The Villa Museum was closed when we visited early April. However the grounds is still a pleasant…read moresite to walk around.

Very underwhelming. If you do not live nearby, it's not worth the drive. Took only about 5 to 10…read moreminutes to walk through the garden. The positives are that garden and parking is free.

We were back again this year for the rare breeds show. There were a lot of horses this time…read morearound, and we met some wonderful people who raise Red Wattle Hogs, which is an endangered breed. There are only about 2,000 left in the world. I bought some handmade soap, and we ended our afternoon visit with a delightful piece of cherry cheesecake pie. It was a pure pleasure to get out of the city. We LOVE Garfield Farm.

The property managers here are fantastic. We were there taking wedding photos, and they could not…read morehave been more kind and accommodating. The grounds and buildings are beautiful. Take a day trip and check it out! Don't forget your camera.

No where does it say it's closed to the public on the website. When we pulled up asking to see the…read morebison the security guard very rudely said "nope. We're closed. Turn around".

The weird building where all these lectures tend to occur needs an update IMO…read more The topics and speakers get me there... adding a 45min trek to the boonies after work... But the chairs in the lecture hall... who knew dwarves and hobbits liked going to Fermi? I mean, if you are over 5' tall its like hell... or economy on Spirit with 12" legroom. Dunno about you, but I am NOT a FAN to have 2" distance between your knees and someone's scalp. And VV for my scalp. BONUS: You get cookies and milk/juice after each lecture. AND there is free WiFi (2x) access!

Cool discovery center. Great for ages 1-99. Lots of cool animals (I didn't take any pics tho,…read moresorry!). They have a rabbit, snakes, turtles, tortoises, fish, and even a tarantula (not my favorite). My daughter and I went for a birthday party and we had the place to ourselves. I was very surprised at how big the animal exhibit area was. Lots of things to learn about, watch, and discuss. The floor to ceiling windows overlooking the prairie land was wonderful. We were there in early December and winter birds were happily flying back and forth to the feeders and enjoying themselves. We will definitely be going back!!! It was a little hard to find because it's VERY deep into the property but not impossible to find. Just keep driving and you'll get there.

I went to Hickory Knolls Discovery Center for a wedding. It was a very pretty space with indoor and…read moreoutdoor options. They were originally supposed to have the wedding outside, but it was raining, so they weren't able to do that. Personally, I thought brining the wedding inside made it even better! They have displays and little exhibits talking about the wild life in the area. The space is open which left a ton of room for dancing and just interacting. The pictures outside were very pretty as there was a lot of greenery to work with.

Located in an historic building in Batavia,this is a non profit organization offering art and craft…read moreclasses. Went for the Winterfest Art Market and was impressed with how many local artists were selling their goods at great prices and one of a kind items. Will definitely go back.

So many talented artists in this space! I had many great conversations with some of the most…read moregenuine and gifted people. The most unique was a man who crafts guitars from skateboards combining two things that he has been passionate about his whole life. They have a schedule of events and classes offered listed on their website. Definitely worth a trip to Batavia to support a local art community.

This library is really quite beautiful. It's large and grand, reminiscent of the Carnegie…read morelibraries, though this is not one of them--the building at their current location is actually only about 45 years old. When you walk in, one of the first things you'll see is the independently operated cafe. Really handy to have at the library, but just check their hours as they don't run concurrently with the library itself. We headed down to the children's section which is on the lower level. It is a really comfortable space for kids and parents; they a rather large toy section with a play flower shop, kitchen, and lots of bins full of toys. The tables had some other activities like little puzzle books or coloring stations. They had bins of books that weren't shelved with the rest of them, but rather organized in the bins by alphabet blocks for easy access to look at with the kids. And there was lots of seating for parents to relax and watch their children. I don't check on the Batavia library since I don't live in the area, but when we were at the cafe waiting I saw on their media screen some of the events they host flash by and they looked interesting. They have in person and virtual events, it seems, which I love for its convenience, accessibility, and inclusiveness. The outside of the library has over a dozen outdoor tables, so grab something at the cafe and enjoy!

I've been visiting this library since 2008 when my husband and I first met. We were living with a…read morefriend in Batavia for a short time, and we would come here to get some space. One of my favorite features of this library is the fireplace and the windows surrounding it. It's my favorite place to chill, read, crochet/knit, just feel like I'm in another place. Since I've been married and had kids, we've taken our kids here multiple times too. They really enjoy the downstairs children's area. There's a lot of activities to do down there and things to play with. They also have a good selection of children's books, DVDs, children's programs during the day, and lots of places to sit. Most of the people working here are very kind and helpful. There is one woman who works at the information desk in the back of the adult section between the main part of the library and the fireplace room I was talking about earlier. She has a strange attitude. I was sitting by the fireplace and it wasn't on and the room was very cold. I went and asked if they could turn it on. She says to me, "Well, we only turn it on when it's cold outside." But then she reluctantly got up and went to turn it on. It was blazing for a second, then went out. She was already back in her seat at her desk ignoring everyone. I didn't understand why she was working here because she seemed so bitter about helping the community at the info desk. ‍ other than that, it's a great place to hang out!

This is easy to find; you turn into the park, and it's right there, under a tent. They are open…read moreonly specific Saturdays; there's a list at http://www.vikingship.us/tours-of-viking/ . For your entry fee, you get a little slideshow about the history of the ship, a functional reproduction that was displayed at the 1893 Columbian Exposition (after the Norwegians sailed it across the ocean!), then a tour of the ship itself. You walk around it, then get to look into it; the various parts of the ship are labeled, and there are posters on the walls giving more detail on the history the docent provides. Outside the tent there are (sometimes? often?) interpreters dressed in period clothing with a small display of Viking clothes, musical instruments and weapons, and there's a small gift table in the tent, featuring jewelry by the woman who supplies the Vikings TV series; postcards and mini-posters, a coloring book, embroidered polo shirts, and two small histories of the ship, one written by one of the 12 Norwegians who sailed her. It's an interesting visit with a piece of local history, and it's probably your best chance to get this close to a Viking boat, unless you've been to Scandinavia. After the Exposition, the ship spent decades moldering in an open display in Chicago; it's now sitting in what looks like a plastic-tarp covered greenhouse with a bunch of box fans. The Friends of the ship are desperately fundraising to put the ship in a proper humidity-controlled building; when they do, they'll get the fancy dragon-head figurehead and tail back from the Field Museum, where they are safely in storage. I wish them well.

This is a small one room museum on the history of St. Charles. They really need some more space;…read morethey're set up in an old gas station. One enters through the gift shop; there is a timeline set up that one follows through the room, with several standalone glass cases, and a few cases shoved up against the walls behind the railing showing the timeline. A few costumes (half a dozen) are featured, including a reproduction Civil War uniform and some authentic World War 1 uniforms, a flapper dress and a dress Miss USA 1977 wore during her reign. Standout pieces include an old dentist's chair with various items from a dental office and a beautiful woven cane baby carriage with beautiful lace trim on the canopy. Do spend a minute to stop at the tiny pickle display to read about how St. Charles was the Pickle Capital of the World, even though no pickles were ever made there. There's also some very nice cut glass in a small display. A couple of pianos and a traveling trunk are jammed into the foyer. When there are visitors they turn on several different documentaries; one, from WTTW, includes a fairly interesting bit on Garfield Farm down the road on the 38. There's a lot of information jammed in here, and I came away with an appreciation for all the various industries that once called St. Charles home, but not a good overall picture. They just need more space. Still, donations are voluntary only,they're not getting any support from the city, and they're only asking for two bucks.

Stopped by the St. Charles Heritage Center this afternoon and checked out the museum and store…read more Pretty cool! Lots of history in a compact space, but well documented. Gives you a deeper appreciation of how the Fox Valley has changed in the last 150 years -- from American Indian paradise to new frontier for folks from Vermont and Massachusetts to industrial powerhouse to cultural destination for folks all around. Check it out -- highly recommended! TIP: They have lots of well-priced St. Charles souvenirs in the store!

Located across the street from the Kane County Courthouse is the Geneva History Museum. This museum…read moredoes a wonderful job of telling the history of Geneva. One exhibit is dedicated to the exploring history of Geneva from its founding to the present. I loved seeing all of the artifacts and displays in there. Even though I am not a resident of Geneva there were items in the gallery that I recognized. There is are two other rotating exhibits with one being dedicated to educating children. There is an admission fee to enter and a gift shop as well. I wish I had time to see more. This is diffidently a museum that I would like to come back to and see more. I highly recommend the Geneva History Museum!

Sandi and I went down to see what was happening in Geneva for Swedish Days. I hoped that they would…read morehave a special exhibit for the Swedish Days Festival. The museum did not change its course by adding a special exhibit. I enjoyed learning more about Geneva and Hat has been important over the years. The receptionist greeted us warmly. The main historical room gave an overview of the history of the city. The interactive children's with train was enjoyable. The art gallery filled with paintings by local artists was enjoyable. You can even purchase the portraits. On the lower level you can find a genealogy room. If you are new to Geneva and want to learn more about this city check it out.