Welcome to Illinois!

Looks like you live or are planning a Illinois-based hard cider trip! Congrats on what is going to be a very fun Midwest adventure. From Rockford to Chicago, Springfield to the Illinois side of St. Louis, Illinois has something for everyone, including cider. Below we have a map that highlights all cideries in the state.

Below that section, we have some Illinois-specific cider news and stories from our regional coverage. Looking for some other things to do than drink cider in Illinois? We provide lists of places to go! Want to know what apples are specific to the region? We have you cover for that as well at the bottom of the page.

Have any other questions about the area? Send a message to Team@ciderscene.com. Cheers!


Illinois Cider Map



Illinois Cider News & Stories


  • Getting to Know Unpossible Mead
    The craft beverage industry is an ever-growing landscape with new characters every week.  One of the fermented drinks that recently started to get more attention is […]
  • Cider Summit Chicago Goes Virtual
    One of our favorite cider events has a change of plans. Cider Summit Chicago is accepting pre-orders for its “Festival-To-Go Tasting Kits.”  Kits are being released in […]
  • Affy Tapple Beer Collab with Phase 3 Brewing
    When it comes to the Chicagoland area two things we know for sure are food and beer.  That is why we were delighted to hear that […]
  • South Loop Cider & Beer Festival 2018
    Chicago’s South Loop Festival has become a year-round staple for cider drinkers to gather in Women’s Park.  We have attended the festival for the last couple […]
  • Second Annual Chicago Cider Week
    Submitted by info@chicagociderweek.com Surrounded by Michigan, Wisconsin, and Northern Illinois, Chicago enjoys a rich culture of apples. Cider is naturally Chicago’s drink of choice for celebrating and […]
  • Ferro Farms: Midwest Masters
    What makes most cider and cidermaking intriguing to our team is the grounding nature of family and tradition in the industry. Small farms or family-owned orchards […]
  • Event Preview: Morton Arboretum Cider Festival 2017
      Another year has passed and fall is upon us… again.  There is no reason to fret, lone traveler. Fall season is the best season! And […]
  • Foraging: Wild Alchemy Cider
    As cider lovers, we all know that the magic is in the fruit, the apple!  Less often thought about is how all apples don’t always come […]

Things to Do In Illinois


Visiting a region just for the cideries? We admire your dedication. If you can every get off of the cider stool at a local haunt, we provided some amazing lists that highlight some of the best activities up and around Chicago. As a state, most of the taprooms and cider can be had in the Northeastern part of the state.

Chicago, Il

Chicago Suburbs


Apples in Illinois


Information sourced from University of Illinois Extension.

Summer eating & cooking:
‘Stark Earliest,’ ‘Viking Transparent’, ‘Redfree’, ‘Pristine’

Early fall eating & cooking:
‘Prima’ (scab immune), ‘Gala,’ ‘Empire,’ ‘Ginger Gold’, ‘Mollies Delicious’, ‘Ozark Gold’, ‘Sansa’, ‘Williams Pride’

Fall eating & cooking:
‘Jonathan,’ ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Red Delicious,’ ‘McIntosh’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Cortland’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Jonagold’

Winter eating & cooking:
‘Winesap,’ ‘Turley,’ ‘Fuji,’ ‘Rome’, ‘Enterprise’, ‘Braeburn’, ‘Mutsu’, ‘Cameo’, ‘Goldrush’

Plant any two except ‘Winesap’ and ‘Turley’ (both have sterile pollen) for cross-pollination.


Have an article you want included? Are we missing a Illinois cidery or event? If so, send us an email to Team@CiderScene.com and we can include it! We may even add a new section for valuable information for everyone’s future cider trips!