Two Loft Rentals Under Construction in Alto Pass

A northern Illinois teacher is investing time and capital on a new lodging opportunity along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.

Brian Stone is converting the old Alto Pass General Store into two two-bedroom loft rentals for tourists. He told the Southern Illinoisan he hopes to be ready for tourists late this summer.

"It's just been my dream to have a business like this on the wine trail. I just always believed in Southern Illinois," said Stone, a teacher in northern Illinois. "People have always been doing cabins down there. I thought to do something out of the box and com-pletely different to give an alternative."

The Alto Wine Trail Loft will be located at 5 Elm Street in downtown Alto Pass.

Stone joins about 50 other independent lodging operators in the western Shawnee Hills.