We drive from MN for NDSU football game. I had a small purse and had to walk back about a mile to…read morereturn it to the car. If it was in a ziploc bag, it would have worked. So ridiculously stupid. The concession stand offerings were also lame and unhealthy. I bought $5 bottle of water and $8 grilled chicken breast sandwich. No mayo offered, only ketchup and mustard. I removed most of the bun so I could eat it. We won 42-10, it was a blow out and most Illinois State fans left early. Outdoor football was really cool.

Decent parking in the area, whether you are simply parking or whether you are tailgating. The…read morestadium itself is medium-sized such that most seats are good seats when it comes to viewing the game. And the main bleacher area has backs on the bleachers, which is awesome. Bathrooms are plentiful and clean. They still let you bring in water bottles and they have drinking fountains for refilling them -- as they should. The clear bag policy is annoying but fairly standard anymore. The inability to bring in food is also quite annoying but standard. If they are going to have that policy, they should have more concession stands so that lines are tolerable, and the concession prices are a bit brutal. But...Go Redbirds!

Love it! Cool venue and terrific performances. My only suggestion is to not sell popcorn or other…read moresnacks in crunchy plastic bags. A couple of heavy munchers a few rows back disrupted the performance for many by their incessant chomping and bag crinkling. Practice silent snacking!

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is a rotating series of three plays presented each year from late…read moreJune through early August. This is world class theater, attracting professional actors from around the country. It is organized/managed by Illinois State University, but the plays are performed in an outdoor theater at Ewing Manor (located at the corner of Emerson and Towanda). The theather itself is comfortable, and there isn't a bad seat in the house. The grounds of Ewing Manor are beautiful, and part of the Festival involves your chance to explore the grounds/gardens before the performance. In fact, you can bring a picnic and enjoy dinner on the lawn before the show starts. Weekend nights often feature live music, and a few nights during the season offer "special" themes, such as ISU alumni night, WGLT night, etc.. There are many great things about this Festival, but for me the best thing is the overall experience: a beautiful location, live music (on the weekends), and great live theater. I'm not even a fan of Shakespeare per se. I don't read his works and can't understand half of what he's written, but the quality of this event keeps me coming back year after year. Do yourself a favor and try it out.

SUPER crowded. Booths placed too close together on narrow Beaufort Street!…read moreNeat vendors, Terrible event planners.

Set in gorgeous Uptown Normal this Mid- July festival is a great way to see Midwest artists' work…read more There are food vendors and the local eateries. Live music. Yes, it is very popular and draws large crowds.

Had a nice experience at Lakeside Country Club. I attended a award ceremony with my friend at this…read morelocation. The food served was delicious and the drinks were good as well. All the servers and bar tenders were very friendly and made sure they were taking care of all the guests. This is a great spot for various events.

Where everyone knows your name- love this event every year! Good food! Great service!read more

Caught a performance of Chicago here the night before Valentine's Day…read more This auditorium exists inside the Bone Student Center of Illinois State University. They are currently under a bit of construction so getting into the building and finding your way around to the proper check in door was a little disorganized but once there everything seem pretty nice. The chairs are comfy...not squeaky. We got Row 3 seats and I have to be honest....they may have been a little too close to the stage. I think next time I'll shoot for row 6 or 7 to get a better line of sight. There is no drinks allowed as far I saw. Maybe bottled water? I did see they had a lounge called the Circus Room, but I'd venture a guess they don't serve alcohol since it's inside the Student Center. Chicago, the show itself, was great. Broadway calibur actors and musicians. The set was perfect with the band all in plain view. I would like to make a small note of criticism. This shows was scheduled on the same day as a touring production of The Sound of Music over at the Blooming Performing Arts Center. I feel this was in poor taste and timing between the two venues. Performing arts should always be working with each other as a team not in competition. There were plenty of empty seats available at Chicago that may have been filled if the community had not been made to choose between the two shows. Support the arts. Make it easier for everyone to attend both shows if they want to! Evita will be playing here soon.

There isn't really bad seat in this place. We saw the Gamma Phi Circus here. Even the upper level…read moreseats proved to be a good view. The place can get lout too during basketball games. It's a truly old school arena.

Beautiful venue and great drink options. The staff is always very friendly and helpful. The sound…read moreis top tier production really know what they are doing.

First time here. Me and the wife went to see Samantha Fish at the center. Seating was very intimate…read moreand Great view from anywhere in the building. Sound acoustics where awesome! She sounded fantastic and clear. There were a few sets of stairs if you are elderly or have problems walking stairs, you might stay to main floor. But we enjoyed the front row balcony. Parking was free,easy in and out ! We will definitely be back .

This arcade has an amazing collection of beautifully restored pinball machines. Worth any amount of…read moredriving to see this great establishment in a beautifully restored area of McLean, Illinois. You made the weekend for my family of pinball aficionados! Thank you!

This arcade is obviously a labor of love for the founder- it shows in the smallest of details of…read morethe building and also in the condition of the games themselves. Most games are 25 cents- some 50 cents per credit. Change machine available. If you enjoy playing video games or pinball or both, you owe it to yourself and your family to put Pinball Paradise and the companion Arcadia (Just steps away!) on your destination "to do" list.

These birds have been permanently grounded…read more Every childhood boy likes one of three things: planes, trains, or automobiles. I leaned towards things that could fly, especially at supersonic speeds. So, it came to my surprise that there was a aviation museum within a reasonable driving distance from my home. I have actually been here about 3 times total since my first visit. I think I was with Matt the first time here. I think we explored a bit of Bloomington-Normal before a concert in the evening. The museum itself is just a little ways off the one of the main busy roads that runs through Bloomington. I actually think this up the road from the Bloomington Airport. How fitting! It's not a massive museum by any means. The building itself is probably no larger than your local fast food eateries. But within those small confines is a tremendous amount of history. Each time I've come here, I've signed the guest book and donated a few bucks on top of paying the admission fees. The price is listed on their website. It was $5/each for adults. As I said, the building itself housed a ton of information regarding aviation. They had a section dedicated to NASA. They had tons of props and displays scattered throughout. They had graphs with a ton of information. Suffice to say, I can't put in words what photos do better. While I did supply photos below, due to limited storage space, I couldn't upload nearly enough photos to show everything. While the inside was full of information and relics from aviation's past, the things I was dying to see were outside. The things that flew in another time and in another place. On one of the trips, we lucked upon a volunteer who was giving tours. He gave us a quick tour of the jets, planes, and aircraft outside and then let us explore to our hearts content. A few of my family members were veterans of the military, mostly in the Rangers and Marines. My dad tried to enlist but due to a hearing issue, wasn't allowed in. By the time I was ready to join, my body had too many injuries to even think I could try to enlist (I was a very active kid and while I never broke a bone, I did do a lot of damage to my joints). Matt was also in the Marines for an undetermined about of time. So, suffice to say we all had some interest in the military in some way, shape, or form. Following the path outside winds you around all that there is to see. It was extremely cool to be able to go up to any of the aviation vehicles and see them in person. Some of them had ladders that you could take up and see in to the cockpit. They are locked shut so don't get any wild ideas of hopping in and taking off. I do think they have special events where they open them and allow people to get in and have their photos taken. Check their website for details on that and other events they have. In the end, this place was great to check out. I loved getting to see the jets up close and person. I took one of my favorite photos ever and it's included below. Can you guess which that is? If you have kids that love aircraft or have a general interest yourself, do oneself a favor and check this place out if possible. "Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full."

Great museum for its size Multiple old jets and helicopters. You can actually get in them cool…read moreplace.