A Cherished Trip Anchored on Genealogy (Part 1)

I wrote a travel column recently that mentioned my Aunt Marilyn and a trip we took together in September 2018. When I posted it on my Facebook page, someone commented that they couldn't wait to read more about Aunt Marilyn and our travels. 

I remembered that I had written a series of columns last year about the trip that for some reason never ran - probably because they were so long. Anyway, I figured they should be shared somewhere, so here's part 1 of our trip together with more to follow.

 

A Cherished Trip Anchored on Genealogy (Part 1)

Around this time last year I got a letter from my dear aunt, Marilyn Sanchez, who lives near the Twin Cities in Minnesota. She doesn’t do email. She doesn’t even own a computer. And well, it just seems hard to time it right for phone calls, so we correspond the old-fashioned way - with notecards and stationery and stamps from the U.S. Postal Service.

Aunt Marilyn is 88 - she’ll be turning 89 this spring. In her letter, she asked if I might be interested in taking a trip with her to meet some relatives I have never met before - cousins and second and third cousins. She wanted me to see the small town in Eastern Kentucky where my her father was born. I loved the idea. 

When I was growing up, our family wasn’t one that took vacations in station wagons across the country. The trips we took were pretty limited - we’d make a 3-hour trip to central Illinois for a family reunion. Or from the Chicago suburbs to Northwest Indiana to a bed and breakfast my mom loved. Or to a lakeside rental cabin on Cedar Lake. Besides those brief trips close to home, I didn’t leave the state until the summer I was 12-going-on-13. My older sister’s wedding was in July of 1985 and my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle John attended the wedding and suggested taking me and my twin sisters back with them on a trip. That would be our first taste of travel - and I credit them with passing on the travel bug that led me in that wanderlust direction and resulted in me becoming a travel writer.

Aunt Marilyn is my dad’s older sister. He’s the youngest of four. His oldest sister, Ramona, also offered to bring us to their Missouri farm for part of the trip. So, we spent two weeks with my Aunt Ramona and Uncle Roland on their farm not far from St. Louis. From there, Uncle John picked us up, drove us through Iowa and back to his home in Minneapolis where we spent a week. 

We had a blast. We spent time in their community, went to the ValleyFair amusement park (where we thought Aunt Marilyn was the coolest aunt ever for riding roller coasters with us) and then they took us up to Canada. It was back in the days when you didn’t need a passport to cross the border and they took us into Thunder Bay where we saw Lake Superior and spent the night. Both Marilyn and John were educators and they knew the value of travel and exposing children to new surroundings and I’m so thankful for them and that trip through three new states and a new country.

That was the last time I had traveled with Aunt Marilyn. She and Uncle John have traveled all over the world and my other sisters have taken trips with her — including one through Europe. I was very excited to be planning this trip and to travel with her and to be introduced to family members. I’ve always been interested in family history and she knows that. I wrote her back and told her I’d love to do a trip with her.

Later I got a reply from her with a little more info on where we were going and who I’d be meeting. The trip would take us through four states and I’d be meeting five cousins I had never heard of. It was scheduled for early September. I was a little nervous about it. It would be the start of the school year and cross country season I wasn’t sure what I’d be missing with the kids. It would mean hubby would have to pick up the slack ofeeding everyone and chauffeuring everyone around. 

Other than a handful of overnighters, I’d never really traveled without the kids. Our trip would end up being 10 days. It was the longest I’d ever been away from my husband and kids. And really there have only been two trips I’ve ever taken that have been that have been more than a week - one across the state of Tennessee from Memphis to the Smoky Mountains in 1997 and one in 2006 to South Carolina and Tennessee. This would definitely be new, but I was really excited about this adventure.

We set off on Labor Day weekend. Our destination was Dayton, Ohio where we’d join a Labor Day barbecue with Marilyn’s cousin, Carol, and her family. Marilyn arrived at my house the day before our departure for Ohio and showed us old family photos and refreshed my memory on the relatives I had met and heard about who was pictured. I learned that Marilyn’s father and Carol’s mother were siblings.

My Aunt Marilyn (right) and her cousin, Carol, (left). She was the first cousin we visited for a Labor Day cook-out with her family at her home in Dayton, Ohio.

We arrived right on time to Carol’s for a 2 p.m. barbecue. There we met her daughter and two sons and a niece and nephew. After a little visiting and some dinner, we set off for our hotel with plans to meet for dinner the next day. 

Since our day was open until the evening, Marilyn suggested we find some local sites to check out. We first went to the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. I really didn’t know anything about Dayton before our visit and was surprised at the amount of aviation history and attractions that exist there. We visited the Wright Cycle Company which was run by brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright in this original building that is a designated National Historic Landmark. We then toured the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, which is part of the National Parks Service. We watched an interesting movie about the brothers and walked through the exhibits.

I enjoyed visiting the National Museum of the USAF.

I had the chance to board some presidential planes during our stop at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

When I noticed that the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force was there, I asked Marilyn if we could stop there as well. I had no idea how massive the museum would be. It is the world’s largest and oldest military aviation museum and Ohio’s most visited free attraction. We only had a short window to visit, so we picked out a couple things we wanted to see and tried to move through quickly, but you could easily spend a full afternoon there. My favorite part was the exhibit of presidential planes. I even walked through JFK’s presidential plane and there were others that could also be boarded. It was very impressive and a spot I’d definitely recommend if you are visiting southeast Ohio.

That evening we had dinner with Carol and her kids to celebrate her 84th birthday. We drove a bit to Centerville to a restaurant called Sweeney’s. She requested seafood and according to her son’s, Sweeney’s was the place to go. We enjoyed a good meal and then returned to our hotel for a night of rest before an early morning departure for Kentucky.

TRAVEL LIKE A ROCK STAR THIS SUMMER

COVID-19 has put a lot of travel plans on hold as people opt to stay home and limit their risk of exposure. For those who are traveling, there are a lot of families opting to do road trips rather than hopping on a plane. RV rentals have been in demand as families set out across the country for a little escape, but who want to enjoy the comforts of home and be able to distance from crowds or worry about how well a hotel is sanitizing their property.

One way to travel this season is by renting a luxury coach bus normally reserved for rock stars and celebrities. StormTrooper Coaches, like many businesses had had to pivot during the pandemic. Since there are no concerts for performers to travel to, their fleet is now available to the public. Families can make their way out to explore the country's national parks in style and with the ability to have a luxury home on wheels at every stop.

The coaches can sleep up to 12 people, are equipped with WIFI, TV, gaming systems, a kitchen, shower and more. And the bus comes with its own driver, so you can just sit back and enjoy and let someone else worry about pulling up the maps, navigating the roads and dealign with traffic. Each driver is tested for COVID before the trip, and because they normally drive after a music concert, are used to driving at night, so you can get the bulk of your distance done as the family sleeps and arrive to your destination refreshed and ready to explore.

The company also works with travel agencies that can gather a full itinerary for you, so you can also skip the step of planning out where to go and what to see. It's probably the most worry-free vacation you could take considering the circumstances. 

Storm Trooper Coaches has transported such celebrities as Post Malone, Her, Kanye West, The Rolling Stones, Florida Georgia Line, Lizzo and Collective Soul. For more information, visit stromtroopercoaches.com. 

10 Fun Ways To Spend Time in Kenosha This Winter

We've been to Kenosha several times over the years. It's always a fun place to hang in the summer when you can visit the beach and spend time enjoying the lakefront, take in a Kenosha Kingfish baseball game or explore the Bristol Renaissance Faire. However, we also love Kenosha in the winter. There are so many indoor attractions to enjoy and the lakefront is still quite beautiful when there's a bit of snow on the ground and ice on the lake.



Kenosha Public Museum

This free public museum overlooks Lake Michigan and was established in 1936 and covers history of the Kenosha area and beyond with over 80,000 in its collections. The highlight of the museum for many visitors is the mammoth exhibit with the largest and most compete mammoth excavated in North America.

Photo: Kenosha Public Museum

Kenosha Civil War Museum

Located next to the Kenosha Public Museum, the Kenosha Civil War Museum gives a sobering overview of the cost of war and concentrates on the involvement of the Union soldiers from the Great Lakes states. The two-story museum's permanent exhibits include the high-tech 360° movie technology in its short film Seeing the Elephant.

Kenosha History Center

This museum located next to the 1860s Southport Light Station gives a great overview of Kenosha and it's past industry, which includes vehicles and other products made in Kenosha along with rotating exhibits showing what early life was like in the area.

Shop at Tenuta's 

This Italian deli and liquor store is a foodie's paradise. Pick up meat, cheeses, prepared sandwiches (like their famous "Muff-lotta", canoli, lasagna, sauces, take-and-bake pizzas and other treats as well as a large selection of imported items. 

Lemon Street Gallery

Spend a little time exploring this artist co-op where you'll find many mediums of art, from paintings to jewelry to pottery. They also have a make-your-own pottery studio where you can pay by the pound.

Jelly Belly Center

Have fun on a little train ride through this Jelly Belly distribution center where you can learn more about the how the candies are made, try out unusual flavored beans at the tasting counter and pick up a number of discounted items - like seasonal treats and the belly flops candies that are not as attractive as Jelly Belly beans, but taste just as good.

Mars Cheese Castle

Another haven for foodie fans, you'll find all kinds of unusual sauces and other items on the shelf and can pick up Kringle pastries and cheese bread made in their on-site bakery. And then there's an entire room of cheese where you can try samples and choose from dozens of varieties. In the tavern, you can enjoy a beer along with their complimentary signature cheese spread and crackers - or you can ask for it in a plastic cup and you can sip while you shop. There's also a restaurant serving sandwiches, cheese curds and other hot food items.

Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlets

You do have to go outside to jump from store to store, but it's worth it for the discounts you can get on clothing, shoes, purses, chocolates and other items.

Wilmot Mountain

Spend some time outside on the slopes or the tubing hill at this fun winter resort just outside of Kenosha. I've never been on skis, but have had a lot of fun tubing there with my kids. It's such a thrill going down and I love that there's a conveyor to take your tube back up the hill so you don't have to carry it.

Kenosha Restaurant Week

Being held this year from February 1-9, pick out some restaurants to try out while they are offering a number of fixed-price menus. Special breakfast, brunch and lunch menus are available during this time for just $10 and dinner offerings are $20 or $30. More than 40 eateries are participating, including Twisted Cuisine, Tuscany Bistro, Ashling on the Lough, Boat House Pub & Eatery, Brat Stop, Grab's Burger Bar, Sazzy B, The Coffee Pot, Waterfront Warehouse and more.

Historic Long Grove, Illinois is Full of Nostalgic Charm

Some of my fondest memories of my childhood were the visits I would make with my sister, sisters-in-law and mother to the little community of Long Grove, a northwest suburb of Chicago. The historic downtown business district seemed frozen in time and the village had restrictions on building in and modifying the downtown area to help retain that small-town country feel.

The Village Tavern in Long Grove, established in 1847.

We'd go for a day trip to shop in the quaint boutiques and we'd end with dinner at the old Village Tavern. On a trip to Long Grove earlier this year, I was so pleased to see that not much has changed since I was a kid. The Village Tavern, established in 1847, is still there - the oldest continuously operating restaurant/tavern in the state. A lot of the shops I remembered were still around and there were several newcomers. There's now a winery and a brewery there, too.

We visited High Tea with Gerri for the traditional tea service and it was so lovely and charming. And I popped into the Long Grove Confectionery for some goodies and visited some other shops. It's such a fun throwback and a great way to spend some time in Lake County, Illinois. For more info, go to visitlakecounty.org and longgrove.org.

Take Advantage of Rare Opportunity to See Sanfilippo Estate During Holiday Season

On a media trip I took last year to McHenry County, we had planned for some outdoor activities that had to be adjusted when we had heavy rain. Our hosts with Visit McHenry made some calls and re-arranged the schedule a bit and instead of spending time on a lake, we boarded a bus and got a tour of a magnificent mansion in the northwest suburbs. I love spending time on the water and doing outdoor activities in the summer, but in the end I was pretty grateful for this rainfall. If it hadn't happened, we would have missed out on this tour, which was one of the best parts of the trip.

Our tour was of the Sanfilippo Estate, which is a private home not open to the public except for special fundraising events organized by the Sanfilippo Foundation. We were lucky to get this private tour. We were able to see much of the family's collection that includes steam engines, vintage music machines, a steam locomotive, an 1890 carousel and much, much more. As we made our way through the exhibits, each room was more breathtaking that the last. There's also a theatre with an 8,000 pipe Wurlitzer organ. Right now tickets are still available for three holiday concerts on December 6, 7 and 8. It's one of the few opportunities each year to visit the estate. I was there is June and I can only imagine how beautiful the place is during the holiday season. For more information, visit sanfilippofoundation.org.

Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Lodge

Disclosure: Our accommodations were provided. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

As summer was winding to a close, I thought it would be nice to take one last weekend getaway with the boys. I made plans for an overnight visit Grand Bear Lodge at Starved Rock in Utica. Located just a couple minutes from the entrance to Starved Rock State Park, it's a great place to crash and connect after a day of hiking the beautiful trails.

We stayed in a vacation villa, so it was just down the road from the main resort, but so room and comfortable. It had a kitchen larger than my kitchen at home, a full-size dining room, a living room with sofa bed and bathroom, then upstairs were two bedrooms and another bathroom. The villa is designed to sleep 8. I loved that our spacious master suite included a jacuzzi tub. We had plenty of space to spread out, but could gather together for mealtime or a movie.

The highlight of the lodge is a 24,000 square-foot indoor water park that includes a lazy river, wave pool, slides, water playground and hot tub. Admission is included for guests of the resort and they also offer day passes.

There's a lot more to do though, than just hang out at the water park. We explored the arcade and had a fun time doing mini golf. We also hung out at the Bear Island outdoor bar. There's plenty of activities scheduled at the resort as well - from movie times to crafts to hula hoop contests.

I was impressed with the food at Jack's Place Restaurant. I had a chef salad that was huge and loaded with meat, cheese, egg and avocado. We also ordered a pizza that exceeded my expectations - it had a really good crust that was nice and crispy and I loved the crumbled sausage.

They also have a cafe for sweets and snacks and a hot breakfast buffet on weekends.

For more information, visit grizzlyjacksresort.com.

Fair Oaks Farms Now Has Apple Orchard

In late August I visited Fair Oaks Farms to be part of a consumer panel for a conference being held there and had a little time afterwards where I thought I'd explore the grounds a little. I have fond memories of many visits over the years - taking my teens there when they were little, stopping in the cafe or the Farmhouse Restaurant for lunch while traveling, going on field trips with my boys to check out the Diary Adventure. I was also surprised to learn that they now have an apple orchard that has opened.

The season was just starting and they were offering free picking to visitors, so I couldn't resist. I was in a dress and dress shoes, but it was such a beautiful day I couldn't resist taking a walk out to the orchard to do some picking. It was a weekday afternoon and I had the whole place to myself. It was quite peaceful and a I gathered a big bag of apples that I brought home to make some pies. It would make for a fun family outing - especially when paired with the other attractions.

Fair Oaks Farms includes some fun outdoor activities that kids will love - toddler tractors, rock climbing, a big air pillow for jumping on. Then there's the Corp Adventure, the Dairy Adventure, the Pig Adventure - all designed to give visitors an overview of agriculture and a better sense of where their food comes from.

No visit is complete without getting a bit to eat in the Cowfe. They served some awesome sandwich there along with some delicious rich, ice cream. I always get some of the award-winning cheese, too from the Dairycatessen. And if you have time and want an amazing farm-to-table dining experience, make sure you pay a visit to the Farmhouse Restaurant. For more info, visit fofarms.com.