Pease’s Candy has been a staple in Springfield, Illinois, since 1930. The chocolate company still uses many of the same recipes for their confections that they’ve used for a hundred years. Folks who live in the Springfield area are bound to be familiar with the pink box filled chocolate goodness, but you don’t even have to visit Springfield to enjoy this local tradition. Read more
There’s a party atmosphere every night at the MB Financial Park at Rosemont, Illinois. Make that all day and all night, with a dozen venues in a single complex that offer everything from bowling to upscale dining. And in the outdoor common area, you can attend concerts or Zumba classes in the summer, ice skate in the winter. Read more
Are you going to the Illinois State Fair? Be sure to take the Illinois State Fair Ag Tour for an inside view of the state’s agriculture industry.
Living in the Midwest, we don’t often get to tropical destinations. However, when I visit a conservatory filled with palm trees, tropical flora and rushing waterfalls, I feel relaxed, like I’m on a tropical vacation, if only for a little while. At 11,000 square feet, Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens in Rockford is Illinois’ third-largest conservatory. A stroll through the gardens beyond the conservatory, filled with blossoming flowers, a lagoon with fountains and more waterfalls extend the serene mood.
Let us take you on a video tour of the conservatory and gardens: Read more
The bronze sculpture of a woman standing in the rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol welcomed us with open arms. She stands directly beneath a beautiful stained-glass dome that tops the building where Illinois law is proposed, debated and put to legislative vote. Taking a look around the Italian Renaissance Revival building, statues, paintings and ornate walls and ceilings surrounded us. To learn more about the art, architecture and what goes on in the capitol, we took the free half-hour tour. Read more
You’d be hard pressed to find a fair in the United States that doesn’t sell corn dogs. State fairs, county fairs, and local carnivals always include at least one vendor selling the hotdogs enrobed in cornmeal batter, deep fried to golden perfection and served on a stick. But did you know that corn dogs weren’t always served on a stick? Nor were they fried. Rather, they were baked and took quite a while to prepare. Ed Waldmire, Jr., who may have invented the corn dog, first served them at the Cozy Dog Drive-In over sixty years ago. Today, tourists continue to stop at Cozy Dog in Springfield, Illinois, for a taste of nostalgic Americana as they travel Route 66 .
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