Super cute little giftshop for the gardens! Employees are really nice. Most of the items I looked…read moreat were decently priced and everything was very nice quality! Their snow gloves are insanely beautiful and I wish I took a picture to show. Adore the chopsticks and holders I got.

The Anderson Gardens Gift Shop is where the journey begins for the Anderson Japanese Gardens. This…read moreis where you buy tickets to get into the gardens. This is also where the gift shop resides. You can also get snacks and water here. When my husband and I came through there wasn't much of a line. There was only one couple in front of us. The cashier was nice and friendly. The restrooms and restaurant are also located in this building. I highly recommend the Anderson Gardens Gift Shop!

Have been trying to get to this event for a few years now, and now, having been, am regretting not…read moremaking the time for it when I first learned of it. The encampment of volunteer re-eneactors was much bigger than I was expecting, and the quality of the participants was thru the roof. The volunteers are very willing to fill you in on their particular take on history, be it fur-trading, carpentry, candle making, surveying or any other activity you can find there. A few helpful hints: - You have to do a fair amount of walking from the parking lot to the encampment on a grass path - so wear walking shoes and dress appropriately, and, if it's cold, wear layers - you'll be warmed up and stripped down by the time you arrive. - Bring a camera - lots of photo ops, especially if you have kids. If walking is an issue, check out their website for info on special needs parking. - Plan to buy lunch there - the foods available are not what you might expect - bison burgers, fish boil, elk stew and to drink, cider, lemonade and coffee/tea. - Bring your own bottles of water - water is hard to come by in any form - they do not allow bottled water for sale at this event. - Bring some cash for a fun purchase - for example - a hank of hemp fiber, a hollow cow form, a powder horn, old-fashioned candy, trading beads, etc. There is no ATM. :-) - Set aside some time to try the old-time games. - Get there early and leave late. We got there at 11, and had to leave by 3, due to another commitment - we should have gotten there at opening and left at closing - we could have used a lot more time to see everything - we probably only saw about 1/2 of the re-enactors. Would I recommend: Yes yes yes! Would I return: Yes!

If I do not go to this, my year is not complete…read more My History teacher offered extra credit to go to this and ever since I was hooked. You start off walking down this mile long trail as you are surrounded by prairie grass, trees and hills created by the glacier that ran through there long ago. Along the way you can talk to reenactors from the 1670's-1850's in the former Northwest Territory. When you get to the end of the trail it opens into this large open area where there are food stands, more reenactors with job specific stations where they talk about and show you their professions. I always liked the trader skinning the beaver and the Indian talking about how the white man got his daughter but he scalped them. They also have an area where they create a canoe the way the Indians did. Oh and they have food! Get the kettle corn, get a large bag, you will regret it if you don't. They have this giant cauldron and make it there in front of you while you wait forever in line. They have all kinds of jerky (bison, elk, deer, you name it) They have chili, pickles, corn chowder and turkey legs. The overall experience is wonderful and leaves you feeling nostalgic about it leading up to next year's reopening.

Wonderful show everyone in our group loved it and we enjoyed the tour backstage as well. Dana was…read morethere too,

This is an excellent performance. Dancing with the horses is a unique place to stop for the whole…read morefamily. They have all levels of enjoyment for all ages.

On a dreary Sunday in January we came from the Chicago suburbs primarily to see the garden train…read moreexhibit inside the conservatory. Although kind of small, the greenhouse did not disappoint. It is very lush, packed with a lot of tropical plants, trees and flowers. It also has water features, ponds and streams that have fish (koi?) in them. The train displays are super nice. They have miniature Rockford landmarks scattered around and trestle bridges made from sticks and limbs. This place is peaceful, relaxing, and very photogenic. $10 admissions, a bit less for seniors and kids.

It's nice, but a bit on the small side, I think they need to expand it a little more, but its…read moredefinitely something worth checking out. And why aren't there any frogs? Just Koi Fish, but no frogs.

Fantastic! But I must qualify rating…read more Let me begin by saying I enjoyed my visit to the museum. They have a wonderful collection of several different types of trains (steam, electric, diesel) and an excellent collection of streetcars. You can ride a train and a street car; they have one of each running on different tracks. AND the prices of their food at the Central Diner won't break the bank. I thought the museum was very alive, in the sense that there seems to be a huge staff working on and operating the trains. It felt like a less hectic train yard. Would I recommend visiting the museum ... I hesitate. If you truly enjoy trains, it's an easy yes. If you don't, well, I hesitate to recommend it, even though I really would like you to go visit it. I have only visited a couple railway museums: B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore and the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay. I had a wonderful time at both of these museums, and it is difficult for me to quite put my finger on why I had less fun at the Illinois Railway Museum. I think one of the reasons is that you are always at ground level looking up. You don't get to get in or even have the opportunity for an elevated view of any of the trains, nor do you get to go in the cab of any of them. Because of that, I think I felt less connected to the trains, as so much of them was unseen. The streetcars are low enough that it isn't such a problem. But it would have been wonderful to have a few street cars available to go through.

An extensive and massive collection of railroad cars, locomotives, and memorabilia. they have steam…read morediesel trolleys, you name it. Really amazing how much they have. You can also take a ride on an electric car that used to go from Chicago to the suburbs. The staff are amazing and will help you find anything that you need. One of the employees even opened the used bookstore to help us find an item. he really went above and beyond to help us in our search for a particular item. The only downside is that several of the attractions had different hours and were closed. Also, we found it difficult to find particular locomotives or cars we were looking for. They can definitely make signage a little better and clearer. Other than that, it is a great place to visit.

Visiting the Webster House is like stepping back in time to the mid-1800s. The house and the Boyd…read moreCarriage Barn have both been reorganized in the past couple years with many interesting things to see. Tour guide was very knowledgeable about local history and that of the home and barn. Definitely worth the visit! Admission was also free!

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.

This place is pretty cool and a trip back in time. The guy who I think is the owner (very tall guy…read morewith a beard & mustache) was very nice. The prices are amazing, but I really think the guy should increase the prices to at least .25 cents to .50 cents a game. My husband and I were baffled how a profit is made, especially after paying the rent, electricity, other utilities & costs, especially with how expensive everything is now days. I mean some of the games didn't work or stopped working after a while of playing them several times (but then again, the same happens at other expensive arcades, too), but I still didn't mind that much or even bugged the guy to fix them or get a refund since the price is SOOO low there. I'm not used to those prices, even in my childhood in the 80's and 90's, which were .25-.50 even then. I wish the guy much success and really admire his lack of greed and wanting fun to be affordable to all, but I still think he can increase the prices a bit and it still be affordable, and maybe the increase can help to invest towards the upkeep of the machines. Either way, cool place and cool guy!

This was so much better than expected, as my six grandchildren were very interested the entire…read moretime. The proprietor is an excellent actor/educator/performer.

Visit the birthplace of modern astrophysics!…read more Yerkes Observatory is a historic astronomical research facility that was founded in 1897 by astronomer George Ellery Hale. It's known as the "birthplace of modern astrophysics," and it houses the world's largest refracting telescope, with a 40-inch lens. Fair warning: This isn't a place you can just pop in and visit, like a museum. It's more like a public education center, and I believe you can only visit by booking a tour online. They also offer workshops and put on the occasional festival. During the tour, you can explore the building's beautiful architecture, learn about the history of the observatory, attend a lecture or stargazing event, and visit the out-of-this-world gift shop, full of astronomy-themed souvenirs for all ages. Depending on the type of tour you book, you might even be able to gaze at planets and stars through the telescope. Tours require climbing stairs and sometimes navigating through some tight spaces, so they aren't accessible. Tours cost money, but it's free to walk around the outside of the observatory and explore the arboretum. This is a really cool place to learn about space and the area's history with astrophysics. My group was highly entertained by our tour guide, Walt, so if he is leading your tour, you're in for a treat.