Looking for Ghosts in Pythian Castle

We spent the early evening at a murder-mystery dinner in Pythian Castle’s ballroom. Now the mood changed, from light-hearted to eerie, on a 10 p.m. tour of the Pythian Castle. We were going to look for the ghosts that haunt the building. Read more

Midway Village Museum: Sock Monkeys, Women’s Baseball and a Victorian Village

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois April 14, 2015June 29, 2016Midway Village Museum, monkey sock doll, original sock monkey, original sock monkey doll, Rockford, Rockford attractions, Rockford IL, sock monkey history, sock monkey museum, sock monkey original, the original sock monkey, the sock monkey, things to do in Rockford, Victorian Village in Rockford 0 Comment

Sock monkeys got their start here. It was home to one of the best teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Its original name was Midway. These are some of the fascinating facts I learned about Rockford, Illinois, when I visited the Midway Village Museum. Read more

Murder Mystery Dinner in Pythian Castle: Springfield, Missouri

Connie Attractions & Events, Missouri April 7, 2015November 22, 2015Murder Mystern Dinner, Pythian Castle, pythian castle missouri, pythian castle springfield, Springfield MO, Springfield MO attractions 2 Comments

What better place to hold a murder mystery dinner than a haunted castle, especially as a prelude to a ghost tour? A murder mystery would certainly set the mood for the haunted tour that we would attend later that night. We approached the daunting limestone Pythian Castle just before dusk, walking up the stairs toward the massive wooden entrance doors. Read more

More to Giant Crosses than Visible from the Interstate

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois, Texas April 3, 2015March 20, 2024Amarillo Cross, Cross at the Crossroads, Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, Effingham cross, Effingham Illinois, Giant Cross, Groom Texas 4 Comments

We passed the giant Cross at the Crossroads dozens of times over the years. Repeatedly, we commented that on one of our trips we should stop to check out the cross that soars into the sky just off the interstate where I-57 and I-70 intersect at Effingham, Illinois. We finally visited recently following our visit to another giant cross in Groom, Texas, the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How Reptile Gardens Blends Beauty and Beast

Connie Attractions & Events, South Dakota March 23, 2015May 14, 2015black hills attractions, rapid city attractions, Reptile Gardens, reptile gardens sd, reptile park, South Dakota tourism 0 Comment

Reptile Gardens seems an oxymoron to me. I think of gardens as plant life, beautiful colorful flowers. The word “reptiles” brings to mind exactly that: snakes, lizards and alligators. How can the two possibly coexist in one attraction? The Reptile Gardens in Rapid City, South Dakota, does it well, combining a botanic garden with the largest collection of reptiles on the planet, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, with 225 species and subspecies, over 1,000 animals altogether. Read more

Discover the Romance of Yesteryear’s Carousels at Sandusky’s Merry-Go-Round Museum

Connie Attractions & Events, Ohio March 22, 2015May 18, 2015antique carousels, Carousel museum in Sandusky, Merry-Go-Round Museum, Merry-Go-Round Museum Sandusky Ohio, Sandusky Ohio 9 Comments

One of the first amusement park rides you ever rode as a child was most likely the carousel. You chose the most colorful and bejeweled horse. Your tiny legs sprawled across the saddle, not nearly long enough to reach the stirrups. You squeezed the brass pole, one sweaty hand above the other, excited and nervous at the same time. Mom or dad stood next to you, holding you, reassuring you’d be safe. As the calliope music began and the carousel started to turn, your horse inched forward and at the same time began to rise and glide down again, over and over. The ride picked up the pace until you reached a smooth gallop on the twirling carousel, the world around you passing by in a blur. Read more