At the head of the Southern Illinois Wine Trail, a new family-friendly bed and breakfast complex is being constructed.

The Green Retreat is located on Chautauqua Road off Illinois 127 south of Murphysboro. Once completed, the entire complex will cover 87 acres and include rental cabins, a large bed and breakfast, business office and plenty of room to roam.

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Curious?

If you want to know more about this new business, the owners will be having a tour of the complex Saturday, Sept. 15, from noon till dusk. Once on Chautauqua Road, drive until you see the white horse fence, and you can't miss it.

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Construction began early in 2006 with clearing of the land and the building of two ponds. Foundations and a shop office are nearly finished, according to Michael Robinson, who is one of the partners in the retreat.

"It will be kid-friendly and a good place for people to bring their horses. We will have a large enough area for people to ride some trails with their horses and we will have cabins available for nightly or weekly rental."

Elizabeth Robinson, Michael Robinson's wife, is project manager. She taught environmental education in Florida and is planning on bringing her skills to the retreat in the form of green-friendly buildings, organic farming, environmental classes for children, and just a green retreat.

"All of our buildings are being built with the environment in mind, e-glass windows, extra insulation, and we are also looking into alternate sources of energy for the entire retreat. We plan on having an organic garden and also an organic hothouse to be able to have fresh vegetables available year-round," Elizabeth said.

The entire project is geared toward families being able to come here and enjoy the area. The construction is broken down into four phases. "By the spring of 2008 we should have two cabins built and the gardens started," Elizabeth said.

By fall 2008 the horse barn and the big bed and breakfast will be finished; completion of the entire complex is scheduled for 2009.

chuck.novara@thesouthern.com / 351-5082