My fiance went to SIU and lived in the area for a total of 8yrs, so he has been wanting to take me to Carbondale, Giant City, and many of the wineries in the area. The stay in Alto Pass is charming, I've never stayed in a 300 person town.
We stayed in the front unit and it was comfortable, and extremely clean... no dust bunnies, left over food, or random unwanted hairs in sight lol.
The town itself does have short trail right outside the front door, a small corner store, and a bourbon bar across the street. There is also a winery 3minutes driving.
We will be back for SIU events and hopefully we'll be able to stay in alto pass again!