More Cheap Trick, Gardens & Brew in Rockford

When I planned my trip to Rockford, I heard from quite a few people that I must have breakfast at The Stockholm. I was a bit disappointed when it wasn’t on our (very full) schedule, but a twist of fate brought us there anyway. 

The first stop of the day on the Rockford itinerary for Brittany, Amanda, and I was the Anderson Japanese Gardens. We were to have brunch there and then explore. 

Since they were also having an event that day, there was no brunch. That opened up our chance to go to The Stockholm. This restaurant is on the Cheap Trick Trail because of the Rick Nielsen connection. He’s a part-owner and full lover of this restaurant. 

The menu is huge, reminding me of a New York diner, but Swedish specialties where you would see Greek ones. Due to the breakfast mix-up, we were starving by the time we sat down. I ordered a Swedish Coffee Cake for us to share while we waited. 

It was as scrumptious as it looked and certainly whet our appetite for the rest. I always go toward the sweet and I continued with the Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, which are well worth an order at The Stockholm Inn. 

I also got the potato bake. Although it was delicious, it was a bit too rich for me to have more than a spoonful of. I did pass the rest around the table. 

Brittany and Amanda went for more traditional egg and meat breakfasts and were enjoyed their choice.

The trails were all filled with beautiful plants and flowers and the lakes had colorful fish and ducks. It was a bit warm, but the scenery was tranquil.

We then headed to the Anderson Japanese Gardens. I knew there would be a lot of walking and took my scooter along. Almost all of the garden paths were very accessible. 

With the Japanese Festival taking place there were also booths and additional tea ceremonies taking place (they do have authentic tea ceremonies at other times too). 

The Midway Village is a most unusual place that is a great experience for children and adults. In addition to the recreated 19th century village, representing a typical Northern Illinois town, there is a museum dedicated to the history of Rockford. 

I asked Brittany and Amanda to explore the village while I walked around the much smaller Dollhouse exhibit. We then met up in the museum.

I was really amazed at the history of Rockford after going through the Midway Village Museum. 

There were displays on the Emerson Carriage Company, the immigration to this area from Norway, Sweden, and Italy that was recruited through Ellis Island, and the dedications to the Rockford Peaches, the baseball team you may remember depicted in A League of Their Own. 

Also at Midway Village is another Cheap Trick shoutout, this one a Sock Monkey (Sock Monkeys were also made in Rockford) in their honor. 

We drove through downtown to look at some of the nine murals created in the Rockford CRE8IV project. They are well-worth a look. 

Our last Rockford stop was at Prairie Street Brewing Company, located in the spot Englishman Jonathan Peacock arrived in 1849 with the dream of building a brewery. 

Prairie Street has a large selection on microbrews, with the Peacock, Passion Fruit, and Peach Wheat all getting accolades from Brittany and Amanda. I enjoyed one of their mules, and their house made non-alcoholic root beer. 

The menu is very large and has some interesting things on it. The Poutine was a huge hit and Amanda raved about their creative Trolley Burger, with Applewood bacon, fried egg, provolone, thousand island dressing, and an onion ring. 

For dessert, we shared a rich and chocolatey S’mores Tart. 

Rockford is another Midwest spot that outlived my expectations with so much to see and do. The team at the CVB really put together a great trip for us!

Food, Discovery, and Wakeboarding in Rockford

The Go Rockford Convention & Visitors Bureau set me up with a full schedule of things to do in Rockford. Fortunately, I had Brittany and Amanda to help me out.

One of the facts we were learning about Rockford is about the large Norwegian and Swedish population that came here. There was a direct link from Ellis Island to Rockford, Illinois, because of the industry here and many of those immigrants established  themselves and remained in the area.

 

Our breakfast was at The Norwegian, known for authentic food, homemade jams, and even their own mocha sauce (delicious in a mocha latte). They also have a stage for music. 

We had our first taste of Æbleskiver, Danish pancake balls. They were quite good, as was the omelet and steak & eggs.

 

After breakfast we drove to Riverfront Museum Campus. We started at the Discover Center Museum. It’s a great family outing as the exhibits appeal to all ages. 

There are also plenty of hands-on activities to keep kids busy, such as a two-story maze and rope climbing.

The Discover Center Museum also honors Astronaut Janice Voss, a Rockford native, and has learning experiences about hospitals and agriculture.

I set Brittany and Amanda to explore the Burpee Museum of Natural History. They are most known for their dinosaur exhibits, some of which were created by skeletons found by the museum’s own researchers.

Rockford’s Museum Campus also has an Art Museum, but we didn’t have time to go there.

Our next stop was the most anticipated of the day: West Rock Wake Park. I had never heard of wake boarding in Central Illinois and this place has it organized for all ages and skills.

The activity is best described as a combination of water skiing, surfing, and ziplining, as you are holding on to a rope as you balance on a board in the water. 

According to my companions, it is easier than it sounds, and I have to agree with their assessment since they were up riding within a short time of their lessons.

Both loved it and definitely want to do it again.  After taking lessons and mastering the ability to stand up on your own, you can by a season pass at West Rock Wake Park and come as often as you’d like. You do not need to buy any equipment as passholders can use the boards, vests, and helmets at the park.

I was impressed with the attention to those with special needs here, as told to me by a mother who  brings her autistic son regularly for lessons. She said he has thrived since the regular wakeboarding.

After showers and rest time back at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, we had dinner at Lino’s. The family-owned restaurant, which has been in Rockford over 40 years, gave us an amazing, authentic Italian meal, something I don’t get a lot of in the Midwest (unless I cook it).

We started with a liter of their house Chablis and Lino's salad, which included Italian sausage, along with garlic bread. Brittany and Amanda raved over the Shrimp Dejonghe Appetizer, followed by spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parmigiana. I thought the lasagna was wonderful.

It was another full and fun day in Rockford, and we were looking forward to another one coming up.  

Fun Day in the Sun at Knights Action Park

As the weather warms, it’s always a great time for an outdoor day trip. I had never been to Knights Action Park in nearby Springfield, Illinois, before and I was anxious to check it out.

For a small amusement park, Knights Action packs a lot in.

They have a waterpark, amusement rides, miniature golf and a golf range, and a racing track.

I had a teen and a pre-teen with me who were anxious to hit the long slides, while I am always happy to grab a tube an relax in a lazy river.

I enjoyed that for a while and ten hit the wave pool, where I met up with Brittany, Jacob, and Kyler.

We walked around for a while and saw the Seal Bay area for younger kids, as well as the river, where they have paddle boats.

Unfortunately, the paddle boats weren’t available the day we where there. It’s something I’d definitely enjoy next time I’m back.

There is a snack bar inside at Knights Action Park, but the consensus was to go outside and take a short drive to Chick-fil-A, which we don’t have in Champaign.

We had gotten the all-inclusive bracelets so we were able to come back in with no problem and continue our activities.

First, I played photographer (and videographer, check out my YouTube video), while the others tried out the go cart racing.

We decided to skip the Ferris Wheel as it was starting to get dark.

It looked like a lot of fun as I watched them go around a few times. Then, we all played a round of miniature golf on the 18-hole Putt Putt course. 

I definitely recommend purchasing an all-inclusive pass at Knights Action Park.

If you live nearby, it’s also worth getting a season pass as only the waterpark closes after Labor Day. 

The passes are also discounted if you buy them before the start of the next May season. (Check their website for details.)

Another thing I didn’t have a chance to check out that I need to come back for is the Route 66 Drive-In Theater, which is under the same ownership as Knights Action Park.

Finishing Memphis at Big Cypress Lodge

It was our final day in Memphis, but we decided to leave in the evening so we’d have a full day to enjoy it.

Angela, Kylie, Brittany, and I woke up around 8:00. 

We were staying in Big Cypress Lodge, within the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid, and could hear the rustling of those getting the store ready below us.

We dressed and went downstairs for breakfast at Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl. 

This nautical-themed restaurant has a saltwater aquarium as well as a 13-land bowling alley that gives the feeling of actually bowling underwater.

There wasn’t enough free time on our schedule for bowling, but we did enjoy the egg sandwiches and pancakes before our tour.

It’s hard to even begin to explain everything within this massive 535,000 square foot pyramid that houses Bass Pro Shops and Big Cypress Lodge, which itself has 103 rooms and suites.

We began the tour walking through the common areas of the lodge and saw one of the suites (the rest were all full). 

The accommodations were spread apart from both the store and the other rooms with a sense of “wilderness” in between, so much so that you could feel like you were outside.

When you looked down at Bass Pro Shops from the room level, it almost looked like an amusement park with its endless activities and sections.  

This was exactly what Johnny Morris, the company’s owner, had envisioned when he and friend Bill Dance, a Memphisnative, had first seen the pyramid.

We walked through the huge store, though “stores” is probably a more accurate description.

There is a shop for sunglasses, sections of apparel and accessories, plenty of home goods and pottery, large aquariums, an alligator habitat (yes, they are alive), an archery range, watersports, and the General Store, where you can buy homemade fudge, novelty snacks, and sauces.

The Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid also includes an interactive Ducks Unlimited Waterfowl Heritage Center and a lake where you can try boats out before you buy them.

That is a good basis of what you can find there, but I suggest spending a full day to get the true feel of this destination.

After checking out the store levels, we went back down to the main floor to get to The Lookout.

In order to get to the top of the Pyramid, you take the world’s tallest freestanding elevator (28 stories).

When you arrive at the top, you’ll find The Lookout restaurant and bar, with a giant circular aquarium in the middle. From there, you can go outside for some amazing views.

You can see three states from The Lookout – Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

After the tour, we got in the car and headed to the Memphis Zoo.  We had fun seeing all the animals, but the highlight was feeding the giraffes.

We all had a great time and I’d recommend this zoo as a good day trip for all ages, especially since they’ve added in the Zambezi River Hippo Camp, which explores the animals along this African River.

We left the zoo and headed back to Big Cypress Lodge to pack up our things. It had been an amazing trip and we will certainly be back to Memphis in the future.

Special thanks to Memphis Tourism for arranging such a comprehensive trip.