No tour was available. Looks well maintained. Not worth the trip unless you are in the immediate…read morevicinity.

On December 5th, Walt Disney would have been 115 years old! Crazy to think he died 50 years ago at…read morejust 65. On December 5th, they did a little party type of thing outside the house to celebrate. Walt started his magical journey (ie was born) on the 2nd floor of this home. That's just crazy to think about! Walt's parents actual bought the land, then designed and built the home from the ground up! Walt's family ended up moving to Missouri when he was 4 or 5 years old...but it all started with a man born in Chicago who would make a mouse! As a Disney enthusiast, I wanted to roll by and check the place out. They are currently in the process of restoring the home to it's 1901 state when Walt was born. However it was neglected for years! The current owners are Disney people and on board with the historical significance, planning to do great things! Read more in this great Trib article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-walt-disney-house-20150807-story.html A few days ago on Walt's birthday, they unveiled the new honorary street sign Disney Family Avenue! I just love it! This home needs to be marked as an official Historical Landmark. Let's do this Chi City!

Waukegan Harbor Lighthouse is about a couple of hours away from Downtown Chicago and is located out…read moreon the lake with a small concrete walkway that connects it to the mainland. To get a better idea of what I'm talking about, feel free to check out the couple of pictures I shot & uploaded to this page. Because this is located out on the lake, it is pretty windy out towards the end. I got about just under three quarters of the way out and it just got too windy and slippery to feel safe going any further. If you look at the pix I took, the further you go out, the more the waves crash over the wall and then ices over the walkway during this time of year. This may all sound a little dangerous, and if you don't exercise some common sense, it probably is, but it was beautiful out there with the waves crashing over the wall, the birds circling above, and the sun out providing just that hint of warmth as you take in the view. Lighthouses are generally in remote locations, so the draw for me is the solitary calm amongst the sounds of the distant birds and the crashing waves. As lighthouses go, this is a smaller one than say Grosse Point Lighthouse, but I was digging the serene vibe that this place gives off. It allowed for an impromptu moment of meditation that you sometimes don't get in these hectic times. When all's said and done, this is not your grandma's lighthouse, and I doubt most people will come all the way out to this particular place for this little landmark, but for those lighthouse aficionados out there, and I know there are a few, this is one to check off if you happen to find yourself in Waukegan Harbor, Illinois... Whatever you do, be a traveler and not a tourist and get out there and explore your world people! :-)

We booked Simmons Auditorium in May 2015 with Allison for our wedding reception Saturday, May 28,…read more2016 and we were very pleased with the location and it did not disappoint. Cindy the event coordinator that started in January 2016 was great! We were disappointed that one of our vendors told us about the staff change at the Kemper Center and that Allison was no longer there as of November 2015. As the bride, I did not hear directly from anyone at the Kemper Center about the staff change. As a professional courtesy, at the very least they would reach out to their clients that have events booked when there is a staff change, but they didn't. Lucky for the "powers that be" Cindy is wonderful and wow'd us! She is super friendly and knowledgeable about weddings and events and all around great to work with. From the first phone call to the goodbye hug at 11:45pm on the night of our reception Cindy was so helpful, professional, accommodating and amazing. She went above and beyond with helping us with the plans for our reception. Cindy explained everything and made sure we understood all our options for drinks and liquor services. The day/night of the event the entire staff was incredible and the venue was clean and perfectly set up! The staff was super efficient and effective! The AC was cranking out and everyone had an amazing time!! The entire staff at the Kemper Center was amazing as well. James was particularly helpful and definitely provided extraordinary customer service at the reception. He went above and beyond in terms of service and all around was simply great! The grounds were lovely and it was a picture perfect day to take lots of photos. We loved every moment. The only slight disappointment was the fountain was not on so we didn't take any pictures around it otherwise it was a splendid day that we will cherish for many years to come!!!

We had used Founder's Hall for our wedding reception March 2020. The room was great and worked…read moreperfectly for our event, but when it came to communication last before the event, they were on the slower side to respond and answer questions, however all questions got answered. When it came to the event the hosts were extremely kind and so helpful when needed. They are quite pricey, but worth it. They were accommodating when and where possible. I do recommend them for future events to those who are looking.

3 stars based on my experience without visiting the museum or climbing the lighthouse because they…read morewere closed. I'm sure it may have been a four star had I been able to partake in the climb & visit the station museum. Make sure to visit on a day Thursday through Sunday when they are open until 10am-4pm ( 12pm-4pm on Sundays). Mon-Wednesday they are CLOSED. Open May through October. I was aware of the hours, however unfortunately unseen circumstances prevented us from visiting during their opening days. Rather than not see the lighthouse at all, we stopped by the day before we left. They have a placard with some brief history of the lighthouse. A few feet away is the light keeper's house/station museum which is free or a $5 donation. To climb the 72 steps in the lighthouse there is a $10 fee 12yrs and up; $5 for those 8yrs old-12yrs old. It is weather dependent so be sure to call ahead. Those 8yrs old & under are not allowed to climb. Plan accordingly. It is said on a clear day you can see the Chicago skyline from the tower. Simmons Island Park/Beach is right next to it, so you can add that to your itinerary to maximize on time. I'm not sure if they still are doing this, but it was on their website that you can pay to light the lighthouse in the evening to celebrate a birthday, anniversary etc or in memory of someone. I was planning on doing it for my in-laws' anniversary but I wasn't sure they were going to even go by the lighthouse to see it & I also never heard back from the organization when I sent an email inquiring. There is a small flower garden around the back perimeter behind the lighthouse with a few birdhouses in the trees to check out.

The Kenosha History Center has done a great job restoring this 1866 lighthouse and Lighthouse…read moreKeeper's house (open from mid-May through October). We climbed to the top of this 55-foot lighthouse and learned details of the history from the highly intelligent, knowledgeable, and personable tour guide, who also built some of the ship models in the museum. Conversing with him about history and music (since we are also musicians) was the highlight of our day! We also had a delicious lunch across the street at the Yacht Club restaurant, which is open to the public.

Valley Forge Park is a small park with some open space (smaller than a soccer field) and a…read moreplayground with a decent diversity of things. A great place to take kids but not close to as large as the nearby Mill Creek Park.

I was on my way to Tizzy's for ice cream. When I noticed this beautiful scenery of flowing water. I…read morequickly pulled over and got out of my car. I was mesmerized by the water flowing down the dam. There is free parking and benches for you sit down and inhale the scenery. The sight is just so relaxing and peaceful. Such a remarkable historical landmark in Lyons. The river itself is amazing. It's very enjoyable and will relax your mind. I was excited to learn the history about this amazing tower. "Hoffman Tower is the name of a tower in Lyons, Illinois, named after the brewer George Hoffman Jr. " It was built in the year 1908 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1978." The Tower is reputed as the first building in Lyons to be lighted by electricity."

Stumbled upon this by chance seen it off in the distance and had to stop...so much history in this…read morebuilding

Well, on this hot and muggy Sunday, we decided to have an atypical weekend visit to the shady Grove…read moreto do our almost daily walk. We typically only visit here on quieter weekday mornings. We were pleasantly surprised and fortunate to find the Blacksmith Shop open and that is the case only on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 3pm. Alec was the blacksmith on duty and he provided some insights into his craft as well as a walk-through of their various iron products, both functional and decorative. He is one of five volunteer blacksmiths on the staff here and really enjoys his time here. Thanks for the tour Alec!

What a great surprise. Needed a little down time and a chance to relax. The Grove provides just…read morethat. Free parking and no cost to walk around. The paths are easy to walk and the native prarie plants along with wild life is spectacular. The period building are relics from a very different era that look perfectly in place in woods. Will look to see what programming they have.