Great place to take kids to show them where strawberries come from. Strawberries are tasty and…read morereasonably priced and the farm is close to Bloomington-Normal. Strawberry picking is usually late May through most of June and blueberry picking usually starts in early July. They post updates on their website, Facebook and Twitter to let you know what the picking days and times are. Nice way to spend 30 minutes with the granddaughter.

Amazing people and space! Strawberries are so great and fun to pick! Newly added barn hosted our…read moresorority barn dance and got to hay ride and pick apples. My friend is thinking of having her wedding there!

Several websites recommended that my husband and I check out the Luthy Botanical Garden and after…read morevisiting, I can't figure out why this place was recommended. We went there on a Saturday morning. Parking was very difficult to come by. There was no clear entrance. On this Saturday, there were vendors selling their wares. There were too many vendors taking up too much space. I went there to enjoy nature, not feel forced to buy things. There was a singer and guitar player who was too loud and not very good. I enjoyed walking and seeing the flowers and sculptures but there was not enough of that at this garden. Luthy Botanical Garden is too commercial and there is not enough garden.

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.

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.

Environment: GREAT I will definitely come there again!…read moreThe environment is so nice. And the mini golf was so much fun in such a beautiful place!

Review Visit: June 13th, 2016…read more A perfect combination of fun and delicious. I have, admittedly, been here many times before June 13th. But that is neither here nor there. The only thing you need to know is that this place has cheap mini golf and some of the best ice cream around. The mini golf portion is about $5.50 a person, young ones being cheaper. The course is your typical 18 holes. But this course is quite challenging and I have only sunk a few Hole-in-Ones here. There is a sweet deep blue fountain/waterfall that runs through most of the park. My ball has gone in the water more times than I care to admit. The challenging but fun course aside, the real gem here is their ice cream. Imported all the way from Madison, Wisconsin, this is some of the best that I have. It easily is in my Top 3. My usual is a Caramel ChocoLatte. Sooooo good. The company they get it from is called Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and I really want to visit Madison, Wisconsin one day to have ice cream directly from them. All in all, a great place to spend an afternoon putting balls and devouring ice cream. This is actually one of the few places on my blog that falls into two categories. Mini Golf and Ice Cream Shack, since you can pop in and enjoy ice cream without ever stepping on the green.

Food is good and soda is good And the setting is good and…read moreservice is good and I will recommend the place

Rabers has long been my favorite butcher shop in Peoria. Since they've opened their new location…read morethey've added on additional services like a full lunch counter and an event space. I go there as often as my waistline allows for lunch, and the food is excellent. As you can imagine, the meat is top notch. The prices are also so low you'll think you've gone back in time (I think I paid $4.50 for a big double cheeseburger the last time I was there). Raber's also hosted and catered our rehearsal dinner. They did a wonderful job. The lighting they have in the space is really good for setting a party mood, there is a full bar, and the food was fantastic (we had tenderloin steaks and chicken). We got so many compliments from our guests. One super nice touch was they wrote a nice message/sign for my wife and I on the chalkboard wall, and then a bunch of our guests added to it with more messages wishing us well, making jokes, etc. It was great. I'll be back for lunch as often as possible, and if I ever need to host a big party again, Raber's will definitely be the first place I talk to.

Friendly service nice young man at the counter chili dogs were good like the dog container s…read moreinstead of the wrapper.

Review Visit: September 7th, 2013…read more Open. Closed. Open. Closed. Open. Ernie's is a business that is open, closed, sold, re-opened more times than is normal. So, you are never sure if the place is open for the season or closed until a new owner opens it back up. Knowing this, I knew I had one chance to get there before something happened and they closed again. Don't quote me on this but I believe they closed again shortly after my visit there. But luckily, they are open for now and possibly moving to a new location that will better serve it's needs. So, I gathered up some of my family and we headed to the legendary and often reflected upon place to get ice cream and food. We got there and thankfully they were open for business. Everyone got in front of the window to see what they were offering at that particular time. Since there were so many of us and it was a good while ago, I don't remember what everyone ordered. I do remember ordering a tenderloin that was hilariously large for the bun it was served on. I was nearly full by the time I got to the bun and toppings. Each bite was full of flavor and slightly juicy. Perfection. But, that's what I love about a good tenderloin. Don't serve me one unless the bun is dwarfed by the patty. Everyone enjoyed their meal from what I remember. I think almost everyone got an ice cream shake or soda to wash their meal down with. Man, now I am hungry for a tenderloin. That's one of the downfall of typing up these blogs for old places. It gives me a hankering for food from yesteryears. I want to say that Ernie's was a 'cash only' place back in 2013. I could be wrong on that but if you do get to try out Ernie's when they are open for business, make sure you have a few bucks on you if you go. Again, make sure Ernie's is open and also hasn't moved locations before using the address below. As a side note about Ernie's. It seems like this business has been a staple in the Peoria area since my parents were my age. Almost everyone from the area that I've talked to about Ernie's has been here and has stories about going there.

This place is hidden away on a downtown side street in an area of town most people only zoom by…read moreduring their commute, but they make high quality bread and muffins at this owner operated storefront. Open during the afternoons weekdays and mornings on Saturday, stop by for some cinnamon rolls and a loaf of bread and you'll wonder why you bothered to buy that place way out in the suburbs.

stellar little family run bread operation. organic, mostly vegan, their breads are just full of…read moreflavor and that rustic, old-style texture that most bakeries don't make any more. They've also a cajun restaurant housed in there now. it's a dynamite excuse to get out of the suburbs and downtown. saturday mornings people often lounge around drinking coffee and talking. it's a great place to check out on your way to the farmer's market.

What a hidden gem! So glad our in-laws suggested this lakeside place for some pre-dinner relaxation…read moreand conversation. They do not serve food of any type here, but outside food is certainly welcome. We brought dips and charcuterie items. We all tried an extremely affordable tasting of three wines, and we each ended up buying some wines. There is plenty of room inside, a shady patio with several tables outside, and nice outdoor furniture positioned around the lake. All the wines are fantastic, but my wife and I found the Magpie (white) and the Sunset Red especially enjoyable and brought some home! It's worth the trip! I canot think of a beter way to unwind than Old Mill Vineyard!

It's definitely off the beaten path. But the delightful wine and the setting definitely makes it…read moreworthwhile. To start off, I opted for the the 3 tastings for $5.00 - I chose #1: Albert 703 #2: Cynthiana #3: Broken Barrel As I progressed from 1-3, the more I enjoyed the flavor (that's just me). I really enjoyed the bourbon barrel flavor and aroma - a very nice dry wine. I had a great conversation with the owner, Donna, who stated they had been in commercial operations for 10 years and having this physical site open for 8 years. She was a wealth of information and extremely nice and cool person to talk with - she knows he wines! After discovering the Broken Barrel was my favorite, I decided to purchase a bottle and enjoy the pastoral setting of the outdoor seating overlooking their lake. What a nice way to enjoy a beautiful fall afternoon! I highly recommend you check this place out!