The worst "festival" I've ever been to in my life. Seriously so boring. I think I was there for…read morelike a half hour because there's seriously nothing to do. And now they're crying about a shirt.

I'm about to tell you a secret.....Harvard Milk Days…read more About an hour and a half, maybe two hours, north west of Chicago close to the Wisconsin state line, you'll find a small town called Harvard. Every year in late spring/early summer the entire town celebrates what is known as Harvard Milk Days. It started off in 1942 as a small celebration honoring dairy farmers but today has grown into a month of festivities, contests, and celebrations. It is the longest running festival in Illinois. The milk, the dairy industry's contribution and tradition continue to be the foundation for the festival. The festivities and contests include Antique Tractor Show, Bed Races (a must see!), Car and Bike Show, Prince and Princess Contest, Harvard Milk Day Queen Contest, Milk Run/Walk, Outdoor Grilling Competition, Carnival and more! One of the events that I didn't mention yet is the Milk Days Parade. The parade always takes place on the first Saturday in June rain or shine. The parade route is painted white---to symbolize milk, of course! The parade brings hundreds of thousands of people from all over to town. It's great for a wide range of ages. The children love seeing how much candy they can collect, the teens enjoy the freedom from their parents as they walk along the parade route and the adults enjoy the many parties and boozing. If you're looking for a small road trip to take this summer, this has got to be it! Even if you're not from Harvard, just show up during the first weekend in June...the people of this town will welcome you with open arms, plenty of kegs and will not let you leave disappointed! For all the other events I listed check out the website for info on registration and dates. http://www.milkdays.com/index.htm And of course, if you decide it's for you, let me know!

Went to their performance of the Nutcracker at the Coronado last weekend. Great show, with…read morebeautiful dancers! Definitely going to see them again!

Amazing, dedicated teachers and a solid program that gives students the building blocks to become…read moreexcellent dancers. We look forward to participating in Nutcracker every year, the kids have a blast and the show is always beautiful. A dance studio that truly cares about the kids and the community.

Afforadable great food! Best wings and onion rings Wednesday nights. Fish fry every Friday night…read moreopen to the public. Walleye, cod fried or baked. Also spaghetti and meatballs, good cabbage rolls and chicken tenders for the kids. Good salad bar. Salad bar is extra. Good home cooked food. Full bar.

Best wings on Wednesday nights,best burgers and pork tenderloins on Saturday for lunch extremely…read moreaffordable

I LOVE THIS PLACE…read more This place is awesome. It's got a bunch of activities for kids of all ages. There is an area specifically for 4 and under so they don't get trampled by the big kids. The bigger kids have access to an array of HUGE bouncy houses, an obstacle course, and arcade games. In the back, there are even two bowling lanes. If you get hungry, there's a snack bar that offers everything from coffee to burgers, to Mac n cheese, to corn dogs, to popcorn. The staff members are super nice and when I was there, I saw them cleaning machines, tables, and even the trash cans. The prices are very reasonable, in fact, they are a lot cheaper than expected. Wrist bands are $4 for the kids to use the bouncy houses and obstacle courses. For $1 you get four tokens for the arcade games and most of them are one or two tokens. I highly recommend this place.

We attended there because a friend invited my kids to join them,…read moreFirst, it would have been nice to know that you DO NOT need to purchase bounce house tickets for kids not wanting to bounce. They only have something like 3 bounce houses. $36 for 2 kids, and one not to jump was pricey. It is $18 per person (4 and older) on the weekends, cheaper if you go on a weekday. The Arcade... So, apparently, a good deal, 100 tokens for $20. So, we split the tokens 50/50. I was shocked when my child was frustrated because a ticket based arcade did not work, and we realized it required 4 tokens! The number of machines that required 4 tokens seemed to be in the majority. Most places we have been to, the higher token machines were typically the race car driving machines, where machines that give tickets typically range in the 1-2 token family group. Now, I saw that someone mentioned that the arcade accepted 1-4 tokens, I did not find (on 4/25/2025 any that accepted only 1 token. Not saying that they were not there... I just did not find them. I did find a few that accepted 2 tokens or 3 tokens though. They do have some sort of bowling game that required 8 tokens in the back corner. While we were there yesterday, on a Saturday afternoon, it was really quite empty, we did not see anyone working the concession area at all. Thankfully, we brought water bottles. While there I did see a frustrated parent who paid $14 (children 3 and under rate), because the bounce houses were geared toward that age group. Overall - over priced.

It's an inexpensive way to spend a rainy afternoon…read more The service was good and the place was a fun environment. My only knock was that there were too many machines out of service. Not sure what the deal was on that. But kid and family friendly.

I'm not 100% sure how this place stays open after all of these years, but good for them!…read more I only make my way in once a year during a bike event in the area. Came here in September, so many of the games and machines weren't even working, some didn't spit out any tickets. Fun place to entertain kids with something to do, but work on fixing machines.

Once a year around labor day they provide the ability to command their steam engine for a…read morereasonable price. Not only do you get to run it but also fire it. I did this as a 70th birthday gift for a train enthusiast and was worth every penny. After calling around to places in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana that run historic trains, this was the only one that would allow you to run a steam locomotive instead of just a diesel. I would highly recommend this to anybody who has a love for trains. The people who run it also are good hearted souls and combined with the experience itself provide for a memorable day. I will recommend this to all my friends and family.

I have always wanted to visit this conservatory in Rockford and they celebrated Dia de los Muertos…read morewith Catrina creations by various artists on display in the greenhouse so I had to go see them. The greenhouse was built back in the late 1920's and the tropical plants housed here are artfully displayed along with koi ponds and a waterfall. We were able to vote for our favorite Catrina. The gardens outside still had many roses in bloom of all kinds that were so fragrant. They also have the outdoor gardens lit up for a night time celebration of Dia de los Muertos. There are many park benches, a picnic area, fountains with swans swimming, sculptures and public restrooms. A very beautiful place to visit along the Rock River.

We went on a Sunday before noon and it was not crowded at all. There is parking in the front of the…read moremain entrance. There is an admission fee but since we were members of The Morton Arboretum,we did not have to pay as part of the AHS Garden Network agreement. This is the 3rd largest conservatory in Illinois and they were having Dia De Los Muertos Celebration. Tropical Flora and landscaped lagoons makes this place really special. Situated along the Rock River,there is a beautiful walking path thru their rose gardens and Eclipse Lagoon as well as a bike path along the river. Part of the Sinnissippi Park. Definitely a place to visit while in the Rockford area.

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.