Excellent place to visit with or without kids. I really enjoyed traveling through the entire…read moremuseum. Downstairs they have a temporary exhibit highlighting fossils they are finding in the Green River Shale in Utah. From the large bones to the tiny buds of plants. The dinosaur exhibit on the first floor will particularly appeal to kids and vertebrate fossil fans. While I was drawn to the very nice collection of Mazon Creek concretions and my first in person view of a Tully Monster (which is the Illinois State Fossil). 2nd floor is more geology focused than paleontology and the 3rd floor is Biological. I spent some time looking at the different birds they had on display as well as the live reptiles in the education room. Plus a little fox at floor level where young children could Ben down and look eye to eye was a nice touch. We will definitely return. Rockford is close.

We came on a "Donation Day." However, this is for Illinois residents only. Otherwise, it's $10 for…read morechildren 4-12 and $12 13 and up. This museum is too small for that cost. We were in and out within the hour. Veteran/educator discounts ONLY if you buy a membership. Half the 3rd floor was temporarily closed. I think you may have more visitors for what little you have if your pricing for kids was more reasonable. Or if you opened donation day to those outside Illinois. Especially for a museum one is in and out within an hour. Maybe you should offer a pass, tying in with the Children's museum and perhaps the Art museum since they are all located nearby. Such a great opportunity to introduce young children to Natural History and Art if one was offered. Otherwise, $32 for the 3 of us will not have us return anytime soon.

My husband and I visited the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens on a hot summer day. When you enter,…read morethere is a check-in desk in front of the gift shop and the indoor Conservatory. The indoor area has a lot of plants to look at as well as a lake to enjoy. After touring this garden, you have to go back to the lobby to leave the building to get to the outdoor gardens. This is a terrible traffic pattern. Outside behind the Conservatory are more large gardens. These are well cared for. I caution against going on a hot day because there is very little shade in these gardens. Take the signs posted seriously, I was attacked by a bird while in the garden (thankfully not injured).

On a dreary Sunday in January we came from the Chicago suburbs primarily to see the garden train…read moreexhibit inside the conservatory. Although kind of small, the greenhouse did not disappoint. It is very lush, packed with a lot of tropical plants, trees and flowers. It also has water features, ponds and streams that have fish (koi?) in them. The train displays are super nice. They have miniature Rockford landmarks scattered around and trestle bridges made from sticks and limbs. This place is peaceful, relaxing, and very photogenic. $10 admissions, a bit less for seniors and kids.

Went to an IceHogs game and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though the IceHogs lost. I went to the box…read moreoffice to buy a ticket and the woman in line ahead of me turned around and asked if I was buying a ticket. I said yes. She said here is a free ticket. So I got in free. I had no idea where the seat was located or which door to enter so I followed her to a side door and waited for the doors to open. Upon entering I walked down a short hallway and found myself in the Club Lounge. I had no idea the ticket was to the lounge located at ice level behind the net. There I found a free food buffet, free popcorn, and front row seats and tables. My lucky day! The arena is small, but modern. I estimate about 1500 to 2000 fans in attendance and it looked like there wasn't a bad seat in the house. The food (stuffed pork, California medley veggies, tossed salad, and assorted desserts) was good. Also, there was a popcorn machine for all the free popcorn you could eat. A bar was located in the lounge where you could buy beer, liquor and soft drinks. The employees were fantastic. They constantly asked me if I was having fun and if I needed anything. Overall a great experience and congrats to a small town arena and staff. Oh, and parking was only $5 and the lot was directly across the street from the arena.

I'm not as kind as Edward, apparently! I also drove out for Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and…read moreFlyleaf. PROS: Smaller venue than I expected. I was picturing Allstate Arena or something, but this was a nice size. Big enough to have some professional staging with fire, but small enough to get a good view and good audio quality. CONS: Concessions were no where near prepared to handle this crowd. It did literally take the ENTIRE time between bands to use the bathroom and order a beer. This, in itself, is annoying. But when people who already drank too much are forced to wait that long in poorly-organized lines, tensions can run high. I was accidentally hit in the head twice by some guy who was on the verge of a fight with someone behind me in line. Staff did nothing to create a more orderly, efficient ordering process. OTHER: Parking in the ramps was $10. I wish I'd known that there was a ramp with a covered walking bridge into the venue, instead of having to walk outside a block or two. All in all, I'd go back for music, but I'd drink beforehand and just avoid the concessions completely.

What an unexpected delight! A well-designed, kid-friendly museum that cleverly teaches history…read more Free to the public. Byron should be proud of this gem.

We came here on a Sunday with my kids (5 and 3). It being March, the outside was open so we were…read moreglad to explore outside for a bit but it closed at 4 pm. I felt this time that the place was kept tidier. I saw employees moving from area to area and trying to keep things in place, which seems like a pretty tough task with the amount of stuff in each area. My kids had a lot of fun in the upstairs area. There's lots to do & for $12 each, it can easily keep young kids entertained.

I cannot recommend this place highly enough!! Absolutely killer on every level!! This is fun for…read moreadults to come to too! Obviously you need to be an inquisitive person and still enjoy learning new things.... But if you have some kids to bring it's literally like Disneyland but where they learn how everything works in the universe...... You really need to come here multiple times to take everything in..... If you care about your kids, and want them to be smart, this place is mandatory!

Peeps this is by far my newest favorite place around! I was in awe at all of the amazing oddities…read moreand spectacular items they have in store! What a fun Sunday afternoon treat!!! I love all the unusual unique items in store available to purchase!! My kids and I collect a lot of similar stuff and I can't wait to bring them by when they visit again!! Let the pictures speak for themselves and show what a treasure this place is!!

Incredible shop! Beautifully curated, impeccably displayed, fantastic items one after another. We…read morespent 45 minutes looking, reading and enjoying. I have a long wish list, lamps, bones, art and more. I will be back. Highly appreciated and recommended!

We were in town mainly for genealogical research on my family which came to Carroll County in 1840…read more (Among other things, historians say my Great-great-great-uncle, David B. Emmert Sr., and his wife, Susan Price Emmert, were instrumental in founding the town of Mount Carroll.) So technically, this is the Carroll County Historical Society, and the Owen P. Miles Museum. Both a historic home and history museum, the museum complex is steeped in Carroll County history. The museum is generally open by appointment only. But during the summer it looks like they're open 9:30am to 1:30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Call ahead to be sure though. Give yourself at least an hour to tour the museum, and to view the very nice exhibits. In our case, Ronnie gave us almost four hours of her undivided attention that added enormously to what I already knew about my family. Compared with the disorganized local history section at the Mt. Carroll Library, the all-volunteer Carroll County Historical Society is a priceless resource, Thanks, Ronnie and Anne!

Absolutely must visit museum! The best museum, tour, knowledge ever experienced. Love museums and…read morevisited many across the country and this is in top 2. Interesting, affordable, incredible collections, including target cast iron toy collection. All ages will enjoy and during the summer they host an old fashion ice cream social, which is so much fun and delicious.