2200 W Euclid Ave
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847)385-7500
website
My sisters and I decided to take my parents here to celebrate their birthdays. It turned out to be a great day. The weather was perfect. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Our server was very friendly (he even took a picture for us). The races were very entertaining. The kids had a great time. A couple of us even came out ahead with our bets! I would call the day a success.
My sister actually bought our tickets ahead of time. We wanted things to be nice so we got Executive Box seats. These were $17 per person. We went on a Saturday so the races started at 1:15pm. The gates to the track open at 12pm. And the gates to park open at 11:30am.
We decided to make some sandwiches and bring them to the park. They had tables near the entrance where we ate lunch. Then, we went to the area where they parade the horses. They bring them out 20 minutes before each race. Then, they get them ready for the race. After the the jockeys mount them, they walk one by one to the track 5-10 minutes before the race starts. This is a great time to see the horses. If you bring kids and they get restless, this is also a great time to stretch your legs.
There are places set up all over where you can make your bets. They have machines or you can place your bet with an actual person. This was my first time using a machine and I found it to be very easy. In the end, my husband and I won $11.20. Anything above $0 is a win for me!
Our seats were great. They were covered so we wouldn't get wet if it rained. We wouldn't get hot if it was too sunny. We could see everything really well. We ended up with 2 boxes right next to each other because we had 11 people. There are 4 padded seats that line the back of the box. Then, there's a large table with a TV that has 2 office chairs at it. The TV shows the race and everything that is displayed on the giant screen on the track. It can also pick up a couple other channels if you want to watch something else. Our waitor told us if the Cubs were playing, you could usually pick that up. To get your waitor's attention, you raise this little flag in front of your box.
Overall, we had a great time and we'll definitely be going back again.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Jelly Belly Factory in Kenosha, WI
We decided to drive out to the Jelly Belly packaging plant while we were in Kenosha. I had heard that you could take a tour. So we made our way out there. Apparently, we arrived at just the right time because there was a very large group of kids (like 40 or more) that showed up just after us.
You start out by waiting in this really long line. Now, it wasn't that long when we got there, but we still ended up waiting about 30 minutes. That was less than enjoyable, but sometimes you just have to tough out the line to get to the good stuff (or so we thought). Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that we went on the tour, but it was a little boring. We will definitely never do it again. You mostly watch screens with little videos telling you all about how Jelly Beans are made and the history. It was fine I guess. They ask you not to take pictures though. I guess it's a nice way to spend 20 minutes sitting down in the air conditioning.
The best part about us coming here was the gift shop though. They have a tasting bar where you can try any flavor that you want. It was great! I am surprised to tell you that the Pancakes and Maple Syrup flavor is pretty darn good! There are so many flavors that you can buy and different products (not just Jelly Beans). Plus, they have t-shirts and Jelly Bean dispensers and things that are hard to find in other stores.
I'm glad that we went, but if we ever go back, it will be just to buy some Jelly Beans.
You start out by waiting in this really long line. Now, it wasn't that long when we got there, but we still ended up waiting about 30 minutes. That was less than enjoyable, but sometimes you just have to tough out the line to get to the good stuff (or so we thought). Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that we went on the tour, but it was a little boring. We will definitely never do it again. You mostly watch screens with little videos telling you all about how Jelly Beans are made and the history. It was fine I guess. They ask you not to take pictures though. I guess it's a nice way to spend 20 minutes sitting down in the air conditioning.
The best part about us coming here was the gift shop though. They have a tasting bar where you can try any flavor that you want. It was great! I am surprised to tell you that the Pancakes and Maple Syrup flavor is pretty darn good! There are so many flavors that you can buy and different products (not just Jelly Beans). Plus, they have t-shirts and Jelly Bean dispensers and things that are hard to find in other stores.
I'm glad that we went, but if we ever go back, it will be just to buy some Jelly Beans.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Aquanuts
The Aquanuts is a group of young people in southern Wisconsin that compete in water skiing competitions. They do free shows on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 6pm when they don't have a competition. We were visiting the Kenosha area in late June and decided to go see them. They were great.
First, you drive out to Lance Park at Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. There is a parking lot, but it fills up pretty fast. We ended up parking on the street. The street has a lot of clearly marked parking spaces. Then, you just follow the crowds of people headed to the showing area. You will see a ramp in the water. You have a couple choices on where to watch from. There is a seating like area. However, we chose to bring a blanket and sat on the grass to the side. If you walk around, you'll see people sitting anywhere they can find a spot. We attended on a Wednesday and it was packed.
Food. I saw plenty of people bring their own food and have picnics while watching. We meant to do this, but I accidentally forgot the food in the hotel room. No big deal. They had a concession stand to buy hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, chips, soda, etc.
The actual show was very impressive. These athletes clearly know what they're doing and they try to make the stunts and everything go with a storyline which I wasn't expecting. It took us about 40 minutes to get there from Kenosha, but I would say it was worth it. It's something different to do. And it's very entertaining. They take a break in the middle and ask for donations. Girls walk around with buckets. This is a free show so do think about donating. By the time they're finished with the everything, I believe it was about 50 minutes long.
Overall, we had a great time.
First, you drive out to Lance Park at Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. There is a parking lot, but it fills up pretty fast. We ended up parking on the street. The street has a lot of clearly marked parking spaces. Then, you just follow the crowds of people headed to the showing area. You will see a ramp in the water. You have a couple choices on where to watch from. There is a seating like area. However, we chose to bring a blanket and sat on the grass to the side. If you walk around, you'll see people sitting anywhere they can find a spot. We attended on a Wednesday and it was packed.
Food. I saw plenty of people bring their own food and have picnics while watching. We meant to do this, but I accidentally forgot the food in the hotel room. No big deal. They had a concession stand to buy hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, chips, soda, etc.
The actual show was very impressive. These athletes clearly know what they're doing and they try to make the stunts and everything go with a storyline which I wasn't expecting. It took us about 40 minutes to get there from Kenosha, but I would say it was worth it. It's something different to do. And it's very entertaining. They take a break in the middle and ask for donations. Girls walk around with buckets. This is a free show so do think about donating. By the time they're finished with the everything, I believe it was about 50 minutes long.
Overall, we had a great time.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Boathouse Pub in Kenosha
4917 7th Ave
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262)654-9922
website
We stayed at the Best Western on the harbor and the Boathouse Pub is just down the street from there so we chose this location to eat at while in town. Don't quote me on this, but it looked like they even had boat parking on the lake (and after checking their website, they do offer this!).
You have two choices for where to sit: inside or outside. We chose to sit outside because it was such a beautiful day and as long as the weather is good, I definitely recommend sitting out there.
Our waitress was so friendly. She was so nice to my son and very patient with him while he tried to decide what he wanted for dinner. He ended up having chicken strips, fries, and an apple juice. I had a taste and it was pretty good. I would say the kids menu is pretty on par with most kids menus that we're used to.
I chose to start off with a side salad. It came out nice and fast so that was good. I got the Barge Buster which is a ½ pound burger grilled and topped with cheddar, pepper, and swiss cheese, crispy onion strings, bacon and BBQ sauce and served on a toasted bun. It was seriously delicious. And huge. I only ended up eating about ½ of it. It came with fries, which were very good. Now, if you're the drinking type, I would suggest looking at their huge selection of Long Island Iced Teas. First of all, the list is huge. Second, they all look amazing. I only had the chance to try one of them and it was fantastic. I tried the Tidal Wave which has Blue Curacao and 7-UP in it. And these aren't small either. It's a large 32 oz.
The full menu is available online so check it out ahead of time.
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262)654-9922
website
We stayed at the Best Western on the harbor and the Boathouse Pub is just down the street from there so we chose this location to eat at while in town. Don't quote me on this, but it looked like they even had boat parking on the lake (and after checking their website, they do offer this!).
You have two choices for where to sit: inside or outside. We chose to sit outside because it was such a beautiful day and as long as the weather is good, I definitely recommend sitting out there.
Our waitress was so friendly. She was so nice to my son and very patient with him while he tried to decide what he wanted for dinner. He ended up having chicken strips, fries, and an apple juice. I had a taste and it was pretty good. I would say the kids menu is pretty on par with most kids menus that we're used to.
I chose to start off with a side salad. It came out nice and fast so that was good. I got the Barge Buster which is a ½ pound burger grilled and topped with cheddar, pepper, and swiss cheese, crispy onion strings, bacon and BBQ sauce and served on a toasted bun. It was seriously delicious. And huge. I only ended up eating about ½ of it. It came with fries, which were very good. Now, if you're the drinking type, I would suggest looking at their huge selection of Long Island Iced Teas. First of all, the list is huge. Second, they all look amazing. I only had the chance to try one of them and it was fantastic. I tried the Tidal Wave which has Blue Curacao and 7-UP in it. And these aren't small either. It's a large 32 oz.
The full menu is available online so check it out ahead of time.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
North Beach Park and Kids Cove in Racine, WI
So after we spent an hour at the zoo, we decided to head down to the Kids Cove at the beach at North Beach Park. There are a couple parking lots down by the beach that you can park in and go to both the beach and the playground. I think this playground is a great addition to the beach. It was so much fun to play with my son. There is an area that is specifically for kids 5 and under. A couple times, we saw some older kids in there, but for the most part, it was all younger kids. The larger area is mostly unsupervised kids so if your child is in the in-between stage like mine is (age 5), you might want to keep an eye on them. We probably spent about 45 minutes at this playground. It was fun and a nice little break.
Then we headed to the beach. I was pleasantly surprised by everything this beach had to offer. There is a little concession stand (which we didn't buy anything from so I don't have much imput to add on that). There was a little area with hammocks over the sand. I love the beach, but I hate walking in sand. It makes my calves burn. So I was so happy when I saw that there was a plastic woven walkway down to the water. It was wonderful. The water itself was very cold, but not so much so that we couldn't wade in and splash around. I saw plenty of people further out than us. The beach seemed clean and there were lifeguards on duty while we were there.
Overall, I would definitely say to visit this beach while you're in the area.
Then we headed to the beach. I was pleasantly surprised by everything this beach had to offer. There is a little concession stand (which we didn't buy anything from so I don't have much imput to add on that). There was a little area with hammocks over the sand. I love the beach, but I hate walking in sand. It makes my calves burn. So I was so happy when I saw that there was a plastic woven walkway down to the water. It was wonderful. The water itself was very cold, but not so much so that we couldn't wade in and splash around. I saw plenty of people further out than us. The beach seemed clean and there were lifeguards on duty while we were there.
Overall, I would definitely say to visit this beach while you're in the area.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Racine Zoo
2131 N Main St
Racine, WI 53402
(262) 636-9189
website
We arrived at the zoo and immediately turned to the right to use the restroom. These seemed to be fairly clean and easily accessible.
Then we headed to the Great Cat Canyon to look at the lions who were very easy to see. There are multiple viewing areas and it looked like there were 4 lions in there. We couldn't really see the other two animals in this area. They were hiding or something.
We then headed to see the penguins. This was disappointing. There were only 4 of them and they were huddled near the door. The other side is full of meerkats. They were fun to watch for a bit. Then we saw the mountain goats. They were laying at the very top which was neat.
We made our way to the Walkabout Creek. This was less than thrilling. First, the kangaroos and other animals were way in the back, hiding behind the plants and things. And the creek had no water in it due to a disease. We saw a total of two animals and we didn't get a great view of them.
Bear Ridge was also quite boring. The bear was hiding in the cave which you could slightly view from down below. However, it was so bright out and so dark in the cave, we saw a paw and nothing more.
We did take a little train ride. The train itself was cute and my son is 5 so he really enjoyed it. As an adult though, I found it to be very boring. The only animal the train went past was the bear (which I already mentioned you couldn't see) so you literally see nothing while on here. Plus, it costs $2 per person. Not outrageous, but not a steal.
My son really wanted to play at the Play Zoo (playground) – which I think is a really nice addition to the zoo for a little break – but there were a lot of older school-aged children there with some kind of kids day program so we didn't take advantage of this. It looked fun though.
It is located right next to the rhinos. Then is the camels where you can pay for camel rides. And then in the back corner are the giraffes. For $4 per person, you can feed them at certain times. You get 2 crackers per person to feed the giraffe. I thought this was interesting, but I didn't like that I was required to pay for both myself and my son (because he's under 10) when I had no intention of feeding it myself. So other than that, my son had a great time! Once he got over his initial fear, he loved feeding the giraffe.
We made our way past the pond to the monkeys at the vanishing kingdom. Then we left. We spent a total of an hour here and spent $26 for 2 people. That seems a little high to me, but I guess zoos need to get as much money as they can to stay alive.
Overall, I don't think I would return to this zoo because we didn't really have the greatest time, but it wasn't terrible, I guess. The one thing that made everything worth it was the giraffe feeding. So if that's something you've never experienced, I would recommend going.
Racine, WI 53402
(262) 636-9189
website
We arrived at the zoo and immediately turned to the right to use the restroom. These seemed to be fairly clean and easily accessible.
Then we headed to the Great Cat Canyon to look at the lions who were very easy to see. There are multiple viewing areas and it looked like there were 4 lions in there. We couldn't really see the other two animals in this area. They were hiding or something.
We then headed to see the penguins. This was disappointing. There were only 4 of them and they were huddled near the door. The other side is full of meerkats. They were fun to watch for a bit. Then we saw the mountain goats. They were laying at the very top which was neat.
We made our way to the Walkabout Creek. This was less than thrilling. First, the kangaroos and other animals were way in the back, hiding behind the plants and things. And the creek had no water in it due to a disease. We saw a total of two animals and we didn't get a great view of them.
Bear Ridge was also quite boring. The bear was hiding in the cave which you could slightly view from down below. However, it was so bright out and so dark in the cave, we saw a paw and nothing more.
We did take a little train ride. The train itself was cute and my son is 5 so he really enjoyed it. As an adult though, I found it to be very boring. The only animal the train went past was the bear (which I already mentioned you couldn't see) so you literally see nothing while on here. Plus, it costs $2 per person. Not outrageous, but not a steal.
My son really wanted to play at the Play Zoo (playground) – which I think is a really nice addition to the zoo for a little break – but there were a lot of older school-aged children there with some kind of kids day program so we didn't take advantage of this. It looked fun though.
It is located right next to the rhinos. Then is the camels where you can pay for camel rides. And then in the back corner are the giraffes. For $4 per person, you can feed them at certain times. You get 2 crackers per person to feed the giraffe. I thought this was interesting, but I didn't like that I was required to pay for both myself and my son (because he's under 10) when I had no intention of feeding it myself. So other than that, my son had a great time! Once he got over his initial fear, he loved feeding the giraffe.
We made our way past the pond to the monkeys at the vanishing kingdom. Then we left. We spent a total of an hour here and spent $26 for 2 people. That seems a little high to me, but I guess zoos need to get as much money as they can to stay alive.
Overall, I don't think I would return to this zoo because we didn't really have the greatest time, but it wasn't terrible, I guess. The one thing that made everything worth it was the giraffe feeding. So if that's something you've never experienced, I would recommend going.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Best Western Harborside Inn
5125 6th Ave
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 658-3281
website
My son and I really enjoyed our trip to Wisconsin and our stay at Best Western hotels are always great. This was no different. That being said, let's start with the things we didn't love:
This hotel doesn't look like much from the outside. In fact, it looks a little worn down. And there were some troubles with the doors going in and out of the building in the back. The breakfast wasn't amazing, but it was ok. It seemed like all the hot items had been sitting there since breakfast started over an hour before we ate. While not really the hotel's fault, I didn't see the password for the wi-fi in the key card holder until the day we left. You have to go all the way to the front desk to get towels for the pool. We were not lucky enough to get a room facing the harbor and we were on the first floor so our view was one of a wall. We could hear people being very loud in the hall while trying to sleep. But that's more about people being rude and not showing good hotel ettiquete than the walls being thin. One more thing, while they were cleaning our room, they took our dirty towels but never brought us clean ones. That was annoying.
Now that I've convinced you that you shouldn't stay here, let me tell you about all the wonderful reasons you should stay here.
You won't get a better view than the one of the harbor. If you are lucky enough to get a room that faces the harbor, it is goegrous. If not, you can still stand along the walkway by the parking lot in back to view this beautiful sight. The rooms themselves are nicely designed. There is a fridge and microwave in each room, which is a nice bonus. The room seemed very clean. You won't hear any complaints about the room from me. Another great thing is the pool. It's only 3 feet deep, which is amazing for kids. Plus, there is a seat on two of the walls so parents can sit and watch their kids play. The room also features very tall ceilings with huge windows facing the harbor. The price is very comperable to most other hotels. Plus, this is the only hotel anywhere near the water. And there is a beach fairly close by. And a couple restaurants.
In my opinion, the good outweighs the bad and I definitely recommend this hotel.
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 658-3281
website
My son and I really enjoyed our trip to Wisconsin and our stay at Best Western hotels are always great. This was no different. That being said, let's start with the things we didn't love:
This hotel doesn't look like much from the outside. In fact, it looks a little worn down. And there were some troubles with the doors going in and out of the building in the back. The breakfast wasn't amazing, but it was ok. It seemed like all the hot items had been sitting there since breakfast started over an hour before we ate. While not really the hotel's fault, I didn't see the password for the wi-fi in the key card holder until the day we left. You have to go all the way to the front desk to get towels for the pool. We were not lucky enough to get a room facing the harbor and we were on the first floor so our view was one of a wall. We could hear people being very loud in the hall while trying to sleep. But that's more about people being rude and not showing good hotel ettiquete than the walls being thin. One more thing, while they were cleaning our room, they took our dirty towels but never brought us clean ones. That was annoying.
Now that I've convinced you that you shouldn't stay here, let me tell you about all the wonderful reasons you should stay here.
You won't get a better view than the one of the harbor. If you are lucky enough to get a room that faces the harbor, it is goegrous. If not, you can still stand along the walkway by the parking lot in back to view this beautiful sight. The rooms themselves are nicely designed. There is a fridge and microwave in each room, which is a nice bonus. The room seemed very clean. You won't hear any complaints about the room from me. Another great thing is the pool. It's only 3 feet deep, which is amazing for kids. Plus, there is a seat on two of the walls so parents can sit and watch their kids play. The room also features very tall ceilings with huge windows facing the harbor. The price is very comperable to most other hotels. Plus, this is the only hotel anywhere near the water. And there is a beach fairly close by. And a couple restaurants.
In my opinion, the good outweighs the bad and I definitely recommend this hotel.
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