Southern Illinois Produce & More
Join us on the Ryder Family Farm for a beginner paint class lead by a local artist out in our pastures. Take in all the serenity of the farm while you paint your own farm masterpiece with expert instruction. Afterwards, spend some time in our …
The Ryder Family Farm welcomes yogis and animal lovers to their pastures for a Goat Yoga experience. Goat Yoga brings yogis and animal lovers in contact with goats for uplifting the spirit and relaxing the mind and body. You don’t need to have any previous yoga experience to enjoy this class, yet even the most experienced yogis will find a fun challenge if they desire. Read more…
When this property crossed our path we knew this was gem in the making! What was formally a private hunter’s space in Pope County, Illinois has become our new project. We have added a hot tub, had dirt work and a patio created, updated HVAC, added WIFI, updated wiring, plumbing, fixtures, paint and new furniture. It is almost ready for rent! You can find us on Airbnb or on our own standalone site here.
This cabin is owned by us and is perfectly placed upon a peaceful hill on 5 acres of dense forest, tucked among the Shawnee National Forest in beautiful Southern Illinois. Shawnee Forest Hideaway is the perfect secluded retreat, with an onsite hot tub, located in Golconda, Illinois! Think romantic privacy with easy access to the wonders of Shawnee National Forest, unique restaurants, local waterways, hiking trails, and hunting grounds in southern Illinois.
At our secluded couple’s cabin you’ll enjoy quiet evenings in the spacious hot tub overlooking a tranquil stream that feeds into Lusk Creek. You can have cozy nights around the fire pit under the stars, and serene mornings waking to deep forest views and quiet serenity. Our couple’s cabin in the Shawnee National Forest features sleeping space for two or four. This is perfect cabin for couples traveling together to reconnect in nature. Our cabin also offers an RV plug-in site that hunters are sure to love. Your camper can stay comfortably on site and even expand the lodging opportunities.
“The perfect secluded couple’s cabin in the Shawnee National Forest!”
Step inside Shawnee Forest Hideaway and enjoy a modern, open-concept layout that blends the kitchen, living area, and sleeping space into one inviting retreat. The cabin is thoughtfully designed for couples or small groups seeking modern comfort in a peaceful, private forest setting.
The fully equipped kitchen includes all dishware and essentials needed for simple meal preparation, whether you’re enjoying a quiet breakfast or a romantic dinner in.
Sleeping arrangements include a comfortable queen bed (sleeps 2) & a sofa sleeper (sleeps 2) in the living area. This cabin is perfect for quiet reflection, relaxation and the tranquility of the surrounding Shawnee National Forest.
Modern touches are modern heating and air conditioning for year-round stays, high-speed Wi-Fi, secure smart door lock for easy, private self check-in, outdoor grill & firepit, outdoor seating and market lighting and last but not least a hot tub soaking space with amazing creek views!
Some perks that set us above other nearby rental properties are exclusive access to the entire 5 acre property! You will see no other neighboring guests or other cabins on site. You are free to hike the whole 5 acres and play in the stream. Nobody will be there to disrupt your peace. Shawnee Forest Hideaway is a cabin in the Shawnee National Forest that is conveniently located between top hiking trails, minutes from a local historic town (Golconda, Illinois) with shopping and restaurants. Our spacious hot tub overlooking the bluff and stream is also unique. You wont find another cabin in the Shawnee National Forest with this level of privacy and amenities!
Our family is beyond excited to have added this unique couple’s cabin to our farm’s offerings. You wont find another private couple’s hot tub cabin in our area that compares. Go check it out and tell your friends!
What you’ll get: A 4-course “Farm Dinner” dining experience during the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024, where you’ll gather in our farm fields, enjoy appetizers, beverages, view the eclipse, take in the farm ambiance and then sit down for an unforgettable French based “Farm Dinner” …
Our farm is located in Historic Golconda, Illinois and we are delighted to offer a 4 course “Farm Dinner” dining experience during the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 where you’ll gather in our farm fields, enjoy appetizers, beverages, view the eclipse, take in the farm ambiance and then sit down for an unforgettable experience.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse on 2024 will pass through places like Mexico, Central and Northeastern USA, and the Maritime provinces of Canada on April 8th, 2024 as it makes it’s way across the United States but you need to be in Southern Illinois for the Total Solar Eclipse if you are looking for unobstructed, serene, country views! Lots of big cities have eclipse events planned but if you want to avoid the crowds, parking issues and want to enjoy an eclipse viewing experience on a working family farm, we’ve go what you need!
The Ryder Family Farm is right in the path of 100% totality for the April 8th, 2024 solar eclipse. The quaint, historic river town of Golconda, Illinois is one of the Southern Illinois cities along the route of totality for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024. Our farm is located just a few miles north of Golconda, Illinois and we are so excited to be hosting a Total Solar Eclipse Farm Dinner in 2024 for Southern Illinois eclipse viewers, click here for more details!
This isn’t our first eclipse. Our farm’s location was also inside the line of totality for the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse and it was amazing to hear all the sounds of farm life slowly come to a halt as the sun set over the pastures for a few minutes. Our chickens got very quiet, the goats and dogs got very still and confused. Crickets began to chirp in unison. You could see the stars in the middle of the day! It was a truly a breathtaking experience. We made a fun little video showcasing the 2017 Eclipse footage of our kiddos experiencing their first Total Solar Eclipse here:
Our farm is busy planning a wonderful array of experiences for visitors seeking eclipse event totality in 2024. It is going to be an experience you wont forget! Think amazing food, farm animals, the beauty of The Shawnee National Forest and the total solar eclipse all at once.
For the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024, our farm’s location will give visitors a 2 minute and 50 second, life changing experience, without the crowds! We are planning unique opportunities for visitors to the area that only our farm can do.
We have tickets for our “Farm Dinner” Total Solar Eclipse experience available now and will launch a variety of add-on experiences and merchandise shortly. Attendance will be limited and demand will be high for this unique Southern Illinois eclipse experience on our farm.
The eclipse will begin at 12:43 pm CDT on April 8, 2024 in our location with totality projected to be happening at 2:00 pm and lasting for 2 minutes and 50.8 seconds, almost 3 minutes of totality!
Before or after your eclipse experience you can visit Historic Golconda, Illinois and the Ohio Riverfront, hike Garden of The Gods, explore Pounds Hollow, visit the city of Metropolis and see the Superman Statue and so much more.
Our area has lots of local lodging options, with several very unique facilities (think school busses, yurts, barns, etc.) There are also well established cabin businesses here like Shawnee Forest Cabins, Willowbrook Cabins, Timber Ridge Cabins or camp grounds like Shawnee Forest Campground, Lake Glendale Campground or Dixon Springs State Park.
Your viewing location’s totality is very important when eclipse viewing! Totality is defined as the maximum phase of a total eclipse during which the Moon’s disk completely covers the Sun. Some locations have varied levels of totality. For example, Chicago, Illinois will only experience a 93.5% totality during the 2024 solar eclipse. Depending on location and the date an eclipse occurs, totality can last from a fraction of a second to a maximum of 7 minutes 32 seconds.
Plus, you can view the eclipse directly without eye protection only when the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s bright face – during the brief and spectacular period known as totality.
The following image from The Great American Eclipse.com shows the path of totality as it passes over our farm, located just north of Paducah. Another notable fact, the April 8th, 2024 eclipse will be the last visible eclipse in the U. S. until 2045. Want more info? Click the link above to learn more about the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024.
Join us on the Ryder Family Farm to paint your own Barn Quilt. This a fun outdoor event in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest to get you in the fall spirit. Design and paint your unique Barn Quilt to take home and enjoy! …
An agritourism farm in Southern Illinois regularly opens its doors to the public, offering diverse events such as painting classes, goat yoga, and agricultural education. This first-generation farmer family also organizes vendor events during summer and fall and can host private events with advanced scheduling. Visitors can stay updated through the farm newsletter.
All spring and summer the goat herd is busy raising babies, giving milk, doing yoga and munching out in the pasture but they really bring the awesomeness to your home in the winter! Nourishing and wonderfully hydrating goat milk soap gifts from The Ryder Family Farm fly off the shelves during the holiday season because they make a perfectly unique gift for almost any gift recipient!
Our Southern Illinois farm ships goaty goat milk soap gifts and related accessories across the United States all year long. We also have both egift cards and plastic gift cards available for all your gifting needs.
The minerals and vitamins found in goat milk are a healthful treat to the skin, especially during winter.
In cold weather your skin is naturally more dry but the soap you wash with might be making things worse. Most commercially produced soaps are chemically dehydrating to your skin but our goat milk soap is not.
Actually, goat milk soap is known for it’s remarkable rehydrating qualities. It can heal the skin too!
The #1 variety for rehydrating skin is our Lemon Honey goat milk soap. Honey combined with our recipe’s nourishing oils and raw goat milk is the ultimate in skin hydration.
Giving a goat milk soap gift is 100% #ShopSmall
The Ryder Family Farm is 100% farmer run which means you can feel good about supporting small businesses this holiday season. From the rearing of the goats all the way through milking, then the mad scientist work of from scratch soap creation, we do it all right here with our own hands.
We hand cut the soaps, shrink wrap them, we designed the labels, print them with our printer and glue them on the soaps. We’re kind of old school like that.
#ShopSmall is an online movement to support struggling small businesses, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have a goat milk soap for almost anything. Men, women, teens, babies, even those with skin allergies can all benefit from the cleansing and nourishing qualities of our goat milk soap gifts.
Our standard goat milk soap bars are all made with the same, preservative free recipe and only with our own raw goat milk. Each bar varies by scent and color and from time to time will have natural additives to compliment the recipe and add to the user’s experience.
We offer a shave soap called Billy Goat Scruff that comes either in soap patty form or you can get it as mug of shave soap for your goat milk soap gifting needs.
This soap has a different formulation than our regular goat milk soap recipe but it is also made from our hand milked goat milk. This pairs well with a handmade shave brush or a soap dish.
Our Everything But The Kitchen Stink bar of soap is created to cleanse the skin and remove unwanted scents. It has coffee grounds and anise essential oils added to it to give it the ultimate scent removing power. I use it for getting stinky barn spells off my hands during rut but it is also good for hunters, for removing garlic and onion smells, fish smells, etc.
If you are looking for a face care bar of soap consider the Tea Tree Oil Goat Milk soap with activated charcoal. Both tea tree oil and activated charcoal are wonderful at cleansing the sometimes oily pores on the face. Plus activated charcoal aids in absorbing the yuck and drawing out impurities. A Tea Tree Oil Goat Milk soap gift would be great for teens or those suffering with blemished skin.
Anyone suffering from skin allergies or ailments should try a bar of unscented goat milk soap first to see how it can help. Our unscented bars have nothing but goat milk and our array of nourishing oils that are saponified into a bar of soap. No colorants, preservatives or fragrances are added. Just plain soap in this one, it is a beautiful thing!
We ship soap orders or you can order for curbside pickup. Our inventory is always changing and we are always playing with new scents. Visit our online store for an up to date run down of all the soaps currently in stock for your goat milk soap gift giving needs.
To learn more about our farm’s journey with goat milk and to see pics of how the soap is made click here.
Does social distancing “goat” you down? Are you ready to bring some joy and excitement to your virtual meeting or event? We can help you give your attendees something to cluck about! Let a farm animal from the Ryder Family Farm help you out! During …