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.

The Laurent House is such a beautiful story of love, determination, dedication and perseverance…read more Really enjoyed the personal biographical information about the Laurents that bring this modest, yet gorgeous Frank Lloyd Wright home to life. The Foundation and its docents have done a wonderful job as caretakers of this unique story and historic building. Only recommendation would be a little better coordination of tours, if running on the half hour. It is a small space.

Such a cool and well preserved piece of architecture. One of my favorite tours, and the property is…read moresmall so it's very digestible and easy to really take in all the details. The guides are really knowledgeable

Working in Rockford this week and I just happened to find this beautiful park beside the river…read more There were quite a few people enjoying the park on this weekend afternoon, and the weather was beautiful. Bike trails, picnic tables, and many benches along the river. This park is very well maintained. The Nicholas Conservatory is at one end of the park, and while I didn't have time to visit it today I hope the next time I am in Rockford.

Beautiful area along the river in Rockford with a lot to do and look at. It should be on the list…read morefor anyone coming here to hang. Sinnissippi Park is one of the most visited places in town. For sure it's no surprise because there's so much in it. The Rockmen Guardians, Nicholas Conservatory, and the gardens are the biggest highlights but there's lots more to it to come do stuff. At the western end are the Rockmen Guardians. It's worth going along the riverfront path to get some pictures. The Conservatory is the grandest thing in the entire park though. Inside there's plenty of plant life including flowers and trees, as well as animal life, including butterflies, koi fish, and swans. They charge an admission though. Just north of this is the lagoon, where there's a rose garden. The east side of the park has a golf course, and there's also a Scandinavian cemetery if you're looking for history. Have to visit this park if you're seeing what's in the city. It's got a lot of the best stuff that's around here. This is great for getting some exercise or whatever.

We attended there because a friend invited my kids to join them,…read moreFirst, it would have been nice to know that you DO NOT need to purchase bounce house tickets for kids not wanting to bounce. They only have something like 3 bounce houses. $36 for 2 kids, and one not to jump was pricey. It is $18 per person (4 and older) on the weekends, cheaper if you go on a weekday. The Arcade... So, apparently, a good deal, 100 tokens for $20. So, we split the tokens 50/50. I was shocked when my child was frustrated because a ticket based arcade did not work, and we realized it required 4 tokens! The number of machines that required 4 tokens seemed to be in the majority. Most places we have been to, the higher token machines were typically the race car driving machines, where machines that give tickets typically range in the 1-2 token family group. Now, I saw that someone mentioned that the arcade accepted 1-4 tokens, I did not find (on 4/25/2025 any that accepted only 1 token. Not saying that they were not there... I just did not find them. I did find a few that accepted 2 tokens or 3 tokens though. They do have some sort of bowling game that required 8 tokens in the back corner. While we were there yesterday, on a Saturday afternoon, it was really quite empty, we did not see anyone working the concession area at all. Thankfully, we brought water bottles. While there I did see a frustrated parent who paid $14 (children 3 and under rate), because the bounce houses were geared toward that age group. Overall - over priced.

This was completely unexpected. You would never guess there was an arcade in what is practically…read morean industrial park. First arcade I've ever seen with a bouncy house Pros: +Solid selection of games including ticket games +Good facilities for birthday parties +Staff was pretty attentive +Good restrooom facilities. Hey... thats important for a place like this. Cons: -Not the most expensive arcade I've been to, but its still a money suck -Area can be a little tight for manuevering Bottom Line: A lot of the 5 stars are warranted. I admit I'm a bit of a snob when it coems to arcades. Not the best I've been to, but very solid. Glad this place is in the community.

The food and overall atmosphere were solid, and the space itself has a lot of potential. It's a…read moreplace that feels like it could be great once things are running smoothly. That said, the service was the biggest issue. The wait staff seemed uncomfortable and not fully confident, which made the experience feel a bit awkward. On top of that, the kitchen times were very long, especially considering it didn't feel overly busy. The cocktails were a mixed bag. I ordered the house Old Fashioned, and it came off more like a Wisconsin-style version with a splash of something like Sprite. It wasn't bad, just unexpected, and the flavor was a bit unusual. As for the entertainment side, I came for bowling, but the games felt a little off--almost like they weren't calibrated right--which took away from the fun. For the price, the value didn't quite match the experience. I spent around 2 bills and overall it felt pretty mediocre for what we got. That said, it's a local spot, and I want to see it succeed. I'd come back for bowling and give it another shot, hoping they work out the kinks.

Round 2... I so…read moredesperately want to love this place... They just need to work out some of their issues. We visited Cahoot's on Father's Day around Noon with a Group of 11 (5 Kids 6 Adults). We had initially planned to go to Schaumburg but decided on Cahoot's because it's much closer to us. The Parking lot was packed, but the dining area wasn't, which now feels like a precursor to our experience. Our Dining Experience. The one thing this place does very well is accomodate large groups! We were able to be seating immediately with a very large table with plenty of room for everyone. Our Server felt extremely green, she just didn't offer much warmth and her pace did not match ours. Having 5 young kids who were excited to play games, the food service was very slow. Obviously we could have allowed them to play while we waiting, but being unfamiliar with the location we just were not sure so we chose to eat then play. Drinks were ordered, we waited awhile. Apps were ordered...more waiting... and finally food orders taken. It was so drawn out it felt never ending. The beers that were ordered amongst the adults got mixed up and a few people got free beers because of it. No one seemed to bothered by this. The pretzels ordered as apps were fine. Not bad, but nothing special. They were out of the listed Mustard that they were supposed to come with and the Cheese was pretty bland, neither pretzel got finished. We weren't asked for refills until about 45 minutes into our dining experience. Food was eventually delivered in about 3-4 waves. 1 or 2 of us had hot meals when they arrived, as if the others had been sitting. I personally ordered the house burger with beyond meat and it was brought to me with normal beef patties. I knew immediately and asked for it to be corrected. While i waited I ate my side salad. Everyone had finished their meals by the time the corrected burger was delivered. Wrong... again... This time the right meat but with none of the items the House burger offered. I ended up just putting it in a togo box because I didn't want everyone else waiting for me to finish. My meal was comped without me having to ask which was a very nice gesture. But now two times I have visited Cahoot's to eat and both times someone in my party has had to have their meal comped due to mistakes. This place is definitely going through growing pains. We did end up playing some games afterwards though, $40 took my kids about 15 minutes to exhaust... They really need to take a look at their game prices, we most likely will not return to the gaming area for that reason. I still want to come back for the bowling as it looks like a lot of fun. That was easily their busiest spot. Our Visit was not all bad. I wish I could remember the name of the individual that delivered our food! He was incredible!! In the short time we interacted he was 10 times more attentive, Interactive, and enjoyable than our actual server. He made sure every single person at our table had exactly what we needed before getting back to his normal job. Kudos to that young man. I will most likely be taking a hiatus from visiting Cahoot's until I am confident that they have worked out the kinks. This place has so much potential and it's local so we really really want it to succeed!

If you've never been kayaking and want to try it, check this place out. $45 a person per kayak, or…read moreyou can rent a canoe for less. The owner will take you to the drop off site at Epensheids park and away you go. Life jackets are provided. The trip can take 4-8 hours depending on what you do along the way. You can bring a soft sided cooler that can mount on the boat. Wear shoes as there are some rocky stopping spots. My friend and I had a blast on a gorgeous day on the Kish river.

CAMPING: I camped with a private group at Larsen's Landing…read moreas part of a weekend canoe package. We had the campground pretty much to ourselves. Pros: This camp site is off the beaten path. Literally. The road is not paved. There's no city noise and it really feels like you're in the wilderness even though you're just a short drive to civilization. Cons: You're in the wilderness. This is rustic camping. Forget about electric hookups. No water spigot. Not even a pit toilet. They did provide a port-a-potty. CANOEING: The canoe portion of our trip was no fuss. They drove our group by bus up-river and dropped us off - each with a sack lunch and a canoe - with instructions to just follow the river back to the landing. This was very well organized and they made sure everyone was set before taking off. I wouldn't change a thing. TIPS: If you're camping, bring your own water and a roll of TP. Invest in a dry box. Your canoe *WILL* tip when you least expect it. The sack lunch is worth it.

Rockford Charter Coach provided us with a 21 person executive party bus for our company holiday…read moreparty. Their paperwork is easy to read, their pricing is fair and the actual service is on-time. The bus arrived 15 minutes early and was well-kept, clean and fully equipped with dinettes, lounge chairs, sofas, bathroom, sink, microwave, refrigerator and plenty of storage for our luggage. Our driver, Barry, was prompt, professional, very friendly and accommodating. Overall, we were very happy with Rockford Charter Coach and would recommend it to anyone in the Rockford area seeking a hassle-free, professional, and courteous executive limousine service.

This is a great place for families and couples. Nice bar with good drinks. The are throwing…read moreexperience is worth a family night. They will help you if you ask. New pool table if that's your thing. Worth the time. Check out the tap beers, some are hard to find.