Alton Odyssey Tours

12/08/2024

Next weekend, on December 14th, we will celebrate our 10th annual Tunes For Toys event 🎁 Join us by bringing a new, unwrapped toy or $10 entry fee to support and in their incredible work for the community. This year, we’ll announce the winner of the local decorations contest have a special visit from Santa, free food while it last donated by and enjoy live music from

We started this event with the goal of spreading extra holiday cheer, and year after year, your support has helped us achieve that! Giving back to our community is vital throughout the year, and sharing joy during the holidays is especially meaningful.

We extend our gratitude to everyone who has made this event possible over the past decade! Thank you to our attendees who have contributed thousands of toys and dollars, our generous donors who help power this event, and our community that supports non-profit organizations year-round. If you can’t attend the event, please consider giving back in any way you can this holiday season.

11/23/2024

Dan Kessler here- one of the volunteers behind 2024 Deck the Town.

My family moved to downtown Alton two years ago and we love it! Walking to Duke Bakery for snacks, visiting Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market in the summer, and attending the great family events at The Old Bakery Beer Company have given us countless family memories.

I am working with Alton Odyssey Tours to organize this year’s Deck the Town so we can create another family tradition: enjoying the holiday lights and displays of our own historic city.

Deck the Town is a free event that runs now through Christmas (with voting ending on 12/13). Businesses can enter (for free!) to decorate their storefront. The business gets free promotion through foot-traffic and social media- and our community gets a Christmas tradition filled with sparkling lights and holiday wonder.

Thank you to everyone who has signed up so far! The displays look AMAZING!

Head to www.deckthetown.com to vote for your favorite display!

If you haven't entered yet, don't worry! There’s still time to enter. Email me at [email protected] or DM this page for more details. Merry Christmas everyone!

11/19/2024

Calling all Alton Businesses!

10/26/2024

Last night was a fun night! Thanks for coming on our tour and visiting Alton

10/02/2024

Enter to win $50 gift card and two Haunted craft Beer Walk tickets for next weekend!

10/01/2024

‘Tis the season for some spooky fun in one of the most haunted small towns in America! Alton Odyssey Tours kicks off its 34th season of haunted tours on Friday, October 4th with the 8th annual Haunted Craft Beer Walk. The tour includes five stops at haunted locations paired with a five-ounce serving of an Old Bakery Beer. The season’s first Haunted Trolley Tour will take place this coming Saturday, October 5th. The tour is a three-hour jaunt of some of Alton’s most haunted locations including the Milton Schoolhouse and McPike Mansion. Behind the Bricks walking tour also takes place on October 5th and includes a ghost hunt at a new haunted site. For more information visit www.AltonOdysseyTours.com.

09/29/2024

Communication is key, and you will experience interactive activities on all our upcoming 2024 Haunted Tours. Book your tickets for Haunted Craft Beer Walks, Behind The Bricks, Bare Bones, or our Witching Hour tours before it’s too late! 📸:

09/27/2024

Looking for a frightfully good time? 👻🪦

Hayner Library and Alton Odyssey Tours present our first ghost tour on October 2.

Come learn what makes Alton so haunted and do a little ghost hunting yourself! This event is for patrons ages 18 and older.

Call 1-800-613-3163 to register.

For more information, please visit: https://www.haynerlibrary.org/registration/haunted-hayner-history-hauntings/

09/20/2024

Fall hits full force this weekend with festivals, fairs, and markets across southwest Illinois! 🍁🍂

Alton's Mississippi Earthtones Festival is back Saturday, Sept 21, 12 p.m. - 10 p.m. Earthtones celebrates the great rivers with live music, food, vendors, and community art. The Mississippi River Water Trail Great Rivers Rendezvous will run alongside Earthtones starting at 7:30 a.m. (registration ends tonight, Sept 20!).

Italian Fest - The Main Street Event returns to Collinsville Sept 21 - 22, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. The huge festival features delicious Italian food vendors, live music, a grape-stomp, bocce ball, and one of the city's largest parades.

The Great Godfrey Maze opens Sept 20 - naviagte the maze and enjoy fun activities each weekend through Oct 27! DeMange Farm St. Jacob also opens their corn maze this weekend with a Glow Maze Sept 21 at 6 p.m. The gigantic corn maze is designed to celebrate the farm's 150th anniversary- pick pumpkins and enjoy family fun each weekend through Oct 27!

The annual MCHS Fall Festival returns to Carlinville Sept 21 & 22, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day- it's one of the largest fall fests in the region featuring shopping, historic tours, farm events, food and more.

Rt 66 Skyview Drive-In brings their Fall Carnival to Litchfield Sept 20 - 22, you can Rock the Dock at The Loading Dock Bar & Grill in Grafton Sept 21, 1 p.m. - 10 p.m., Global Brew Tap House - Edwardsville, IL celebrates Fall Beer Fest Sept 21, 11 a,m. - 10 p.m., Alton Odyssey Tours has a Prohibition Tour in Alton Sept 21 at 3 p.m., and you can see Making God Laugh, an Alton Little Theater comedy, Sept 21 at 7:30 p.m.!

On Sunday. Sept 22, Cahokia Mounds World Heritage Site is observing the fall equinox at 6:30 a.m., 1818 Chophouse in Edwardsville will be hosting a Fall Vendor Fair from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., and the annual Apple Festival will return to Pere Marquette Lodge 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Find more details about these events, markets, and more at the link!
https://www.riversandroutes.com/events/?page=1

09/18/2024

Join Alton Odyssey Tours Sept 21 from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. to explore Alton's Prohibition era past! After the addition of the 18th amendment in 1919, the world of illegal alcohol came to life- speakeasies popped up and drinkers, bootleggers, and moonshiners played cat and mouse with the law. Learn about this turbulent era of American history on a Prohibition Tour and discover the role Madison County had as 'the wettest county in the country'! For more information and tickets, click the link! 🥃🤫
https://www.riversandroutes.com/events/alton-odyssey-prohibition-shuttle-tours-2024/

09/13/2024

We are so appreciative of our community partnerships with organizations like The Hayner Public Library District register soon as we are confident this event will fill up fast! 👻 📚

Kick off spooky season with Hayner Library’s first Haunted Hayner ghost tour! Patrons ages 18 and older are invited to join us as we discuss the history of Hayner Library, why Alton is so haunted, and talk Ghosts 101 with the gang from Alton Odyssey Tours. After, guests are welcome to stay and do some ghost hunting! To register, please call 1-800-613-3163. *Registration will be limited to 40 people.

08/31/2024

We are excited to announce all 2024 tours are now available on our website and selling fast! We appreciate the fantastic article by Ladue News and all the neighborly stl love from organizations like the-STL. Join us for a Prohibition, Historical, or Haunted tour and let us show you what makes Alton so special!

Explore the city’s historical landmarks and – literal – haunts firsthand.

08/27/2024

This weekend! Join us for our monthly family friendly historical walking tour of beautiful Alton, IL.

Alton Odyssey Tours is offering Welcome to Alton history tours each month through September! Learn about the Underground Railroad and the pivotal role Alton played during the Civil War era. From Abraham Lincoln to Elijah P. Lovejoy, delve into the lives of influential individuals who left their mark on the Alton community during this one-hour walking tour. Alton Odyssey Tours is committed to providing a family-friendly experience appropriate for all ages. The next tour takes place this Saturday, August 31! For more info and upcoming dates click the link! 🚶‍♀️🚶🚶‍♂️
https://www.riversandroutes.com/events/welcome-to-alton-history-tours-2024/
📸 - Downtown Alton

08/07/2024

Check it out!!

All Town, USA did such an amazing job and we are so lucky to have partnered up to bring you the stories from the inside 🧱

Alton Odyssey Tours and All Town, USA have partnered to start a podcast about Alton History called "Behind the Bricks" and it is incredible! The first 4 episodes are live and feature the Grand Theater, Hotel Stratford, the Alton Telegraph, and Bluff City Brewery.
Click the link below or search for it on your favorite platform to have a listen!
https://www.altonodysseytours.com/behind-the-bricks

07/21/2024

Join us for the inaugural Welcome To Alton historical walking tour next weekend! Discover the fascinating stories of downtown Alton, IL, as we bring history to life in a fun and interactive way. Perfect for locals and tourists alike, this tour offers a short history lesson that will leave you with a newfound appreciation for our beautiful city. Book online today with discounted tickets for students and children!

07/17/2024

Alton Odyssey Tours is now offering Welcome to Alton history walking tours each month through September! Learn about the Underground Railroad and the pivotal role Alton played during the Civil War era. From Abraham Lincoln to Elijah P. Lovejoy, delve into the lives of influential individuals who left their mark on the Alton community during this one-hour tour. Alton Odyssey Tours is committed to providing a family-friendly experience appropriate for all ages. To learn more and see upcoming dates click the link! 🚶‍♀️🚶🚶‍♂️
https://www.riversandroutes.com/events/welcome-to-alton-history-tours-2024/

07/12/2024

Elsie wants to remind you of our upcoming Prohibition Tour. Use code PROHIBITION for 10% off this weekend only! Our tour includes two prohibition cocktails with each ticket! Limit seats available 🍻

07/07/2024

Alton Odyssey Tour's Prohibition Tour returns for its second season as Henchman Ivan Chiles (aka Kerry Miller) sneaks guests through Alton in a brightly colored shuttle bus. Rum runners, flappers, hotel maids and even a respectable brewmaster are all waiting to tell their side of the story. Vintage Voices and Alton Odyssey Tours partnered to bring characters of the Roaring Twenties to life. Based on documented accounts of Alton during Prohibition, it’s no wonder this area was “Wetter than the Mississippi.” Specially crafted cocktails of the era will be served Sat, July 13 at 3pm. For reservations visit www.AltonOdysseyTours.com

Photo caption: Sean Williams reveals the clandestine life of a rum runner along the Mississippi River