I have never gotten to go, I really enjoy the blues. I went to one in Sparta, IL it was awesome. I…read morehave just not had the money when time came around to go.

From the owner: Illinois Blues Festival will be coming back in 2012 for its 24th anniversary! The Illinois Blues…read moreFestival is considered to be one of the best blues festivals in all of the midwest. It is produced by Jay Goldberg Events and Entertainment. The Illinois Blues Festival hosts the "Road to Memphis," which is the official competition leading to the International Blues Challenge. Unsigned bands will be given the opportunity to compete for their spot into the IBC. Blues lessons have also been added to the Illinois Blues Festival. Attendees are given the opportunity to attend musician workshops and learn all about the history of blues.

Fun light show. Especially if you don't have to wait in a long line. We went on Christmas and we…read moredrove straight in. No hassle at all. $10. But I would plan accordingly. If you think there's going to be a line, use bathrooms and bring snacks before coming. Also huge tip: Make sure you are going to the "Folepi's Winter Wonderland". Because the Festival of Lights is actually a parade that is an event at a different place in East Peoria. The winter wonderland we are reviewing here is the light show you drive through. But the light show is really well done. Lots of fun things constructed I haven't seen before. Like a huge Star Trek Enterprise.

This was really cool. I had never seen anything like it before and the photos don't do it justice…read more There are so many displays and you can tell the effort & work put into them is commendable. I would imagine kids would especially love it, BUT something I didn't read about in any of the reviews is the CRAZY wait time. From the point that our car was "in line" we drove (very slowly, mind you) for over 90 minutes before getting to the ONE pay station... so two of the world's longest lines of cars are converging into one pay line. Still, it's inexpensive and there is even a radio channel you can turn to with Christmas music to really get you into the holiday spirit. So if you go, make sure you have PLENTY of time. And if you go with kids, good luck!!!

I love this Festival! It's the best pumpkin ice cream around! They give good portions too…read more I always get the pumpkin chili, it's pretty good. There's also a craft fair and carnival.

Great annual community event! Always look forward to the Pumpkin Sweet Shop and Pumpkin Grill…read moregoodies.

Expensive Entry Fee & Little to See…read more Honestly save yourself money and look at the bikes in the parking lot, and visit the city sights. Vendors were a joke. Music was a joke. Events were a joke. We planned a group ride down for this , and we'll it was disappointing. Enough said.

Now the Miller Lite Grand Nationals after Bud pulled out this year. Hopefully the past greatness…read morewill return after a disappointing year this year.

Ackerman farms is a great family friendly produce market, petting zoo, gift shop and all around…read moreentertaining place. I was in town from Florida and this was a great place to savor the Midwest fall experience. I selected one of the beautiful mum plants for my Aunt and Uncle. I loved the pumpkins and squash of all sizes displayed in various bins and baskets. I wanted to back my car up to the gift shop and a take a lot of items home. They offer local popcorn, jams and candy apples, decor items and cooking tools like aprons with catchy phrases. They had a lamp I really wanted but was not sure it would fit in my car with my luggage. I found the staff very nice and willing to interact with you. They would answer questions but also let you browse and look as much as you wanted. Snother surprising thing was the animals were so friendly. Some of the alpacas came right up to me over the fence and the kitties got up from sunning themselves to greet me. I loved the clever signs and the old truck parked in front of the sunflower field. If you are looking for fall photo back drops this is the place. They serve drinks and have a picnic area. Although I was in town too early for the pumpkin festival, I felt like I got a good sampling of activities on my visit to Ackerman's Farm and the parking was very convenient.

It's a beautiful farm, with lots of activities for the whole family. I love the gift shop,…read moreespecially when buying pumpkin everything!

Saturday 6/22/13 was the first Washington Farmers' Market. Because of the amount of rain we've had…read moreand flooded fields, produce may be a little slow this summer. My wife was quite pleased with the lettuce. Much better than store-bought, according to her. The radishes tasted good, but some were "woody". The strawberry preserves were excellent! We also had crafters come in: one lady all the way from Lincoln. Her shop is The Cloth Penguin, and she has baby bands, jewelry, skirts, and other stuff. Reach her at jfrawleyb@comcast.net. Another crafter had his wife staff the booth: thesycamoretree.net. He sells unique gift items. I'm looking forward to next Saturday when we might have more farmers show up. Northtown Farms specializes in pork burgers. Garden Marketplace specializes in vegetables.

Interesting spot to grab some Bbq or a craft beer ... they…read morebasically have you pour it yourself and use a credit card type card /similar to a Dave n busters situation only for beer pours haha ! Cool idea I would definitely check it out !

Didn't have the best experience with this taproom. I was in town visiting my family and we decided…read moreto go for drinks. My step mother experienced the rudest bartender, he was a man. My step mom explained that the beer tasted like vinegar and nicely tried to explain it was probably the end of the keg. The bartender then proceeded to get mad at her and said that it's a "mead" and that's why it tastes like that and so on and so on. Later when another member of my family went up to get a drink the bartender realized he was in the wrong and gave my family member a drink to give to my step mom, after realizing she was right and the keg was empty. Not even an apology. My drinks were fine, it was a nice beer but after what my family went through will not be returning.

Just a quick update after having had dinner here last Friday 10/18. It's sad to see fewer German…read morerestaurants in Peoria, I loved Hofbrau, so sad to not see it open, lots of memories. But the Friday night dinners are great, and lots of good people too! And I love this sign near the kitchen.

The red cabbage was soooo sour I couldn't eat it or neither could my husband nice looking but…read moresauerbraten wasn't that tasty but was very tender. Potatoes smashed were delicious gravy was delicious raspberry crumble pie delicious !

Wha a lovely stop on my day trip today! I loved observing the winter phase of the outdoor gardens…read moreas well as the permanent art pieces and sculptures. The real treat was the greenhouse space though! I really love to learn all the names of everything around me and they're all expertly labeled with large font which my group appreciated. And nice that admission is free! Be sure to leave a donation though.

Review Visit: October 21st, 2012…read more A neat little garden tucked away in the corner of Glen Oak Park. Like many things on my travel list, Luthy's was one that I never heard of until I started looking around for things to do and places to visit. Discovering that there was a botanical garden next to the Peoria Zoo/Glen Oak Park was a surprise as I had been through the area a handful of times but never noticed it before. Sure, I saw the signs along the roads in Peoria but I figured it was nothing more than a place to buy flowers. A quick Google search soon proved I was way wrong. Doing what I do best, I loaded my car up with a few people and set out to see what the Luthy had to offer. If I remember right, there was a small parking lot available to use despite the fact the gardens is tucked away in this recreational area. We approached the front entrance and headed in. There is no fee to access the gardens but donations are very appreciated. After talking to the person at the entrance, we dropped a few bucks in to a donation box and headed towards the first part. The first place was kind of a greenhouse garden. It was inside a building that facilities the growth and sustainability to a multitude of flowers and plants. I am no green thumb but the fact that they could have so many different species in a small space was impressive. Also, they had a bunch of Nightmare Before Christmas decorations up at the time of our visit. Seeing as it was 10 days before Halloween, this must be how they were decorating for that year. I'm not a big Nightmare fan but it was cool to see them use that movie to spook the place up. As we moved on past the greenhouse, we emerged in to this open area that had a bit of a trail you could follow to see most of the outside gardens. This little path was not so little once you realized how sprawling the outside area was. There were many things to see along the way as we slowly walked and took in the scenes. They had a not just flowers and plants but small sculptures and statutes scattered throughout. Similar to what you would see in the movies when there are public gardens or mansions with a garden area the size of a city block. You can see some of these in the gallery below but in the years since, they may have changed stuff around. I said earlier that I am no green thumb, so trying to describe Luthy in technical detail is beyond my capacity. Despite that, you don't need to know the difference between a dandelion and a tulip to enjoy the sheer beauty of this place. It's a combination of quaint, serene, beautiful and peaceful. Sometimes you need those things in this day and age. If you are able to visit, please do so. You won't regret it. If Peoria, IL is no on your radar due to a million reasons, check your local area to see if there are any botanical gardens to visit. I am sure they are just as lovely.