Open House Chicago Invites Exploration Of Historical and Architectural Marvels

 

During an October weekend each fall, the Chicago Architecture Center welcomes the community to visit dozens of architecturally, historically, and culturally significant structures throughout the city for free. On October 19, we enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day wandering through a number of truly interesting structures in Chicago.

Read More

Conservatories and Butterfly Enclosures of Chicago and Milwaukee

 

Conservatories and butterfly enclosures in both Chicago and Milwaukee treat to summer experiences during the depths of winter. When I need a little green uplift, I like to wander the paths of one of our local conservatories or butterfly enclosures. I am sharing a list of my favorite indoor greenspaces in the area to help you enjoy a little winter adventure with vibrant flora:

Read More

Late Summer Amble Through North Park Village Nature Center and Walking Stick Woods Natural Area in Chicago

 

Late Summer Amble Through North Park Village Nature Center and Walking Stick Woods Natural Area in Chicago

Some visitors to the Chicago area may be quite pleasantly surprised by all of the nature spaces we have in the region including within the city itself.  North Park Village Nature Center and Walking Stick Woods Natural Area in the North Park Village of Chicago represents one of these treasures. Within its 46 acres, wanderers can find a nature mosaic of woodlands, wetlands, savanna and prairie.

Read More

Evening Stroll Around Serene Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in Lincoln Park, Chicago

 

Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool enchants visitors with a tranquil, lily-adorned pool framed by native plants and layered stone slabs. While located in Chicago's Lincoln Park, the preserve provides a breathtaking spot of calm tucked inside of a busy city.

Read More

Capturing Childhood Whimsy at Chicago's Oz Park

 

Skipping Along With Familiar Oz Friends at Chicago's Oz Park

Childhood magic bubbles throughout the whimsical Oz Park tucked in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Not too far from notable Chicago family favorites the Lincoln Park Zoo and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, amblers visit with the fanciful and charming characters of Wizard of Oz adding to family adventures to the area.

Read More

10 Places to Pick Up Local Craft Brews in Chicago's North and Northwest Suburbs

10 Places to Pick Up Local Craft Brews in Chicago's North and Northwest Suburbs

We are so lucky to have many local craft brewers here in the Chicago suburbs! My husband and I enjoy visiting when we can to try samplers. So much fun to taste a range of beer! If you are looking for a way to support a local small business during this time, our local breweries are offering ways to pick up craft beer to bring home. I put together a list of 10 in the North and Northwest suburbs for you to check out. Please check their websites for further details on availability, times and if you need to order ahead. Here are 10 great local craft breweries to explore:

Read More

Favorite Midwest City Views and Skylines

Midwest City Skylines and Views: Favorite Views of Midwestern Cities of All Sizes

Midwestern cities of all sizes have some truly fabulous views! On quite a few of my adventures recently, I have enjoyed some pretty spectacular city views. So, I thought that I would collect a few true treasures here in the Midwest with the help of some of my Midwest travel writer friends to help us all with some trip planning. Whether you are looking for a skyline full of skyscrapers, a melding if historic buildings, beautiful cities along the waterfront, cities blending into the countryside or anything in between, there is a view certainly here to inspire you! Enjoy our favorites across the Midwest:

Read More

Chicago Food Tours with Chicago Food Planet: Exploring a World of Food, Architecture and History

Chicago Food Planet Second City Classic Food Tour

**Disclosure: Thank you to Chicago Food Planet for inviting my family to sample a food tour! We did receive a complimentary food tour in order to bring you this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Our Second City Classic Food Tour with Chicago Food Planet introduced us to the unique melding of history, food and architecture of Chicago's Gold Coast and Old Town neighborhoods. Throughout our tour, we savored tasty Chicago food while hearing the family stories behind each venue. During our walk, we learned more about the history and architecture of these very distinct neighborhoods.

Read More

Museum of Science and Industry: Perfect Winter Day Exploring Science

Museum of Science and Industry: Perfect Winter Day Exploring Science

**Disclosure: My family was provided with complimentary admission to bring you this review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% my own.

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago provides an engaging opportunity for science exploration which is perfect for a cold winter day! With so many hands-on exhibits and unique experiences, it can certainly take several days to thoroughly explore the museum. So, I can say that it definitely will keep your family intrigued and occupied while learning during a cold winter day. While the Museum of Science of Industry is a cornucopia of science learning year round, the museum serves as a welcome adventure during Chicago winters!

Read More

Lunch at Chicago French Market: A Food Adventure

Lunch at Chicago French Market: A Food Adventure

Chicago French Market's fun and flavorful culinary exploration is in a slightly hidden spot below busy Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago. So, the collection of tempting food booths can easily be missed during a visit to Chicago. However, Chicago French Market is definitely one of my favorite places to eat and makes accommodating a variety of tastes pretty easy.

Read More

Andersonville Brewing in Chicago

Andersonville Brewing Company for Brews and Burgers:

During a weekend visit to the Andersonville neighborhood, we stopped in for lunch at Andersonville Brewing. Andersonville Brewing is nanobrewery and pub. We had to do our due diligence and try some beer made in the area, right?

Read More

Open House Chicago October 13-14

Open House Chicago put together by the Chicago Architectural Center is coming up October 13-14, 2018. During Open House Chicago, the public is invited to explore notable structures throughout the Chicago area for free. Many of the locations give behind-the-scenes peeks and all the public unique access to buildings and areas not always accessible. The event includes 250 structures and admission to all of them is free!

Read More

Exploring Swedish Heritage in Chicago at the Swedish American Museum

Exploring Swedish Heritage in Chicago at the Swedish American Museum

A few weeks ago we took a little adventure to Andersonville here in Chicago to visit the Swedish American Museum. Swedish immigrants played an important role in the development of Chicago, so we were pretty interested in learning about this Swedish community. In fact by 1870, the Swedes living in Chicago represented the largest cluster in the United States and at one point there were more Swedes in Chicago than any other place in the world outside of Stockholm. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Swedes began to move into the Andersonville neighborhood. Elements of that Swedish heritage still remain in Andersonville, so it is the perfect home for the Swedish American Museum.

Read More

Nic's Organic Fast Food: Our New Option for Quick Service Food

**Disclosure: I did receive a complimentary meal at Nic's Organic Fast Food in order to bring you this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

On a recent rainy day, my husband and I went on a lunch adventure to Nic's Organic Fast Food in Rolling Meadows. The restaurant piqued our interest because we are always looking for quick service food options for those busy days but don't really have what we would consider a decent sized list to choose from. So, new options are always welcome!

Read More

Coffee Time at Coffee Speaks in Highland Park, Illinois

I am always of the lookout for coffee spots in the Chicago suburbs. Well, truthfully I am looking for places that make great mocha lattes. A couple of weekends ago, we decided to spend some time strolling around Highland Park. I figured that it was the perfect opportunity to try Coffee Speaks.

Read More

2018 Native Plant Sales in the Chicago Suburbs

Time to plan your gardens! I love to plant natives here in my Chicago suburban home because the attract all sorts of butterflies and birds. Plus, they are pretty easy to take care of! Because they are prairie plants, they are tolerant to skipping a watering here and there. My best friends! Here is a look at some native plants sales in our area. Some do have the option to pre-order which I recommend taking advantage of. Head to the individual websites for more on pre-ordering:

Read More

Early Spring Scenes from Crabtree Nature Center

Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington Hills, IL is alive with the sounds of spring! While we still have a little while before spring "officially" starts, a recent hike through the preserve revealed our native wildlife already making preparations for the season ahead. This time of year is one of my favorites to hike because there are generally fewer hikers and the barrens trees make it much easier to see birds.

Read More

Scenes from The Orchid Show at Chicago Botanic Garden

On Sunday we spent some time in the tropics without leaving the Chicago area by visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show! The annual show provides a much need brilliant bloom infusion for this time of the year! An incredible number of orchids are on display in the greenhouses and adjoining exhibit rooms. This year's theme is Asia in Bloom.

Read More

6 February Chocolate Experiences in the Chicago Suburbs

Valentine's Day is around the corner and we are all craving chocolatey goodness! Here are some chocolate experiences to have on your list this month:

Read More

Top Places to Snowshoe in the Chicago Suburbs

A snow wonderland is here in Chicago! I love snowshoeing in our preserves. Just something about the stillness while hearing the crunching under your feet is calming. Good thing we have plenty of places in the Chicago suburbs to snowshoe! Here are some ideas! **When planning a snowshoeing adventure, remember to bring your driver's license because you may have to leave it while renting. Also, call ahead to verify availability.** Snowshoeing does require between 4"-6" of snow on the trails and the required amount may vary by preserve.

Read More