Review Visit: September 17th, 2014…read more Pop. Pop. Get your popcorn here! Popcorn is like a burger sandwich or pizza. You can get your basic form of the food but the sky is the limit on the various ways to prepare it. Pizzas, sandwiches and popcorn are one of the many foods that comes in a million different flavors and combinations. Maybe not everyone loves popcorn (do these people even exist?) but places like Holland's Caramelcorn can offer popcorn lovers a seemingly endless variety to pick from. Having been through the Washington Square a few times, I noticed there were some cool and interesting shops to check out. So, I planned a day to explore the town's square and see what the local community has to offer. Upon finding a parking spot and entering the store, I knew I liked the place. It had this welcoming feeling to it and the person behind the counter was super friendly. The store was wide open and kept the merchandise against the walls. This allowed my friend and I an easy way to browse their wares. If you came here expecting to get much beyond the popcorn and soda, you will be disappointed. This store specializes in the popcorn and random sodas you've never heard of before. Luckily, there is a shop next door called Holland's Mercantile. But that's for another blog post. While we wandered the store, I managed to accumulate a handful of popcorn and sodas to take home with me to enjoy at my leisure. I don't remember how much everything cost but I wasn't worried about spending a few extra bucks to support local businesses. I will be honest, I may not have waited to get home before sampling some of the goods. The soda was a root beer variety and was bubbly and good. The popcorn, which the flavor escapes me, was good, tasted fresh, and had a bit of that grandma's love put in to it. Overall, it was a nice stop to pick up some goodies and to support a local business. If you happen to need some need for gourmet popcorn and odd ball sodas, you can't go wrong at Holland's. I believe they even do bulk orders for businesses. Remember, try to support those local businesses around you if at all possible.

Great old fashion shop, however they only pop once a week per the owner and the prices are higher…read morethan other small midwestern popcorn shops.

Review Visit: September 17th, 2014…read more Sugar. Spice. Everything nice. Like in a lot of smaller towns, you'll usually have or find a business that deals in candy. Sugary confections. Sweet treats. Candy from yesteryears. Soda (pop) in more varieties than you care for it to come in. Things you think you'd never see again and things you fall in love with. Holland's Mercantile fills that role for Washington, IL. My friend Matt and I decided to spend an afternoon exploring the Washington Square to see what the town and it's folk offered. The words on the front of the store's glass got me excited at the possibilities held inside. As we opened the door and headed in, the excitement increased tenfold. It was like being a kid in a candy store. Except that we are adults... in a candy store. Upon entering, I first noticed the long row of candy in the glass containers where you can scoop out as much as you want. Lining the walls were a million different candy from a million different times and cultures. I saw things I hadn't seen in years. They had stuff I didn't think existed in time where color TV is the norm. On top of the candy, they also had a display case full of baked goods. Whether these are made in-house or from a local bakery, I am not sure. Either way, the stuff looked fantastic behind the glass. Turtles. Truffles. Caramel Bars. It all looked so good that I think my blood sugar level elevated just looking at the offerings. This store has more than just candy, baked goodies, and sweets from everyone's childhood. They also had the novelty toys from the same time period the candy/sweets come from. There were novelty toys that tied in to current day trends but they also had toys that kids from our time would enjoy just as much as kids from the time from which they came. I also think there was a back room that was full of a combination of everything the store offered. On this day, I let my inner child run wild and I picked up a small sack full of candy. I didn't want to get too much because I don't have the best self-control when it comes to my sweet tooth. Next door is another Holland's store that offers up popcorn in many different flavors and even more soda to pick from. This store did remind me of the candy store from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, minus the Candy Man tossing candy to and fro. Though that would've been quite the sight to see. The store just has this feeling of being a great place to get your sweet tooth fix while reliving items from your childhood and also your parent's childhood. I will end this with a warning. If you have kids and bring them here... expect to drop a lot of money on sweets and toys. It's easy to spend a small fortune in a place like this. Also, don't let your kids see Holland's Caramelcorn next door. They might get loaded up on sugar and then get popcorn cheese everywhere. How sweet it is.

The best variety of popcorn indulgence is waiting for you at Hollands. It is hands down better…read morethan Garrett's! I make trips to central Illinois, and this is one of my must do stops!

Quick service, loved the wizards, shakes, and cheeseburgers. The super nacho was very…read moreunderwhelming especially for the price.

Review Visit: September 7th, 2014…read more The Ice Cream Shack of Sunnyland... located in Washington? We are here to talk about the ice cream shack of....... Sunnyland. My friend Matt and I decided to come here after grabbing some pizza from Aurelio's in Peoria. After having some greasy pizza, you need something sweet and delectable to wrap up after a day of exceeding the recommended number of calories per day. We arrived shortly after the sun went down. You almost wouldn't be able to tell as the line of cars in their drive-thru was enough to make it seem like midday. That is a bit of an exaggeration but whenever I cruise by and it's 'ice cream shack season', there is a line about 10-15 cars deep. This night was no exception. After squeezing in a parking spot, we got in the human line that wasn't as long as the car line but still impressive for the time of day. As we had plenty of time to look over the menu, Matt and I couldn't help but remark at the millions of items on the menu. The size of the building leads you to be fooled in to thinking that this place serves only the basics. It felt like reading a novel as I looked over the dozens of options. I'm not sure what Matt ordered but I remember getting a peanut butter malt/shake/blizzard. I don't remember what the specific type of ice cream novelty drink it was but I remember it being delicious. I could tell by Matt's smile that he was equally enjoying his drink as well. Not wanting to be locked in the parking spot by the ever-long line from the drive thru, we hopped in at took off. Since it was a quick visit, this is a short post. I have only been here the one time but I would love to revisit some day and try the bazillions of food offerings they have along with another peanut butter... anything. Yeah, I have a peanut butter addiction.

Uncle Bobs has the BEST ice cream!! We usually buy it from Hyvee, but made a trip to the motherland…read more(aka the storefront in Eureka). It's a cute little store with indoor and outdoor seating and a drive through. The employees were friendly and helpful. They gave my dog a pup cup which was so thoughtful!!

Review Visit: April 1st, 2015…read more Good ol' Uncle Bob. He is the Uncle you never hear of. But when you do, you love him. Well, that's how I feel about Uncle Bob's Homemade Ice Cream. I discovered this place while grabbing coffee in Eureka, IL. Oh boy, was it a good discovery. I sampled a few ice creams and loved each one. Conveniently when I was there, they also had dollar hot dogs! So between amazing ice cream and cheap hot dogs, I was in heaven. If you love ice cream and haven't visited Uncle Bob's, do yourself a service and go try some! The do sell Uncle Bob's ice cream at some local eateries, so keep your eyes peeled if you can't make it to the Eureka location.

Wow! The hand dipped ice cream is amazing! Friendly and happy young woman took our order. The…read moreoutside is super cute!

Tremont, IL staple! They stay busy, because of the excellent service, I imagine…read more Directly across the street from a beautiful park.

It was really good ice cream for my first ever visit here. I got a two scoop sundae and with tip,…read more20%, it came to over $11. In my opinion, that's outrageous so I probably won't be back. That being said, the service was very good, but it's just too expensive for ice cream

I love this place! I went in once and tried the beantown ice cream flavor, and that's basically all…read moreI had for the next couple of visits... and I don't think I will change my choice for a long time. It is one of the best coffee flavored ice creams I've ever had. The owners are also very friendly and accommodating, and there are even seats outside on the busy Peoria heights road. Definitely stop by and try it out, you won't regret it... unless you're counting calories, then maybe.

well besides the great feel of an old school icecream stop, the service as well as the icecream, of…read morecourse, are wonderful. Always a smiling face ready to serve you and the different selection of flavors is a great change of pace. They have other things on the menu other than icecream but I did not try them.....yet! stop by, cool off and chat with the friendly staff and locals.

Great little ice cream place. So many choices it's hard to pick from. Although it is covered from…read morerain the roof is quite high so it doesn't shade the picnic tables. It gets quite hot in the summer. I would recommend some type of shade. Maybe add a little lattice, sun shade or fan. Parking lot is small and a bit hard to maneuver when it's busy. But the i e cream is good.

We were in town on a weekend getaway and decided to try this ice cream shop. The HIGHLIGHT of the…read moreentire trip. The ice cream was great - our group had the Coffee Carmel, Mint Chip, and Cherry Garcia and they were all so good! Our son noticed a Pokémon painting on the wall and pointed it out and the owner heard him talking about it and started up a conversation with him about Pokémon and they opened a pack together - my son thought it was so cool!

Ice cream was delicious and Lim was so nice!! We stopped here on my birthday and they were packed…read more Everyone was very nice and got to all the customers quickly.

My son & husband had shakes, I had a two scoop sundae. The flavors were the Fat Elvis & Kitty Kitty…read moreBang Bang it was so yummy! They were pretty busy but everyone was taken care of quickly. And the two ladies working there was a great team, both assisted each to complete the orders

This store is amazing. Usually, candy in bins is a little stale, but it was so soft and fresh I…read morecouldn't believe it. We also bought the amazing rice krispy treats (dairy free)- one covered in jelly beans and one covered in nerds. Again, the jelly beans were so soft & fresh. The rice krispy treat was so gooey and delicious- I ate pieces at a time because it was so big. This store was a delightful find on a weekday when not much was open. My daughter with allergies was very happy to find some safe options. Will definitely be back next time I'm in town.

Moved to town not to long ago and a new ice cream place opened up over the summer! It's in place of…read morethe Old Dairy Queen in case you didn't know! I've visited a couple times and I took a few pictures every time I went. The people that work here are super friendly, helpful and quick! I have discovered that the blueberry cheesecake creamer is my absolute favorite! The ice cream tastes so fresh and Light! They have a ton of seating surrounding the building and when I go I also see a lot of people hanging around, happy, and having fun! They usually get through the lines pretty quickly though. If you see a big crowd of people don't hesitate to stop, the wait won't be very long! Get over there and try a blueberry cheesecake creamer, you won't regret it!

Carius Creamery in Morton is a hometown gem--still under the same ownership as when it was Dairy…read moreQueen downtown for so many years. They've kept all the charm and quality you'd expect, with a fantastic ice cream selection that feels very familiar if you loved the classic DQ menu. The service is always quick and incredibly friendly--it's the kind of place where you feel welcome the moment you walk up. There's plenty of parking and outdoor seating, which makes it perfect for families or a relaxing treat. And with a park just across the street, it's a great stop when you're out with little ones. Delicious ice cream, great people, and a perfect location.