Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Makanda, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Makanda and the surrounding area.

• Weather ...
  • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
  • The National Weather Service forecast for Makanda

• Astronomy & Satellites ...
  • Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
  • To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Makanda:
  • 37.618065, -89.235032
  • Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
  • The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Makanda

• Bird Watching ...
  • We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
  • The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Jackson County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • eBird sighting report for Jackson County
  • Since Makanda is near Union County and also Williamson County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • eBird sighting report for Union County
  • eBird sighting report for Williamson County

• Waymarking ...
  • Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
  • Waymark.com

Curious and Interesting Names Near Makanda ...

As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.

• Anna
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
  • Anna is located in Union County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,059 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anna <1>
• Carbondale
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
  • Carbondale is located in Jackson County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,036 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carbondale <1>
• Evergreen Terrace
  (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Terrace
  • Evergreen Terrace is located in Jackson County
• Lick Creek
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lick Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
  • Lick Creek is located in Union County
• Mason
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
  • Mason is located in Union County
• Mountain Glen
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Glen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Glen
  • Mountain Glen is located in Union County
• Poplar Ridge
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poplar Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Ridge
  • Poplar Ridge is located in Jackson County
• Reeds Station
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reeds Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Station
  • Reeds Station is located in Jackson County
• Texas Junction
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Texas Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texas Junction
  • Texas Junction is located in Jackson County
• Water Valley
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
  • Water Valley is located in Union County
• Wolf Creek
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
  • Wolf Creek is located in Williamson County

How Far From Makanda to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a village such as Makanda to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Makanda and extending to:

• Murphysboro, which is the Seat of Jackson County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<3> to the north northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Makanda to Murphysboro, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
• Springfield, which is the State Capital of Illinois, lies 151 miles [243 km] to the north (N). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 9 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 666 miles [1,071.8 km] to the east (E). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 38 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,450 miles [10,380.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,180 miles [11,555.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,057 miles [8,138.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Makanda. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Jackson County: www.co.jackson.il.us/

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov