Every year on the road brings a new batch of memorable Harvest Hosts stays, and 2025 was no exception. If you’re new to Harvest Hosts, it’s one of our favorite ways to break up long travel days and discover small businesses we’d never find otherwise- wineries, museums, farms, roadside gems,…
If you’re looking for something festive that doesn’t require bundling up and walking through the cold, the Santa’s Village Magical Christmas Drive-Thru might be your kind of holiday event. Set at the beloved Santa’s Village Amusement Park in East Dundee, this experience combines synchronized lights, music, and plenty of over-the-top…
If you’re searching for Chicago Christmas lights or holiday activities in Illinois that feel peaceful, outdoorsy, and a little more magical than commercial, Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum is one of the best seasonal events to consider. This walk-through holiday light experience winds through a forest of colorfully…
If you’re looking at holiday light events around Chicago this season, you’ve probably seen Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo pop up. It’s the zoo’s annual winter lights festival, where the walkways and plazas are covered in glowing displays, themed light tunnels, and seasonal decorations. It’s one of the longest-running holiday…
Southern Illinois is full of hidden gems when it comes to camping, from quiet lakeside retreats to family-friendly RV parks. While the exact boundaries of “southern Illinois” can be a little fuzzy, this list rounds up 82 campgrounds across the region, covering counties like Alexander, Jackson, Williamson, Randolph, Pope, and…
Even though we travel full-time and have explored nearly every corner of the country, Illinois will always be home, and let us tell you, our home state is weird in the best way. Over the years, we’ve found ourselves drawn to the quirky, forgotten, and just plain unexpected corners of…
We spent a few days camping at Giant City State Park in March, right at the tail end of the off-season, and honestly, it was kind of perfect. We’d visited the park before in 2024 just for hiking, but this time we were excited to finally camp here and get…
After some time at home for a conference, we were back on the road again the second week of March. We headed down to southern Illinois for just under two weeks. Last year we started our full-time travelling in southern IL because we wanted to see spring ephemerals. We should…
Giant City State Park is a hiker’s paradise, offering scenic trails through towering sandstone bluffs, lush forests, and unique rock formations. This guide covers everything you need to know- trail lengths, difficulty levels, parking info, and must-see sights, so you can plan the perfect adventure. Whether you’re after an easy…
Atlas Obscura has long been one of my go-to resources for travel planning. If you’re not familiar with it, the site is a treasure trove of weird and unusual places to explore. Both users and editors contribute entries, and you can create lists of places you’ve visited, plan to visit,…