It’s Apple Picking Time at Royal Oak Farm Orchard, Harvard IL

Connie Attractions & Events, Food & Drink, Illinois September 19, 2013September 19, 2013apple picking illinois, Illinois attractions, Orchards in Illinois, Royal Oak Farm Orchard 0 Comment

Apple pie, apple strudel, apple turnover, applesauce, apple butter, apple cider, or a big bite into a crisp, freshly picked apple. Sweet, tart, or somewhere in between. However you like your apples, Royal Oak Farm Orchard has them for you to bake, cook, or eat as-is. Wow, do they have the apples, 15,000 trees and 29 varieties.

For three months every year, from mid-August to late October, Royal Oak Farm Orchard, the largest orchard in northern Illinois, is open six days a week (closed Sundays) for you to pick apples. Raspberries are available in late summer and early fall, and you can pick your Halloween pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, too.

Royal Oak has a great cafeteria-style restaurant that serves sandwiches like pulled pork or Italian beef, entrees like their famous chicken pot pie, salads, soups, and delicious desserts like fresh-baked pies and apple slices.Besides apple picking, lots of activities are available, too. You can listen to music, sometimes live, as the kids play on the playground or visit the petting zoo.

Ride with the kids on the Royal Oak Express, a trackless train ride, or the carousel.

On the hay wagon tour of the orchard, you’ll learn the orchard’s history, see the present and hear about the future, like the apple tree maze that was planted and will be available for use in 2015. The trees are planted close together to form European-styled hedge maze.

Be sure to stop in to the Country Store, where you can purchase fall decor items, jams, jellies and syrups, and baked treats like fruit pies, turnovers, strudel, and their popular apple cider donuts.

If you don’t care to pick your own apples, you can buy them pre-picked in the Apple Barn, along with lots of other fresh, colorful fall fruits, vegetables, pumpkins, and gourds.

Royal Oak Farm Orchard is located at 15908 Hebron Road in Harvard, Illinois. Admission is free, but there is a small fee for the train, carousel and orchard tour. They are open in 2013 through November 16. Check the web site for exact hours and u-pick schedule.

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Richardson Adventure Farm: World’s Largest Corn Maze and a Whole Lot More

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois September 17, 2013September 17, 2013corn maze Illinois, Illinois attractions, Richardson Adventure Farm, World's largest corn maze 0 Comment

The corn maze laid out in a complex pattern commemorating the 50^th anniversary of The Beatles’ First Album is the world’s largest. Yet, it isn’t technically a maze because it isn’t full of dead ends. It’s more of a labyrinth that includes four games, ranging from a simple one that young kids can complete to the challenging full 10.7 miles of trails with 24 checkpoints. You can do it at night, too, to add to the adventure. As amazing as the maze is, it’s only part of the fun at Richardson Adventure Farm, packed with activities for every age.

You can climb this 50 foot tower…

…and see the corn maze below.

Or stop at the 30 foot level and zip line down the 700 foot line.

There’s a little zip for the kids, too.

And a mini rope maze with a timer for competition.

The kids can slide through a tube…

…or jump on the jumping pillow. I was tempted myself.

You can orb, roll down the hill while strapped in this giant ball if you dare.

Take in a show of the singing chickens.

Or visit the petting zoo, where bunnies have their own village and goats cross a bridge to get from one pen to the other.

You have to see the fun pig races.

See a pig race here:

And you can pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, too.

The main attraction, of course, is the giant corn maze, but there is plenty to keep you busy the entire day, or even into the evening, when the campfires begin and the farm takes on a totally different persona.

Richardson Adventure Farm is located at 9405 Richardson Road in Spring Grove, Illinois. One admission includes the corn maze and many activities. There is an extra fee for some activities. Check the Richardson Adventure Farm web site for details.

Do you have a favorite corn maze? Post in the comments below.

(Some photography and the video by V.C. Reed, Jr.)

Pontiac Oakland Museum, Pontiac Illinois: Auto Nostalgia along Route 66

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois September 10, 2013June 2, 2022Illinois attractions, Pontiac Illinois, Pontiac Museum, Route 66, Route 66 Museum 0 Comment

What do you do with a collection of 20 restored Pontiacs and Oaklands and more memorabilia than you have room to store? Open a museum, of course. And what better place to open the Pontiac Oakland Museum than Pontiac, Illinois, a popular stop along the historic Route 66? That’s exactly what Tim Dye did when he and his wife Penny pulled up roots from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and moved their collection to Illinois.

Tour Stone Hill Winery, Hermann MO: Most Historic and Awarded Winery in the State

Connie Attractions & Events, Food & Drink, Missouri September 5, 2013November 22, 2015Attractions in Missouri, Hermann Missouri, Stone Hill Winery, wineries in missouri 1 Comment

Entering Stone Hill Winery’s cool limestone cellars that date back to the mid-1800s, you inhale the heady aroma of oak and fermenting wine mixed with the cellar dampness. It is in these cellars of Missouri’s second largest winery that 250,000 gallons of wine are produced per year, resulting in more award winners than any other winery in the state.

The History
In 1836, German immigrants settled in Hermann, Missouri, hilly land along the Missouri River reminiscent of German Rhineland, perfect for growing the grapes of their homeland. The winery opened in 1847 under the name Michael Poeschel, after the founder. After changing hands and names several times, George Stark took ownership of the winery, changed its name to Stone Hill Wine Company, and by the late 1800s the winery became the second largest in the country and the third largest in the world, producing 1.25 million gallons of wine per year.

All of that came to an end when Prohibition took effect. Barrel upon barrel of wine was dumped into the Missouri River, and the vineyards were burned. For decades after that the cellars were used to grow mushrooms, until in 1965 Jim and Betty Held bought it and reopened the Stone Hill Winery.

The Tour
For the bargain rate of only $2.50 you can tour the winery, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and taste as many wines as you’d like. As your guide takes you through the cellars, he or she will relate the history of the winery and many tidbits of information about the wine making process. Here are a few of the facts you’re likely to hear on your tour:

The cellars were carved out of limestone and rank as the largest set of underground arched cellars in North America.
Sweet wines age in stainless steel tanks; dry wines age in white oak barrels.
One of the winery’s pre-Prohibition barrels still exists. It had been shipped to a St. Louis monastery during that Prohibition and used for communion wine.

The tour ends in the tasting room, where you can sample the finished product. After sampling, you may choose to enjoy a full glass of your favorite at the adjacent Vintage Restaurant, serving American and German cuisine.

Stone Hill Winery is one of several wineries on the Hermann Wine Trail. Hermann, Missouri, is located about 80 miles west of St. Louis on the Missouri River.

Livingston County War Museum on Route 66 Honors Veterans

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois September 1, 2013Illinois attractions, Livingston County War Museum, Pontiac Illinois, Route 66 0 Comment

Most of the museums in Pontiac, Illinois, a Route 66 town, relate to Mother Road nostalgia, a fond memory of the past. The Livingston County War Museum, though, stirs different emotions, a mix of patriotism, sadness, and awe, because this museum focuses on the people side of war.

You’ll see some war memorabilia, like this AT-4, produced near Wilmington, Illinois, another Route 66 town, in the early 1990s.

But most of the museum is made up of stories, stories from veterans from every branch of the armed services. Mannequins throughout the museum wear uniforms donated by veterans or families of veterans. Those who were killed in action are denoted with a gold star.

The veteran’s story is attached to the uniform, and sometimes other personal memorabilia is displayed, too, like this display about Bill Voorheis, who was shot by machine gun, and though severely wounded, lived through it because the bullet that would have killed him was deflected by a religious medal that he wore around his neck. His daughter wears that medal around her neck today.

The Livingston County War Museum was the idea of Del Estes (1917-2005), WWII veteran. Most of the volunteers who staff the museum are volunteer veterans whose uniforms are displayed, like museum president Jack Murphy.

Ask volunteer Bill Hall to tell you the story of how a crab saved his life.

You can hear additional information about some of the displays through a self-guided cell phone tour.

The Livingston County War Museum is located at 321 N Main Street in Pontiac, Illinois, adjacent to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum. Admission is free; donations accepted.

Sodalis and McCloud Nature Parks: A Double Dose of Nature in Hendricks County Indiana

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana August 24, 2013August 24, 2016Attractions in Indiana, Hendricks County Indiana, McCloud Nature Park, Plainfield Indiana, Sodalis Nature Park 2 Comments

I love a walk in the woods, hiking a trail under a shady canopy of trees, the sun peeking through where it can, butterflies fluttering around wildflowers, twigs and dried leaves snapping and crunching beneath my feet. Sodalis Nature Park and McCloud Nature Park, both in Hendricks County, Indiana, offer several miles of trails perfect for a morning or afternoon hike. Read more