Historic town - Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, IL

Lake Forest is an interesting town of historical facts, interesting stories, amazing homes, quaint village and those well preserved and lovingly care for trees and beach.

Not only was Lake Forest home of major innovators like Swift, Armor and Marshall Fields among many others. There are no shortages of interesting historical homes and buildings. You might see some noticeable scenes from movies too like downtown Lake Forest in Ordinary People, a home on Greenbay Road featured in Class and the Armour home in Lake Bluff used for A Wedding and countless others were filmed there.

Labor Day weekend Art Fair - Not to miss. Artisans from all over come to Lake Forest and exhibit their works outdoors in downtown Lake Forest. There is something for every style, taste AND medium. I visit this every year and always leave inspired.

Downtown Lake Forest - On the national register of historical places. Downtown Lake Forest is charming, The first shopping center in the United States, designed by renowned architect Howard Van Doren Shaw is reminiscent of a quaint English village boasting interesting shops from family owned to national retailers. Take notice of the sculptures as they were done by Shaw's daughter and artist in her own right. BTW, Shaw's home Ragsdale located on Greenbay Road is part of the Open Lands organization and bumps up to an amazing hiking trail in the heart of Lake Forest's elite homes. Ragsdale is now used as a place for artists and writers to get away and be inspired by it's natural prairie surroundings - truly a peaceful place.

Lake Forest Library -a favorite of mine. The classic architecture is what I deem what a library should look like. Their children's collection is one not to miss.

First Presbyterian Church - houses some of the most amazing Tiffany stained glass windows in the area.

Want a get away that's charming and reminiscent of an English inn? Stay at the historic Deerpath Inn truly a lovely place year round with yummy food and a peaceful setting. Also Francesca's restaurant of the Chicago chain has a restaurant right next door too. Super yummy!

Sweets - my daughter always wants a visit here whenever we're in town. An old fashioned candy and ice cream treats store where chocolates are home-made as well as their amazing cookies and the ice cream is to die for. Major yummy!

Walking/Biking - this town has so many great areas for walking and biking I don't think you could ever get bored. Lovely streets not to miss are Deerpath, Greenbay, Mayflower, Sheridan Rd., Lake Rd. to name a few. Be careful though as many of these wind a bit. My hubby and I rode bikes on the Greenbay trail to Lake Forest, it was quite a ride but really nice.

Elawa Farms - please check my other post about this amazing place - definitely not to miss!

Don't forget...adorable, quaint and peaceful Lake Bluff too. I love this charming town. Once a weekend retreat for city dwellers. Lake Bluff boasts some amazing homes that are very reminiscent of a summer cottage. Don't miss some great downtown stops like Voila (tell Susie hi from me), Bluffington's for a bite to eat and sit at the gazebo and take it all in.

The beaches. After Labor Day non residents can visit Lake Forest beach. There is a great playground, picnic area, small boat harbor/docks and plenty of sand for a peaceful and fun experience. In the covered picnic areas there are fireplaces too on cool days and nights that are truly amazing.

Seriously year round Lake Forest/Lake Bluff is a town not to miss.

For more information Visit

Lake Forest and Lake Bluff's history http://www.lflbhistory.org/
Lake Forest Chamber of commerce - information about the downtown www.lflbchamber.com/build1/index.cfm

Restaurants and sweets!

Francesca's Restaurant http://www.miafrancesca.com/
Lovell's Restaurant http://lovellsoflakeforest.com/
Southgate Cafe http://www.southgatecafe.com/
The Lantern http://www.thelanternoflakeforest.com/
Bluffington's http://bluffingtonscafe.com/
Sweets http://sweetschocolates.com/index.php

Places to see and do!

Lake Forest Library http://www.lakeforestlibrary.org/
Lake Forest Open Lands http://www.lfola.org/
Elawa Farms http://www.elawafarm.org/
Lake Forest Art Fair www.deerpathartleague.org/af-general.htm
Ragsdale http://www.ragdale.org/
Deerpath Inn http://www.dpihotel.com/
Lake Forest Beach http://www.cityoflakeforest.com/cs/rec/cs_rec2c3.htm
Voila www.voilaantiques.com/home.html

Bristol Renaissance Faire

Travel back to the Renaissance and get a flavor at what life was like back then.


The Bristol Renaissance Faire is only open on specific weekends during the summer and fall.
In 2011 the show starts Saturday, July 9th and runs only on Saturdays, Sundays & Labor Day, from July 9th through September 5th, 2011. The show is not open on any weekday except Labor Day, which is the final show day of the year.


The show hours are 10am through 7pm.


Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day July 9 - September 5, 2011
Off I-94 at IL/WI border 10am - 7pm
847-395-7773


Visit: www.renfair.com/bristol/


Events:

		Jane the Phoole's Mad Tea Tyme! - July 30, 2011. Join Jane the Phoole and a company of zany Phoole Friends and Steep Yourself in Culture, Calamity and Chaos as you chomp sweet treats, guzzle caffeine, play games, sing songs, and get up to all manner of hijinks together!
		Plein Aire Painting Demonstration and Auction - July 30 and 31, 2011. Watch renowned artists work on Saturday, painting the excitement of the faire. Then have the opportunity to purchase the works of art on Sunday.
		Fourth Annual Marketplace Weekend - August 6 and 7, 2011. Redeem your receipts for Faire tickets!
		Twelfth Annual Scouts Weekend - August 13 and 14, 2011.
		Pirate Weekend - August 13 and 14, 2011. Featuring a Pirate Pub Crawl led by a few special guest hosts, the weekend promises to be filled with all cries of "Shiver Me Tudors!" that you can handle. Details are being finalized for this piratical event. Check back soon!
		Rainbow Days - Celebrating a Weekend of Diversity in Culture - August 20 and 21, 2011.
		Steampunk Invasion - August 27 and 28, 2011. Details are being finalized for this adjust-your-chronometer event. Check back soon!
		The "Fantasy Facial Hair" Contest - Sunday August 28, 2011 ONLY. You are not too lazy to shave. You are preparing for Bristol's manliest competition to date. Bristol invites men (and ladies!) everywhere to join us for our first-ever fantasy facial hair competition to win prizes, the adoration of the women and the envy of the men. How to Enter: It is FREE to enter the competition. Sign up at the Guest Relations Gazebo for the category of your choice. Then, come to the Lord Mayor's Forum stage at 4pm. Entrants will be invited on stage by category. Each entrant will have a brief moment to take center stage and showcase their "hair". A winner will be chosen from each category by our panel of judges. Once each category winner is selected, those 6 champions will be invited back on stage for our judges to pick a "Best in Show" winner. All 6 champions will receive a prize worthy of their dedication to the contest.

 

Family Finds - Chicago

A great site to sign up for is Family Finds Chicago. Think of this like a Groupon or Living Social but better AND for kids!! Join their email distribution and receive weekly updates to discounts, coupons and bargains!! On their website they feature a coupon section to major retailing outlets from Croc, Columbia, Kohl's etc. For more information Visit www.familyfinds.com

Pirates Cove, Jumps and Jiggles, Elk Grove Historical Museum - Elk Grove Village, IL

I've posted this fun place for your kiddos before and a friend reminded me that I should do this again on my new blog so...here goes.

Elk Grove Village park district offers quite a punch for a fun day with your children!

Pirates Cove is a children's theme park is as entertaining today as when it was built 30 years ago. Open from June through August, the Park is designed to stimulate and encourage the creative exploration and imagination of children between the ages of two and nine. Guests may visit their concession stand to purchase a snack, or bring in their own picnic lunch.  Pirates' Cove recommends wearing socks and gym shoes to play.

Pirate Pete is on the lookout for the lost key to his treasure, and is hoping you landlubbers will help him out. Every child who visits Pirates' Cove before August 7, 2011 will receive a key that may open Pirate Pete's treasure chest. You must visit Pirates' Cove Children's Theme Park again between Monday, August 8th and Sunday, August 21 (daily admission rates apply) to see if your key is one of the eight winning keys that will unlock the treasure chest. If your key opens the treasure chest, Pirate Pete will reward you handsomely with your valuable loot.

Make sure to check the Oaklee guide either online or published brochure via your local library for discounts - they oftentimes publish coupons.

Visit: http://www.elkgroveparks.org/piratesCove.asp

Right next door to Pirates Cove is another fun and cool place for your littlest ones to discover - Jumps and Jiggles is another park district treasure.

Located indoors at the Pavilion, Jumps n' Jiggles has exciting attractions for kids looking for fun and adventure. Jumps n' Jiggles, an indoor playground, features a maze of tunnels, a spiral slide, the Kiddy Hawk helicopter, the bouncing YoYo Ball, a Cobra Copter and the flying GyroCopter. This indoor playground inspires imagination, elevates self-esteem and promotes a feeling of accomplishment for children ages 10 and under.

Admission:

$3.50 per child - make sure to pick up your ticket for the  lovely indoor carousel - your kids will LOVE this!

While you're in Elk Grove Village, why not stop by for some local history and learn some things about yesteryear? The Elk Grove Historical Museum provides a look at pioneer living from the mid 19th to early 20th century. The Museum specializes in the history of the Elk Grove and its development over time. Open year round, the Museum offers tours, educational programs, exhibits, and assistance with research on Elk Grove Village and the surrounding area. Come experience pioneer life with crafts, games, exhibits and demonstrations!

Visit: www.elkgroveparks.org/museumCampus.asp

Magiquest

A good friend shared this tip with me and she has a 7 year old child. I'm told the Oaklee Guide has coupons for one hour free play (you can obtain the guides and coupons online OR by visiting your local library).The closest location is Yorktown however  you can visit other locations nationwide for those of you who vacation. My toughest critic my 7 year old daughter and I just reviewed their website and felt this was worthy for a blog tip. Be prepared that this is a bit pricey at starting point but the fees ease up once you're in. Most of the fees are for the wand.

MagiQuest is an interactive live-action, role playing game where players embark on quests and adventures in an enchanted fantasy world using real magic wands to solve the mysteries of the game.
You decide…With wand in hand, you will enter the enchanted kingdom. What will you do first, Magi? Befriend a Pixie, learn from an ancient wizard, battle a goblin or outwit a dragon?

Your journey's direction is in your hands, literally… Your wand is how you play and control your game. It knows your character and remembers your achievements. Each visit to the MagiQuest kingdom will allow you to progress further and master the skills needed to solve the mysteries of the game. Once your adventure concludes, your wand will come home with you.

No need to experience everything in one day - as if you could. You can play at any of our 16 locations throughout North America. 

Visit http://magiquest.com/

Geocaching

I just learned about this through a friend and thought...what a cool way to spend a summer with Jr. explorers!! Check this out and let me know if you're a Geocacher.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (tupperware or similar) or ammo boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek," sharing many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing, and waymarking.

Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica. After 10 years of activity there are over 1.3 million active geocaches published on various websites. There are over 5 million geocachers worldwide.

Visit http://www.geocaching.com/guide/default.aspx

Reflections of history through a power outage and what to teach our children

I guess I've experienced power outages before and each time it's hard to go through but I'm reminded to venture back and relive what life must have been like before electricity, indoor plumbing, modern appliances including my much loved laptop, camera and coffee machine....and I try not go to the why me place. Instead...I teach my children a history lesson.

A great resource to start with your child is introduce them to the classic books. We've read our 7 year old the Little House on the Prairie series (3 books so far), Ann of Green Gables, Secret Garden and the Little Princess and now the American Girl series. Our daughter is learning what life was like back then and is often reminded when we show her museum exhibits such as the Swedish Museum in Andersonville (check my previous post this week) of immigration, Lake County Museum in Wauconda for local history, The Chicago Historical Society for important Chicago history moments such as the fire, world exhibitions, clothing worn, etc. and Cantigny in Wheaton to learn what it was like to be in a war and be thousands of miles away from loved ones. Lessons of history I truly believe is a great way we can shape our future generations in becoming better people. I chose to learn from history and discover life lessons from those obstacles. What a better way to find a positive through a negative don't you think?

On the hottest day with all our windows opened we imagined what life was like wearing a long dress, boots, stockings and depending on the era possibly a corset. How unbelievably hot that had to have been! Short sleeves and shorts weren't an option back then.

I think there's an amazing opportunity to teach a little life history lesson to help drive the message home. Try it sometime and see what interesting comments, thoughts, questions and results could happen from it. Not to mention a community building exercise in helping out your neighbor in time of need. It's all good.

Great tip - child safety

A good mommy friend shared this excellent tip for all children. Great idea if you ask me.

"When you are going to an amusement park, museum or other crowded place, take a picture of your kids with you cell that day; it will help if you "lose" a kid!"

Swedish American Museum

When my oldest was in a kindergarten enrichment program via our local park district I learned of this amazing little place in the heart of Andersonville on Clark Street. The Swedish American Museum might be small but the museum is packed with what America is all about. Our children can learn what it was like immigrating from another country. You will find many interesting exhibits for little hands to discover such as a miniature garden to attend, a country house to cook and clean, what it was like living in a one room home, a ticket given at the ticket booth for admittance to the pretend ship and traditional costumes for dressup plus much, much more. My girls had so much fun.

Make sure to review their website as there are many interesting events to explore. For example, the week starting July 11th is Green Week where vendors in the surrounding area including the museum will educate all on going Green with our environment. The museum will host two events during Green Week: they will have a pop-up green space garden on display at their entrance on Monday, July 11 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and host local artist Molly Cranch who will teach children how to make pop-up cards using recycled materials on Saturday, July 16, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.  Cost for this last event is $5 for all the materials.

Additionally, make sure to check out the other exhibits as they are quite interesting. Another fun bonus...visit Ann Sather restaurant right next store for a yummy treat and have their famous cinnamon rolls - yummy!

Visit http://www.swedishamericanmuseum.org/

Long Grove

I never get tired of visiting this historic town. As a young child I had many fond memories visiting this with my dad and exploring many of the stores that are still around. I have many favorites and new stores that I like to frequent. Just beyond the town is a mini nature preserve/trail that leads you to a picnic area with a lovely gazebo in case you pack a picnic instead of dining in the many restaurants and snack filled areas.

A little history....

The first settlers in the Long Grove area were George Ruth and his family, who came from Pennsylvania, and claimed 160 acres of pristine prairie land, including all four corners of the trail crossing. Within 10 years, almost all of the surrounding land had been claimed.  By 1880 Long Grove was a thriving village with two general stores, two blacksmiths, two wagon and carriage shops, a tavern (which is still in operation), a hotel, a creamery, three churches, and four one-room schools.

Today, buildings in the crossroads area are marked with plaques identifying the original owners and recognizing their importance to Long Grove’s history. The signature covered bridge and the village landmarks in the historic district have all been carefully guarded as the town evolved into a unique destination for visitors seeking a distinctly preserved refuge. Though the blacksmiths, grist mills, and dairies no longer operate, their structures house a myriad of intriguing shops to visit. In Long Grove, you can wander through a bit of early Americana with its one-room schools, early taverns, and general and specialty stores which now house world-class contemporary shops and restaurants.

A must see for sure...

• Apple Haus - don't forget to try an apple donut and pick up a pie to go. Seriously they are do die for
• Long Grove Confectionery - hand made chocolate treats that are a must see
• Ma and Pa's Candy Store - step back in time to the days of a real candy shop (sadly not the same prices)
• The Artistic Gardener -  I've found many gifts here. Love this store with all kinds of nature themed treasures
• Farmside Grocery - sample some yummy food treats
• Visit the English, Irish and Norwegian boutiques and go on a mini journey to another country. The English/Irish boutiques have Cadburry Chocolates imported from the UK. For those of you who've traveled or lived in Ireland or the UK this is the real deal. The chocolates overseas are different and super yummy.
• Olivia's Closet has fun and interesting women's clothing that I love to visit
• Antique stores are fun to look too.

There's much to see and do here. Oh, make sure to check out their events and festivals as they truly are fun. We've done Apple Festival and the holiday carriage rides. Truly fun.

Here's a list of events for the 2011 calendar season...

ICE MELTIN’ BLUES  - March 26 - 27

CHOCOLATE FEST - April 29 - 30, May 1

SUNDAY FARMERS MARKET - June 12 through October

PORSCHE CLUB CONCOURS - June 19th (Father’s Day)

STRAWBERRY FEST - June 24 - 26

VETERANS RECOGNITION - July 24

ARTS & MUSIC COUNCIL SUNDAY CONCERTS - July and August

LONG GROVE FINE ART & WINE FESTIVAL - August 20 – 21

LONG GROVE WORLD TOUR - Labor Day Weekend

ROTARY HERITAGE RUN  - September 10

APPLE FEST - September 30, October 1–2

OKTOBERFEST - October 14  – 16

HOLIDAY PREVIEW - November 11 – 13

HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES - November 9 – December 31

LONG GROVE TURKEY TROT - Thanksgiving Day

For more information including video clips Visit http://www.longgroveonline.com/

Special Needs - AMC Movies for Autistic and Autistic Spectrum Children

AMC theaters offers a sensory movie day for autistic and autistic spectrum children.The program provides a special opportunity for families to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment. The auditoriums dedicated to the program have their lights up, the sound turned down and audience members are invited to get up and dance, walk, shout or sing!

The showings are once a month so you need to check their site for when those dates and locations near you in the US. Visit  www.amctheatres.com/SFF

4th of July Festivities

Hi everyone,

Here's a list of some local 4th of July events...Happy 4th of July everyone!!

Chicago at Navy Pier http://www.navypier.com/things2do/fireworks.html

Evanston http://www.evanston4th.org/fireworks

Glenview http://www.glenviewparks.org/

Lake Bluff http://www.lakebluff.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=265:4th-of-july-weekend-long-festivities-planned&catid=11:village-news&Itemid=65

Lake Forest http://www.lakeforestca.gov/4thjuly/

Skokie http://www.egovlink.com/public_documents300/skokie/published_documents/News/2011/Week%20of%20June%2013/PR%20-%204th%20of%20July.pdf

Wilmette www.wilmettepark.org/node/896

Winnetka http://www.winpark.org/pdf/recreation/wpd_july4_insert.pdf