Attended their grand opening. Was graciously welcomed and made to feel like a close friend. Made…read moreone of the free make and takes, when one of the ladies came out with a pumpkin man stencil. I asked about that, was told it may take 2-3 hours. It took about 1:10. Had a great time and will be coming back for more!

I have such a great afternoon hand knitting this blanket. The building is very clean and organized…read moreinside with a lot of parking. You have enough time to enjoy other peoples company and to see all the different patterns. If you are not into knitting, there are plenty of other crafts. Wooden signs, clocks, planters, and ceramic. You must check out the facebook page. The owner does group parties also. I had a lot of fun. You must try "Hammer & Stain"!

I was looking for a class in pottery for my 17 year old granddaughter that would teach her to throw…read morepots. I was interested in taking the class also. We contact Tonya Hardy and she had a class coming up so we jumped right in. My granddaughter had thrown a few pots in a high school art class but the instructions were just a you tube video. Tonya was a great teacher and worked with both of us, encouraging us to push the envelope. Lots of fun and experience gained. when the class was over we bought studio time and we are still throwing pots at Happily Handmade.

Good customer service. They didn't have what I was looking for but will always visit Scary Perry's…read morein the future for Halloween needs.

This is the location to pick up your costume and other Halloween stuff, like the decoration of…read morescary monsters and jewelry to wear It's in a great location, and it's not crowded like other Halloween stores. The lady that works there is very nice and helpful as to what it is you need. Please go visit them, and I hope you're not scared of clown like I am because she has a few of those creepy guys around. She Also, sell tshirts, necklaces and earrings. Price for the items sold there are not bad at all.

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.

Ole's Country Store is a fun place to explore. It's loaded with all kinds of decor items....many…read morerusted and worn. If you're looking for some unique items to decorate, check out Ole's Country Store.

The name of the old guy running this is Ole. What's here is a giant amount of household,…read morecommercial, industrial and architectural salvage. At his outdoor site you can pick through these piles at your own pace. Everything is outdoors and very weathered. Nothing is priced so you just have to ask Ole his price. There's at least an acre of stuff, mostly piles up with pathways. Lotsa rust and plenty of broken glass so wear appropriate footwear and keep an eye on your children. A trip to Ole's Might take an hour or two.

Midway village is great. They have a free walking path and grassy field area open to the public,…read morewhich is beautiful in the spring, summer and fall. The walking path is about a mile around which is a great distance for us. They also have a veterans memorial off the side of the path. Next door they have a museum which I've never been to, but I have been to a wedding nearby and it was a really nice backdrop. I know they have lots of events here throughout the year, including a WWII re-enactment that people from all over the state and region come to. Definitely a place worth checking out.

Worth a visit and we didn't even see everything here!…read more If you're a fan of "A League of Their Own" you need to come see the exhibit about the Rockford Peaches and the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. There's also info about the history of the sock monkey and red heeled socks which are from Rockford, in addition to information about Camp Grant and other local history. We didn't go through the historical village part, but we did check out the dollhouse museum (apparently the collection of one person, but there wasn't really any information about them in the building and no one manning this space). The gift shop is small but well appointed (they need a penny smasher, though!) People can also rent spaces/venues here; there were two weddings happening here the day we were there! A nice smaller local history museum.

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!

It's a beautiful park and gardens along the Rock. While the gardens and lagoon have been around for…read moredecades, the addition of the conservatory added to its appeal. It sits next to a walking path along the river. It's a great way to spend some time wondering around in a beautiful place.

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).