Transit Tees Products Inspired by Chicago, Designed and Produced Locally

Chicago Designed and Produced Buttons and Magnets from Transit Tees

**Disclosure: I did receive complimentary products from Transit Tees in order to share their products with you. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Transit Tees produces signature products reflecting iconic and nostalgic Chicago symbols, landmarks, novelties and more. Chicago's Transit Tees crafts quite a range of items from tees to coffee mugs to patches to button pins to backpacks to notebooks to prints and more. Overall, I have to say that I am pretty amazed by the number of products that Transit Tees offers as well as the company's ability to reflect so many unique aspects of Chicago. All Transit Tees products are designed locally and a good number are produced or printed locally.

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Exploring Duluth Makers in Our Lincoln Park

Exploring Duluth Makers in Our Lincoln Park

We ventured to the Our Lincoln Park area of Duluth for a little bit during our getaway to amble about this up and coming craft district. The weather was beautiful and it was certainly time for exploring:

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Investigating Early Industry at Hopewell Furnace

Investigating Early Industry at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Pennsylvania

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, Pennsylvania provided our family with an afternoon learning about early industry in the United States set inside a scenic nature preserve. When we visited my family in Pennsylvania, we savored beautiful spring weather and went on an exploration of the historic site.

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Sprecher Brewing Co. Brewery Tour {Milwaukee}

Sprecher Brewing Co. Brewery Tour

Sprecher Brewing Co. definitely has a fantastic idea for a winter day -- visiting for a brewery tour! One particular chilly day last month, we ventured to Milwaukee for a little adventure including a brewery tour in nearby Glendale.

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Holiday Shopping in Galena, Illinois

Holiday Shopping and Small Business Exploring in Galena, Illinois

Our weekend holiday getaway to Galena, Illinois was just what we needed to start off the holiday season, revel in small business explorations and event get a little shopping done! Of course, there was time for wine tasting too! My husband and I opted to sneak away to Galena for a weekend in November and it was just the recharge we needed. Immediately upon arrival, one is charmed by Galena's historic main street:

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7 Made in USA Gifts for the Traveler

7 Made in USA Gifts for the Traveler

My favorite gifts to give are ones made in the USA.  Whenever I travel I like to pick up something made in that place to bring back with me. But, isn't it also awesome to travel with items made here in the USA? If you are shopping for a traveler, here are some of my favorite travel items made in the USA:

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Exploring Dirty Bear Soap in Beloit, Wisconsin

Dirty Bear Soap: An Interesting and Fun Local Maker in Beloit, Wisconsin:

**Disclosure: Thank you to Visit Beloit for hosting my family's visit to Beloit. Thank you to Dirty Bear for supplying a complimentary product for me to try!

On our visit to Beloit, Wisconsin, our search for locally made items led us to quite an intriguing and fun find -- Dirty Bear Soap! Dirty Bear Soap is a family run company crafting quality whimsical, fun and useful bath products. Highlights include soap, bath bombs, body butters, beard oils, dog bath products and so much more.

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Tala Coffee Roasters in Highwood, Illinois

Sipping on Locally Roasted Coffee at Tala Coffee Roasters in Highwood, Illinois

Tala Coffee Roasters in Highwood crafted the perfect mocha latte to warm me up on a recent crisp autumn day! My husband and I noticed Tala a few weeks ago when we attended the Highwood Pumpkin Festival and knew we had to return. Last weekend provided the perfect opportunity. The coffee shop is located in a repurposed firehouse which adds another element of character.

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Tillamook Creamery: Learning About How Cheese Is Made ... and Trying Some, Of Course!

Tillamook Creamery in Tillamook, Oregon is a very well-rounded family experience. During our visit to Oregon, we spent two days along the Oregon Coast and I knew that we had to check out Tillamook once. Well, we loved it so much that we went twice.  The centerpiece of the creamery allows visitors to see cheese being made and parts of the production process you may not think about like cutting the blocks and making adjustments to create standard blocks. However, there is much more to experience at the creamery!

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Traveling on the Empire Builder Train to Washington and Oregon

We just returned from a summer adventure riding Amtrak's Empire Builder to Seattle and returning via Portland, Oregon with several excursions in Washington and Oregon. Our overall trip lasted 10 days with four days of train travel. Our adventures in between our train treks included hiking, visiting gardens, enjoying beach days, learning about cheese making, exploring Washington's capitol and more. We packed in a lot of exploration and the train trip was a great part of the adventure! Follow along as I share our discoveries including:

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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:

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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.

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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!

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Scenes Around German Village in Columbus, Ohio

On our last day driving back from Annapolis, we stopped for lunch at German Village in Columbus, Ohio. We visited German Village a couple of years ago and fell in love. With a little time to mosey along, we decided to stop. German immigrants originally began settling in the area in the mid-1800's so there is incredible character and history in German Village. It is truly a special place to visit.

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Eclat Chocolate in West Chester, Pennsylvania

Chocolate. Chocolate somehow always makes it way into our road trips. I wonder how? Could it be that I love locally made chocolate?  While in Pennsylvania visiting family, we ventured into Eclat Chocolate in West Chester. On a previous trip to Pittsburgh, I savored an Eclat bar I discovered at a local chocolate shop. So, I was thrilled to have an opportunity to explore Eclat's Factory Store!

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All Chocolate Kitchen in Geneva, Illinois: Chocolate Heaven

We have found chocolate heaven at All Chocolate Kitchen! All Chocolate Kitchen located in Geneva, Illinois is the creation of renowned Pastry Chef Alain Roby. Chef Roby developed his culinary art in Paris and has won numerous accolades. He has been featured on numerous Food Network Shows, The Martha Stewart Show and The Learning Channel as well as many publications. Chef Roby even holds several Guinness Book of World Records titles including the longest candy cane.

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Working with Glass at Patterson Glassworks in Mundelein, Illinois

Patterson Glassworks in Mundelein, Illinois offers hands-on experiences creating glass art. The hot glass studio offers classes, open houses and team building. Of course, the local artists create fabulous glass art as well! The studio provides the community with an incredible opportunity to understand how glass art is made not only by seeing it in action but trying it as well.

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Discoveries in French Lick, Indiana

After visiting the French Lick Baden Museum, we spent some time exploring French Lick. While there is quite a bit of shopping available within both French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel, there are definitely are a lot of discoveries to be made within quaint French Lick.

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Midway Village Rockford's History Museum Provides Connection with the Past

During our recent visit to Rockford, we visited Midway Village Rockford's History Museum to learn a bit of the foundations that have created Rockford. The museum presented fascinating facts about Rockford and gave us more appreciation for the place we were visiting.

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Chicago Suburbs Small Business Connection

To make it a little easier for small businesses and fans to connect, I have created a Facebook Group. I have set it up as a space where we can collaborate, share ideas and share our news. The group is relatively new, so I am still developing the rhythm. Overall, I want it to be as easygoing as possible because I know how busy we all are! Please join us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChicagoSuburbsSmallBusinessConnection/

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