Located in an historic building in Batavia,this is a non profit organization offering art and craft…read moreclasses. Went for the Winterfest Art Market and was impressed with how many local artists were selling their goods at great prices and one of a kind items. Will definitely go back.

Go for 2nd Friday! Beautiful space, fantastic art for sale and open artists' studios; cash bar and…read moremusic. Art classes available. All around enjoyable experience! Kid-friendly too

We hosted our sons 4th birthday party here from 5-7pm on a Saturday in January…read more We weren't sure how the timed stations and open play time was going to go with a group of 4 year olds but our experience was wonderful! The host was great with our son, the place was clean and organized, and it was a huge hit. The simplicity for decorating with just a banner and table clothes we brought was perfect and it was very convenient to have the rolling container to wheel all the presents out to the car. Would recommend!

Had a 3rd bday party for my son and it was a perfect venue for it. Dan was our party coordinator…read moreand he did a wonderful job. It was very organized and there was perfect amount of time in each space. The pizza was delicious and everything was so nice and prepared. The kids had an absolute blast and my son loved it.

It almost seemed like a dream. From the very start, cruising through a large patch of lotus plants,…read moreit felt otherworldly. Very peaceful, going at our own pace. Enjoyed the cliff walls of Buffalo Rock and the shallow waters of some side passages. We paddled for 5 hours, covering 8 miles total. After we were done we headed to charming, historic downtown Utica for drinks and dinner at Skoog's Pub & Grill in North Utica, IL. I was impressed with the logistics and operation of the kayaking experience, from the guide* to the equipment and online booking process. *Full disclosure, the guide was my twin sister, but I am being objective...seriously.

I have mixed feelings about this kayak tour company. I signed up because although I'm a very…read morecapable and seasoned kayaker, I didn't know this river and I like learning about the ecosystems and local wildlife. For this reason I like having tour guides. Going up the river was fine. Coming back went a bit sour. I went as slow as I was capable of paddling or not paddling, but apparently it was too fast for the preference of our tour guide. I was barely touching the water with my paddle. I have no idea how I could have gone any slower. It wasn't humanly possible. After shouting at me several times, he took to chasing me down and ramming my kayak so it'd spin in circles. Would I rent a kayak here and kayak the river alone? Yes. Would I personally use a tour guide here? No I wouldn't. Would I recommend? If you're a family with little kids or a drunk sorority house, absolutely. If you know what you're doing, just go it alone. You'll probably enjoy it more. Edit: If the tour guide had concerns for group safety, he could have said so. Although ramming my kayak with his seems to be a bit of a conflict as far as my safety goes. It was an unprofessional approach when he could have simply explained why he needed me to slow down

This is my third year being a CSA member. Not only is the taste of the vegetables amazing, but…read morerecently it's been significantly cheaper than shopping organic at the big box stores. I go to the farm for pickup every week, and I love the variety, that I can pick and choose between over a dozen different herbs and veggies, the extras they often have, the UPick tomatoes and beans and etc. It's also such a relief to know where my food is coming from, that there are no chemical fertilizers or pesticides in it, that it's not downwind a feedlot so no chances of salmonella outbreaks in their leafy greens, that it hasn't been sprayed to ripen -- the peace of mind itself is invaluable. They have three seasons (spring, summer, and fall) that you can sign up for (that often sell out early, especially the summer season), as well as Thursday farmstands in the afternoon. Also, at the beginning of May they sell seedlings, with prices cheaper than The Growing Place, and most of the plants I buy from there thrive in my garden with no additions required (I put compost in the hole and around the base when I first plant them, mulch around the seedlings, and that's pretty much it, by mid-July I'm getting more tomatoes and basil and etc than I know what to do with).

Well-established CSA with a pop-up farmstand on Wednesday nights. Organic produce grown all from…read moreseed resulting in 28 weeks of pickups from Mother's Day to Thanksgiving... wow! Why settle for a grocery store tomato when you can have these beauties??

My preschooler loves Ms. Jessica. she is always doing fun curriculum with them. My school ager…read moreloves Ms. Larixza. Larixza has good classroom management and is really on the curriculum too!

My family has been with this daycare for 6 years, and we couldn't be happier. My oldest son…read moreattended here, my younger son has been here for the past year, and now I'll be bringing my new baby as well. The staff is caring, supportive, and truly treats the children like family. Director Amy is wonderful and always goes above and beyond for the kids and parents. I am so grateful to have found such a safe and nurturing environment for my children!

We love everything about Kiddie Academy! Having experienced both KA Naperville and KA Batavia, we…read morehave been nothing but pleased with the care from the daily care givers and administrators from both . All around a great place, we would highly recommend to anyone looking for care for their little ones. It's not a small decision, go check it out for yourself and meet the folks, I'm confident you'll be impressed.

Kiddie Academy of Batavia has been wonderful for my family! We've been enrolled there since 2013…read moreand have been very happy. They have provided fantastic care for our boys andvhave been extremely flexible with our scheduling needs. The boys enjoy the summer camp program as well, with fun activities and field trips in addition to the regular curriculum.

My adult daughter with disabilities has participated in FVSRA activities for more than a decade,…read morewith consistently positive experiences. She swims, bowls, and engages in various other fitness activities. The facility where FVSRA is housed, Vaughan Athletic Center in Aurora, is an excellent facility which extends its fitness membership to families of FVSRA participants. So, even though we live outside of the Park District boundaries, I am still able to buy a very affordable fitness membership. This allows me to take yoga, pilates, and aquatics classes with my daughter -- a huge perk, since I provide her transportation to and from the fitness center.

I had the opportunity to work for FVSRA through their Summer Day Camp program, at Camp Shining…read moreStars, for 3 summers. At the beginning, this was a great experience where I was able to apply my field work in special education. It was a privilege to meet so many amazing campers and their families and take part in the outstanding progress that they all made. Unfortunately, this past summer myself and 2 other counselors had some significant leadership and safety concerns about the director, who was the lead staff member at this site. Her being someone else that works in the field of special education, this was extremely frustrating and upsetting. When asked for ideas of things to do at camp, myself and those other counselors provided multiple new ideas that would provide the campers new opportunities and learning experiences. A lot of these ideas were free too, which is great for the small budget we are allowed. All but one of these were not approved- which was the Bake Sale, and our director took no part in planning or facilitating the process. Nonetheless, I was glad that we pursued this happening because it ended up being one of the best days for so many campers. She addressed all of the counselors by saying, "when I say something you all will do it", which was sad to see for some of the staff members new to camp. When we had a sub staff come in, she actually asked, "is she always like that?", in regards to the director. She spent most mornings sitting on the countertop using her personal phone, even though she is provided a camp phone- which is against one of the FVSRA policies that all other counselors followed. During times when campers became dysregulated and occasionally physically aggressive, the director relied on another counselor (who will now not be returning either) to use the training that was provided and address the situation. She did not quickly respond or take lead in this area, which was only frustrating because Fox Valley does not provide this training to all of its staff. When these issues were brought up to staff at the office, they decided that it was in the best interest of the campers to keep this director, so I am not sure how high up leadership and safety, as well as following policies, are in FVSRA's priorities for their staff. Multiple emails and follow up communications had to be done for me and another counselor to even get a response from the office, which reflects poorly on a company I previously viewed as great professionals. The counselors at Shining Stars were not able to complete the director evaluation this summer, which we have done previously, and office staff showed up to our site less than 3 times all summer, so I am not sure how thoroughly if at all the director was evaluated. To parents of the amazing campers currently and in the future, be cautious that what you are signing up for seems great on the outside but is not really giving your child everything that they deserve. They are getting rid of the staff members that work directly with them, build relationships, and are passionate about being their advocates. Aside from the director, the FVSRA website promotes that campers at this site would "fulfill certain rotating responsibilities such as line leaders, lunch clean-up and team leaders", which is completely false and did not happen once in the 3 summers I was there. To anyone working, or considering working, through the FVSRA program, at this site specifically, speak up when you are being treated unfairly and maybe something will eventually be changed. I would be happy to give anyone interested or concerned about these matters more information, do not hesitate to reach out. I will greatly miss all of the campers and truly hope that drastic changes will be made for their sake. Thank you to all of the parents who gave me the chance to meet their kids! They changed my life for the best.

I couldn't be happier with Grace's Place I have 4 boys that range from the age of 11yrs old to 1…read moreyears old. My kids have been coming here for about 8 years now. Graces place has grown so much throughout the years. Anytime I have any question or concerns they are quick to get back to me with a answer or solution. The staff Is amazing always greeting myself and my kids. Definitely recommend them. My little one is always smiling at pick up and drop off Definitely gives me comfort as I feel guilty to having to leave them to go to work. Thank you to the staff for being great to myself and my kids

I recommend this daycare facility for several reasons. The location is prime for my commute. It's…read morenear RT59 without actually being on such a busy road. The staff is helpful and my son has already taken to them. The main person I have interacted with is Ms. Blanca and my son will say "I want to go see Ms. Blanca." on the weekends. I take this as a sign he likes it there. The rates are extremely reasonable for the area we are in. There are a lot of options for daycare in the North Naperville area, but few of them are so reasonably priced. The only criticism I have is their outdoor play space is limited. But the reality is that limitation is due to their location, which I wouldn't want to change. So the importance of that is something each family has to decide for themselves.

Very clean area and love all their events. I just wish they would send text reminders for scheduled…read moreevents! I paid for one for my son and we forgot about it. Had already paid and everything!

A little over ten years ago Geneva Park District added the park district complex out near the Mill…read moreCreek Subdivision. As they added this land to the Park district they consciously added farmland to the parks. The Stephen Persinger Center is only part of a larger complex. They have the farmhouse, butterfly house and fields for soccer. The city of Geneva planned well for the future. They have also kept the prairie as part of the motif.

Great Luthern School. Awesome administration, principal greats all students daily, and know…read moreparents on first name basis. We have 3 kids going to this school, and we pay for them to go here instead of the public school...you can't put a price on education. Our kids are getting the best of the best here. We couldn't be happier, and our kids love going to school.

From the owner: Immanuel Lutheran is pleased to offer a challenging and enriching grade school curriculum in a…read moresupportive environment. Our middle school focuses on a high school preparatory program, emphasizing the skills that are necessary for success. Our students consistently score high on standardized tests and excel in a variety of local high schools.Call today for an appointment to meet ours staff, learn about our programs, and tour our facilities to you help decide if the Immanuel difference is the advantage you want for your student.The school offers an education based preschool curriculum with both full and half day opportunities. Immanuel welcomes students of all races, creeds, national, and ethnic origin