Road Trip: Starved Rock State Park

Starved Rock State Park is such a great destination! As the cabins (our desired lodging) were always booked, we decided to make it a day trip - and are so glad we did.

We had a great time and have a few notes and recommendations:

Arrive early:
It is only an hour and a half from downtown Chicago, so if you leave in the morning, you can hit the trails before it gets hot and crowded. If you plan to arrive before the Visitors Center is open, be sure to print out maps or have them your phone - though trails are well marked.

Check Facebook:
With all the rainfall in Illinois, there were several trips we planned to take to Starved Rock, but after checking their Facebook site, knew we had to abandon the trek as they would post that the park and/or parking lots were closed due to flooding.

Trail Options:
With 18 Canyons and 13 miles of hiking trails, how do you choose? We did some research online and for our younger hikers wanted to take on the hikes to: Starved Rock, French Canyon, Wildcat Canyon and LaSalle Canyon. And we made it! However, if we were to do it over, we would have skipped Starved Rock and Wildcat to focus on French and LaSalle Canyons, as they had the best waterfalls at the end.

Guided Tours - Check with the Visitor's Center for their FREE guided tours! We took a short one for Starved Rock and it was really informative with the history of the area (and helped us gather intel for our Jr. Ranger mission).

Waterfalls:
We were most excited when the end of the hike had a waterfall, which is possible in 14 of the canyons.

While best time to see the falls is in the Spring or after heavy rains, we recommend talking to the rangers to confirm which (if any) of the canyons have waterfalls. For example, LaSalle Canyon was further for us and if it didn't have a waterfall we could walk behind/enjoy, we may not have taken that path.

Junior Ranger:
The boys earned their first Junior Ranger badges and were so excited! The workbooks are available at the Visitor's Center, or you can do what we did - printed them in advance to complete a lot of it on the drive there. It can take some time (so be prepared) and has a mix of questions around the history, animals, and nature of the park with fill activities like fill in the blank and crossword puzzles. Find more details and the packets here.

Lengthen Your Stay:
With a longer stay, you can experience all the park (and Matthiessen State Park) has to offer with camping, hikes, river tours, canoeing, kayaking, wineries, breweries, and historical tours!

The nearby town of Utica looks so charming as well and has a good amount of pubs and places to eat - and don't pass up a photo opportunity with a huge, pink Big Foot outside of Two Girls and a Cupcake!

Age Recommendations:
If you plan to do a few trails, the kids will need to be strong walkers - for us, our 6 year old did well, but lost steam from time to time. Our 8 year old was a solid hiker and could have gone longer.

Cost Savings:
Free parking, Free access to the park trails.

Location/Transportation:
Located in Ogelsby, IL, Starved Rock State Park is about 1.5 hours from downtown Chicago. Free parking and access to trails!

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
The kids did really well and felt really proud of themselves after finishing, but we definitely pushed their limits (and may have each been carrying a child near the end). Definitely worth a day trip or longer!

Suburb Activity: You Pick Strawberries

Our family ventured into the suburb of Huntley, IL to experience Tom's Farm Market for our first time picking strawberries together!

Our oldest (8 years old) loved picking strawberries, while our youngest found solace in the staff's shade tent and cold water supply. We had a great time, harvested our berries quickly (it was HOT), and celebrated our "hard" work with strawberry donuts and strawberry lemonade (both we all highly recommend).

While enjoying the fruits of our labor, we enjoyed perusing the gift shop to look at the gift items, baked goods, and fresh produce & desserts.

As the picking time can be short, you can maximize your trip (if you traveling from the city), by enjoying a snack or lunch at their cafe (indoor and outdoor) and adding another stop to your day. A few options nearby:

• Stingray Bay Family Aquatic Center (5-10 min away)
• Three Oaks Recreation Area (15-20 min away)
• BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (30 min away)  <-- we chose this one

Noteworthy:

• Tractor wagons can take you to/from the strawberry fields.
• While the fields are not too far away, the staff offers shade, water, and a portable toilet to help keep everyone comfortable if/when they need a break.
• With all the rain, the staff placed down hay along the rows so the field was not muddy where we stepped - which was an amazing touch for us -- no dirty shoes!
• You keep the buckets they provide, which is a nice way to keep the fruit protected on the drive home. (those that aren't eaten, of course).
• The gift shop has a lot of items: fresh produce, baked goods, fudge, donuts, and other little house decor/items.

Age Recommendations:
Walking age and up. Strollers are allowed, but tough to navigate on/off the tractor wagon and not good to have in the narrow rows of strawberries.

Location/Transportation:
Huntley, IL
Parking is free

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
Our youngest really perked up once the picking was done and thoroughly enjoyed the strawberry lemonade, strawberry donut, and shopping. Our oldest enjoyed it all! We had a great time and encourage friends to come over for strawberries while they last!

Playground: Indian Boundary Park

We visited a wonderful neighborhood park called Indian Boundary Park!

This park is great for many ages as it has so much to offer - a large, wooden playground, a grassy area with trails, a bird sanctuary, and nature play center. All packed into a city block (even a Fieldhouse and event space is available - some outdoors in their garden with twinkle lights!)

The wooden playground is perfect for kids to exercise their imagination - there are so many towers and tunnels, mixed with money bars, slides, and tire swings. We had a really hard time getting the boys to leave (8 and 6 years old)!

Noteworthy:

• In addition to the wooden "castle" structures, there is a nature play center right next to the playground that has little nooks and crannies for kids: little stone houses, tree stumps to hop through, and tree trunks to balance on.
• The bird sanctuary is a serene little pond covered in wild flowers, where you can see turtles, butterflies, and birds (we even saw baby Canadian Geese!).
• Restaurants - nearby there is a variety of places to eat and a cute little ice cream shop called Lickety Split.
• Being so close to Little India, we wanted to introduce the kids to Indian food. We ended up at Tiffin, which the kids loved and were raving about the entire time (we ordered Lamb Seehk Kebob, Chicken Tikka, and Mixed Grill Platter). It was way too much food but the boys are over the moon to know they can eat more of it tomorrow!

Age Recommendations:
Something here for everyone!  Grab some friends and head out!  It's worth the trip if you are not close by.

Location/Transportation:
2500 W. Lunt, Chicago, IL / Rogers Park
Parking is tight in the area, so you may need to walk a bit to get to the park.
Not easily accessible by train, but several bus lines service the area.

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
Technically, they tried to give it 10 stars, but that's not how it works.
And then with the Indian Restaurant, they were probably at 100 stars.

Suburb Activity: Haunted Trails

If you are like me, you may have thought Haunted Trails was something open during the Halloween Season. But we were wrong! It is a Family Entertainment Center and open year round!

This entertainment center houses go karts, mini golf, rides, an arcade, and batting cages. There is a walk up counter style restaurant with quick service pizza, tacos, etc.

For the Go Karts, there are two levels (based on child's height) - one is a small kart the younger kids can drive (the 5-8 year olds we were with took about 534 turns around those tracks) and a larger kart and track for kids 54" or taller (or they can ride along with an adult).

This is a nice 18-hole course with a few fun experiences - of course with a haunted house theme.

The kids went a few times on the Small Roller Coaster and Crazy Cups ride (think of those spinning and turning rides that make you sick? Yep, same). Don't recommend letting them go on the Cups two times in a row, unless you want them pale and puke-y.

We wanted to maximize our time outside, so didn't spend time at the arcade or lazer room. While we didn't have time to try the batting cages, it looked like the variety of pitching speeds would have worked well for our 8 year old, but the slowest setting would have still been a bit too fast for our 6 year old.

Noteworthy:

• As we live on the South Side, this was an easy drive to the Burbank location.
• Good facility, service staff is friendly!
• Go Karts was definitely the biggest draw for us.
• Both moms got ill on the Crazy Cups. 

Age Recommendations: 5 years old+
The batting cages, mini golf, and go karts are a fit for all ages!

Cost Savings:
They sell packages/person which we took advantage of and have coupon deals on their site!

Location/Transportation:
Located in three suburbs: Burbank, Joliet, and Lombard (Enchanted Castle in this location)

At the Burbank location, there is a small parking area for cars.

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
We went with a group of kids and everyone had a great time!  (again, go karts were definitely the favorite among them)

Activity: Cat & Mouse Games

If you haven't yet visited Cat & Mouse Games in the West Loop, you are missing out! This toy and game store is fantastic! It is incredibly well organized, with toys and games for every age. We actually went there to see their Beyblade options (and found the exact one we wanted!!) and were quickly sucked in to the full store experience.

What sets it apart from all other toy stores is their:

• unmatched selection of games 
• game library rental program (<- WHA??)
• craft, game, and activity area
• puzzles, so many puzzles!

Game Selection:
The store has dozens and dozens of shelves filled with games and organized by type (Best Sellers, Cooperation, Mystery, etc...). They also have a monthly list of Top Ten Games sold. Not sure what game is good for your family? Check out their game rental!

Game Rental:
I was blown away by the game rental - such a great idea. You can rent a game for two nights, with the fee based on a percentage cost of the game. And if you love it, the rental cost will be put toward the purchase!

Craft and Game Area:
The store hosts many events throughout the month, listed on their website. Included in their events are Game Night, Craft Drop In, Story time, and more.

Puzzles:
Living in Chicago, we rely on puzzles to get us through the winter and rainy weather days. Their selection of puzzles is robust. Not only do they carry our favorite brand (why yes, you can have a favorite puzzle brand), Ravensburger, but they have every "level" - 

Age Recommendations:
All. Who doesn't love board games?

Cost Savings:
Opportunities to test a game in the store or at home before you purchase!

Location/Transportation:
West Loop - 1112 W. Madison
Train - Green Line Morgan stop (3 blocks away); Blue Line Racine (5 blocks) or Street Parking

Bonus: You will be close to Big Monster Toys and can get a quick shot of yourself / the family in front of their monster-sized door.

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
We plan to go back again for rentals and game nights!

Activity: Benihana

Want to have a great time at a restaurant with your kids? Then, Benihana is the place for you!

The Japanese-inspired restaurant features table-side chefs who cook on a hibachi grill with flair, fire, and knives.

Most importantly, the food is really good! Everyone in our party enjoyed the meal....with the kids begging for "seconds."

No iPads, iPhones, or any technology needed!



Noteworthy:

• The tables seat 8-9 people each, so we went with another family and had a "semi-private" feel with our own table.
• Kids are given menus that turn into Benihana hats, and our kids wore them with pride.
• The restaurant is loud, so don't plan on conversing with anyone other than the person directly next to you.
• While the ambiance of the restaurant has little to offer, the entertainment more than makes up for it!

Age Recommendations:All Ages
We had kids a variety of ages and all of them had a great time and stayed entertained throughout the meal.

Cost Savings:
Their website has promotions you can view here.

Location/Transportation:
With their location at the base of the John Hancock Center (or whatever they are calling it now), the restaurant is easy to access via trains and buses (though we ended up using SpotHero).

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
The kids can't wait to go back and honestly, neither can we!!

Annual Event: Macy's Flower Show

Important note: The 2019 show is over, but read up so you know what to expect for next year!

I never knew how neat the annual two-week Macy's Flower Show is in Chicago! The theme for 2019 was Journey to Paradisios - Operation: Inspiration.

For starters, Macy's website for the flower show is great. They created a short, entertaining story, had a 360 degree video tour, and nice interactive map.

Noteworthy:

• This is a fun, "we are in the area" event. We live close by so it was easy to pop in to take advantage of it (and maybe scope out some backpacks).
• The experience is enhanced for younger kids if you read the story & watch the video to get them excited for store.
• Macy's creates interactive aspects throughout the exhibits: 
• Count the Paradigms (little aliens) throughout the store [we counted 12, pretty sure we missed another 10-50]
• Selfie area at the teleporter
• Decode the Paradisian secret (we did it!!)
• The store hosts a lot of events and offers throughout the show. To name a few:
• Galactic Characters
• Floral Workshops
• Cooking Demonstrations
• Kids Camp
• Special drinks at the Walnut Room

Age Recommendations:
All ages!

Cost Savings:
FREE!

Location/Transportation:
Loop / Downtown - 111 North State
Plethora of access by L and Bus.

Kid's Jury: 5 stars
The kids liked seeing the story we read come to life, looking for the Paradigms and really enjoyed decoding the alien language! Though we didn't find a backpack we liked, but can't hold that against the flower show.