Daytrip: A Go West Outing to Woodstock

“You want a prediction about the weather, you're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.” -- Bill Murray as Phil Connors in “Groundhog Day.”

In honor of Groundhog Day tomorrow, I thought we’d take a trip to the charming McHenry County town of Woodstock in the far northwestern suburbs.

The Woodstock Town Square. Photo by mstephens7 on Flickr.Now many of you are likely nodding your heads and thinking, "Sure. Groundhog Day. Woodstock. Makes sense.” But others might be a bit confused.

The 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day” – starring Bill Murray as an egocentric weatherman – was set in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where each year on Feb. 2 a groundhog named Phil emerges from his burrow. His “handlers” then announce whether he’s seen his shadow; no shadow, according to legend, means an early spring is on its way.

While that tradition truly dates back more than 120 years in Punxsutawney, much of the movie “Groundhog Day” was filmed in Woodstock, especially on its beautiful town square.

As a result of the movie’s popularity, Woodstock now has its own “Groundhog Days” festival each winter – complete with a chili cook-off, free screenings of the movie, a walking tour of filming sites and on Feb. 2, the emergence of “Woodstock Willie” from a tree trunk on the Woodstock Square. Fans of the movie will appreciate that a polka band plays in the bandstand during the ceremony to help “wake” Willie from his winter nap.

Click to read more ...

Daytrip: A Go West outing to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

The last time I visited the Shedd Aquarium, my husband and unknowingly went during the spring break week for many schools. I was in my 2^nd trimester, and remember shielding my belly against sharp elbows in the elevator.

A beluga whale. Photo courtesy of Shedd Aquarium.When we went in November, it was with our 2-year-old daughter in tow, and I had to shield the stuffed animals in the gift shop from her grabby fingers.

Seriously, when you visit a place like Shedd can make a huge difference in your experience. We visited on a Friday afternoon in mid-November, and while the place was busy it was not overly crowded. The Shedd offers 52 days a year when admission to the aquarium’s original galleries is free. You can find upcoming dates here; keep in mind you will likely be dealing with some heavy crowds, but with thestandard ticket for an adult starting at nearly $27 and for children nearly $20, those “Community Discount Days” could save you a bundle.

No matter when you and your family visit the Shedd, you’re in for a treat that likely will enchant even the youngest visitors. (Unlike the zoo, even a baby has tons she can view from the comfort of her stroller here.)

You probably know that the Shedd edges up against Lake Michigan and is located on the Museum Campus along with the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium.

If you visited as a kid, you likely remember that massive, 90,000-gallon circular aquarium in the rotunda that holds a Caribbean Reef. That’s still there, and still impressive – and four or five times a day, you can watch and listen to a narrated dive by a Shedd staffer who hand-feeds the animals.

Click to read more ...

Daytrip: A Go West Outing to Brookfield Zoo

Here is likely the most important thing I can tell you about a visit to Brookfield Zoo: You are not going to see everything. Not in just one day.

A grizzly bear in the "Great Bear Wilderness" at Brookfield Zoo. Photo courtesy of Brookfield Zoo.But that’s OK. With a bit of advance planning – and the zoo’s website has lots of great tips  – you can make sure to see all the animals, exhibits and attractions that are most important to your family. Plus, it’s such a fun spot and less than an hour away from the far western Chicago suburbs, so you can just plan a follow-up visit.

My daughter and I visited the zoo on a gorgeous warm Friday about a month ago.  We were able to go with a good girlfriend of mine and her two toddler sons. They live near the zoo and are members, so she was very sweet to use some guest passes to get us in free. All I had to pay was the $9 parking fee.

Otherwise, there are a number of ticket options you can pick from. For those who are ages 12 to 65, the general entry to the zoo is $13.50. Children ages 3-11 pay $9.50. (Kids under 3 are free.)

There are a couple other ticket packages if you want to include special attractions that cost extra, including the dolphin show, stingray bay, the children’s zoo, the family play zoo, the motor safari and carousel.

Click to read more ...

Go West daytrip: A field of dreams in northwestern Illinois

It has the ivy, it has the red bricks, it has the iconic scoreboard. It even has an odd statue of Harry Caray seemingly emerging from a block of fans. It is Little Cubs Field, a miniature replica of the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field. Located in the northwestern Illinois town of Freeport, Little Cubs Field would make a fun, whimsical daytrip for any family of die-hard Cubs fans.

 

Little Cubs Field. Photo by Tara Burghart.The field (27 W. Stephenson St., 815-233-1350) was built over the last several years by volunteers, and the Cubs donated cuttings of ivy, dirt, grass, seats and flags from “the friendly confines.” Ron Santo and Caray’s widow Dutchie have both been big supporters of the project.

 

Admission is free to the ballpark, which is about 1/4th the size of the real thing and is used for T-ball, Little League, wiffleball and kickball games. It can also be rented for events, at a price ($45 per hour) that is extremely cheap by Chicago-area standards!

 

For your family’s visit, make sure to bring your camera, a bat, ball and gloves in order to take some kitschy shots of your kids making game-saving catches at the brick wall, resting in the dugouts or powering a hit out to right field.

Click to read more ...