden behind the corn fields, this is old grain silo – a monument of the agricultural industry, which today serves more as a photo motif. I shot a photo there that later landed on my Instagram feed, and that was the only time I really felt like an adventurer because I knocked the railing around the silo to enjoy the view. Be careful. The terrain is not always secured, so please don't climb too much up if you don't want to be rescued by the local fire department.
Another highlight I can't leave is that Mount Zion Historical Society Museum. It is small but full of local artefacts – from old school books to handmade furniture of the founding families. I found an old map that shows how the village was once traversed by a single path that is now considered Main Street. The museum is operated by volunteers who like to tell why the village has never become a big city – a bit dry, but honestly, that is exactly what I appreciate in such places.
Of course you can Mount Zion Fall Festival do not miss that takes place every year in October. It's a bit like a Mini-County-Fair, with fewer crowds and more local craftsmanship. I have eaten the best caramel apple baggage of my life there, and that was the only time I could look forward to the “authentic” atmosphere without thinking that I am in a tourist catalog.
If you ask yourself what else to see here, then think about the Mount Zion Cemeterya quiet place where the history of the village continues in engraved stones. I once discovered an old gravestone that bears the date of 1865 – a hint that the area was colonized long before the official founding date. The cemetery is well maintained, and parking is possible right next to the entrance, which is practical if you want to think a bit after a long day.
All these Mount Zion Attractions together form an image that is familiar and surprising at the same time. I don't quite understand the hype around the big metropolises, but here, between corn fields and old brick buildings, I find a rest that is rarely experienced in the crowded cities. So, next time you're in Macon County, turn off the GPS, follow the signs to Mount Zion and let yourself be enchanted by the small but fine details – and don't forget to take a few photos so you can tell your friends that you were really there.
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