A Day at the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show

What an adventure we had at the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show today! The show packed more surprises than I expected and the jubilant atmosphere invited exploration and fun!

The event did host destinations from all over the US and the world. Locales ranged from nearby Wisconsin all the way to safaris in Africa and plenty of places in between. So, there is something to explore for every traveler! The Travel and Adventure Show is more than booths. The adventure also includes experiences, flavors and talks.

One of the first booths I visited happened to be Old World Wisconsin! I have always loved Old World Wisconsin and enjoyed talking with the ladies. At the travel show, Old World Wisconsin has a section where you can ride large bikes and another section where there is live woodworking.

Tasting Arizona wine!

Some booths brought along flavors from their locales like wine from Arizona.

An Arizona-inspired salad.

Arizona also featured a salad made before our eyes! (Guess what -- it was yummy!)

A mariachi band!

Sounds from all over the world floated about. We enjoyed the mariachi band quite a bit!

Dance and music from all over the world!

The Global Beats Stage featured sounds and dance from all over the world.

Samantha Brown talks about what she has learned from travel.

Speakers gave insight including travel tips and tidbits. So awesome to see Samantha Brown, one of the speakers.

Meeting President Lincoln!

You never know who you will meet at the Travel and Adventure Show. Honored to have met President Lincoln straight from Illinois' own Springfield!

Surprisingly large dive pool!

Plenty of fun awaits at the Travel and Adventure Show including a dive tank. The tank was larger than I thought it would be -- impressive. There also were virtual reality experiences, camel rides and segway rides.

I am pretty eager to get on the road and visit some of the neat places now on my radar like Red Wing, Minnesota! Red Wing is home of the largest boot and makes not only Red Wing shoes but pottery as well. Thanks to the Travel and Adventure Show, it is now on my list!

We had such a fun day exploring the Travel and Adventure Show! Time to work on planning adventures to our newly discovered treasures!

• Other locations to come in 2017: San Francisco Bay (Feb. 11-12), Los Angeles (Feb. 18-19), San Diego (Mar. 4-5), Denver (Mar. 18-19), Philadelphia (Mar. 25-26) and Dallas (Apr. 1-2) 

**Disclosure: I will receive complimentary tickets to the Travel & Adventure Show in order to bring coverage to you. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.