Ravine Hiking and Spectacular Views at Dayton Bluffs Preserve in Ottawa, Illinois

 

Dayton Bluffs Preserve in Ottawa, Illinois offers a nature adventure full of deep ravines, Fox River views, wide open prairie, and magical woodlands. With its proximity to Starved Rock State Park and Matthiessen State Park, the preserve can easily be overlooked. However, Dayton Bluffs' trails present avenues for remarkable and inspiring nature adventures of their own.

Read More

Winter Wonderland at Kuechmann Arboretum and Kuechmann Kove in Lake Zurich, Illinois

 

Last Sunday, our winter wanders took us to Kuechmann Arboretum in Lake Zurich. Kuechmann Arboretum is an officially recognized arboretum and offers a beautiful home to 25 species of trees including some that are quite old. The oldest tree at Kuechmann is over 275 years old dating back to before the Revolutionary War!

Read More

8 Favorite Northern Illinois Waterfalls

Discovering Northern Illinois Waterfalls

Northern Illinois features a number of waterfalls both natural and manmade. We are still encountering new-to-us waterfalls on the trail. Here, I have collected a selection of my favorite waterfalls to enjoy during this hiking season. I love waterfalls of all sizes and appreciate their uniqueness. I hope that you enjoy these eight waterfalls:

Read More

15 Reasons to Visit Geneva, Illinois

15 Reasons to Visit Geneva, Illinois: History, Chocolate, Nature, Local Makers and More

Geneva is one of my favorite places to visit in Illinois to get away from it all. Whether I am in the mood for history, nature, chocolate, shopping or anything in between, Geneva has it with its own unique flare. Geneva offers so many interesting experiences including those exemplifying its Swedish heritage and intriguing history. Here are our 15 reasons we love Geneva:

Read More

Climbing a Traditional Dutch Style Windmill in Illinois

Climbing a Traditional Dutch Style Windmill in Illinois

Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva, Illinois is full of delightful surprises blending nature with architecture. Here you can tour the Fabyan Villa remodeled by Frank Lloyd Wright and wander a footbridge in a Japanese Tea Garden among other elements. Our recent visit presented the splendid opportunity to climb Fabyan Windmill.

Read More

11 Northern Illinois Hiking Trails To Know

11 Northern Illinois Hiking Trails To Know

Hiking in Northern Illinois features a wider variety of trails than many would think. I have discovered quite a few gems in our last few years of hiking explorations. I definitely have more to explore, but here are my favorites in Northern Illinois:

Read More

Early Spring Tranquility at Old School Forest Preserve in Mettawa, Illinois

Early Spring Tranquility at Old School Forest Preserve in Mettawa, Illinois

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year to hike because it is intriguing to see how nature wakes up a little more each day. Last week, we took advantage of a free afternoon to visit Old School Forest Preserve in Mettawa, IL and quickly noted the songs of the frogs indicating that nature indeed was waking up from its winter slumber!

Read More

La Grange Restaurant Week February 22-March 7, 2019

La Grange Restaurant Week February 22-March 7, 2019

La Grange Restaurant Week -- well, actually TWO weeks -- is popping up this Friday! The special foodie season in La Grange will feature 15 unique restaurants featuring Indian, Japanese, Italian, Latin and contemporary American flavors as well as some casual dining choices. The special multi-course menus will be available at lunch and/or dinner and will be $20, $25 or $30 per person (excludes tax and gratuity). It is recommended that you contact restaurants for reservations and more menu details. 

Read More

Fascinated by Clocks and Stained Glass at Halim Time and Glass Museum in Evanston, IL

Fascinated by Clocks and Stained Glass at Halim Time and Glass Museum

Halim Time and Glass Museum in Evanston, Illinois adds quite an intriguing museum option to the Chicago suburban area. The museum combines both the art of stained glass as well as a window into the history and development of keeping time. The museum does seem to be a bit eclectic but I liked how it combined two different art forms in quite a bit of detail under one roof. The museum displays the sizable collections of real estate developer Cameel Halim and his wife Hoda. He began the collection 30 years ago -- so there is quite a bit for the public to enjoy! As you explore the museum, you also gain more appreciation for the intricacies of each art that we often take for granted.

Read More

Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens in Rockford, Illinois: Tranquility in All Seasons

Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens in Rockford, Illinois: Tranquility in All Seasons

Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens in Rockford provided for the perfect nature oasis for this family on a cold winter day! Nicholas Conservatory is the third largest conservatory in Illinois and welcomes visitors to wander several paths and explore water features. We enjoyed a little time warming up in this tropical oasis!

Read More

Bald Eagle Days and Eagle Watching Coming Up in the Quad Cities

Eagles at Centennial Bridge image by Stacey Jeffery courtesy of Visit Quad Cities

Bald Eagle Days and Eagle Watching Coming Up in the Quad Cities

Winter is a fabulous time to look for bald eagles along the Mississippi River in Illinois. The Quad Cities have some excellent opportunities to view the majestic birds and learn from naturalists. Take a peek:

Read More

Visiting Cuneo Mansion and Gardens in Vernon Hills, Illinois

Visiting Cuneo Mansion and Gardens in Vernon Hills, Illinois

Tours of the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens welcome the public to an intriguing estate full of stories, art, unique architectural elements, exquisite furnishings, outdoor sculptures in the gardens and more. Since the mansion is not always open to public, we really felt like we were uncovering rare treasures during our tour.

Read More

Exploring Lena Brewing in Lena, Illinois

Illinois Made Lena Beer at Lena Brewing Company

On the drive from Chicago suburbia to Galena a couple of weeks ago, we spotted an interesting brewery -- Lena Brewing Company. The brewing company is housed in a repurposed feed mill building, so we could already feel that Lena was unique and had community spirit. We were right!

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

Lunching It At Town House Books and Cafe in St. Charles, IL

On a weekend visit to St. Charles, Illinois, we visited Town House Books and Cafe for the first time for a little lunch. The adorable local business is housed in a historic home dating back to the 1850's. The quaint shop and cafe provide the perfect ambiance for us to relax a bit on a Sunday afternoon.

Read More

Enjoying Something Sweet at Pease's Candy in Springfield, Illinois

On our road trips, I often look for some type of local chocolate or ice cream to visit along route. I had heard from my friend Cindy at Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl about Pease's Candy in Springfield, IL and immediately put it on my list. On our way back from Grafton, Illinois, we had the opportunity to stop and I am so glad that we did:

Read More

Knoch Knolls Nature Center and Hiking in Naperville, Illinois

Knoch Knolls Nature Center and its hiking trails present a wealth of nature explorations for families. The preserve is at the confluence of the West Branch of the DuPage River and the East Branch of the DuPage River. The rivers along with another pond near the nature center yield beautiful views. The preserve also includes forest and prairie ecosystems as well as a selection of outdoor activities.

Read More

One State, One Plate, One Story: Getting to Know your Illinois Farm Neighbors

**Disclosure: Illinois Farm Families invited my to enjoy a farm-to-table meal and meet local Illinois farmers. My meal was complimentary. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Last week, I attended an incredible farm-to-table dinner hosted by Illinois Farm Families in conjunction with Momma Cuisine at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The evening provided an opportunity to learn about farming in Illinois, where our food comes from and how it is produced.

Read More

Hiking and Skipping Stones in Matthiessen State Park in Illinois

Canyons, bluffs, waterfalls, ponds, a lake, a stream, caverns and more make Matthiessen State Park in Oglesby, Illinois a natural wonder. We were immediately enchanted during a recent hike at Matthiessen a couple of weeks ago. Take a peek:

Read More

Relaxing at Old Bakery Beer Company in Alton, Illinois

On our recent visit to Alton, we were thrilled to discover Old Bakery Beer Company. I can tell you that had the microbrewery been in Alton when we lived there, we would have spent many an hour there. We stopped in for a lunch and immediately fell in love. I mean, any place where Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, Miles Davis, Robert Wadlow and the Piasa Bird settle at the bar has to be awesome!

Read More