Tanks for the Memories: Rock On, Rockford!
- Lindsay Britts
- Aug 17, 2017
- 3 min read
Getting inspired to do a little cruisin’ of your own? Ready to hit the road for a weekend ride to a place you’ve never been before? We can show you the best trips in your neck of the woods and you won’t even have to stop to fuel up. Each week, we pick a starting city and plan a getaway to some of the most charming, energetic, and just plain fun places that you’ll only need one tank of gas to reach. When it’s all over, you’ll be able to say… TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!
Starting City: Chicago, Illinois
Destination: Rockford, Illinois
Distance: about 90 miles
Summer is winding down, but there are still a few more weeks to get the fun in before the leaves change for Autumn. If you’re in Chicago and have the urge to explore Illinois a little further, escape the gravity of the big city and go inland to Rockford.
Rockford is the third largest city in Illinois, and was founded as two separate settlements on either side of the Rock River by settlers from New England. It grew in the 1850s as a point on the railroad between Galena and Chicago, and became the county seat soon after. Many different and varying styles of architecture can be seen in the buildings of Rockford, including Gothic Revival, Art Deco, Prairie School, and Victorian. In the mid 20th Century, jobs began to shift out of Rockford and into nearby suburbs, causing the city to wilt, but the recent decades have seen several renovations to historic buildings downtown including riverfront destinations.
Source: Wikipedia
The Discovery Center Museum is a hands-on children’s museum that has over 300 interactive exhibits that cover topics from geology to broadcasting to astronomy. Right next door is the Burpee Museum of Natural History, where Jane, the world’s most complete juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, struts her stuff. From the Power of Electricity exhibit at the Discovery Center to the carboniferous coal forest at the Burpee, a whole day can be spent between the two buildings. Another gorgeous place to visit, maybe to relax and unwind after a day of learning, are the Anderson Japanese Gardens. Modeled after the Portland Japanese Gardens, they hold many special events, like a craft beer event, and cultural events, like summer festivals and Japanese tea ceremonies.
If you have to get your car fix, head over to Rockford Speedway where Nascar is king. Or if you prefer your vehicles to be a little more free-form, this weekend the city is hosting the return of last year’s inaugural Rock River Anything That Floats Race. A throwback to river races of decades past, their website also notes that, “The scenic course offers a variety of viewing options for the thousands of spectators who will attend: Auburn Street Bridge, the Whitman Street Bridge, and along the Rockford Park District's Sinnissippi Bike Path.” Who doesn’t want to see a shark, a forklift, or a giant stick of butter floating downstream?
Source: rratfr.com
Those are just a few of the events on the calendar in Rockford, so go to their website and take a look to find something you’ll surely want to visit! If you’re looking for a moderately-sized city where you can have humongous amounts of fun, consider following the breeze out of the Windy City west to Rockford.
STRETCH YOUR LEGS: Two Saturdays a month, the Hasselmann Family Farm in Marengo, IL opens itself to customers and visitors alike to see the farm in action. Check the calendar and call ahead to see if you can stop by, or visit the Palatine Farmers Market to say hello and order some delicious beef, pork, and eggs.
LEARN MORE:
https://rockfordil.gov/
http://gorockford.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockford,_Illinois
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