6008. Go to the Robert O Cook Arboretum in Janesville

 While planning for girls weekend, I realized that one of my reading challenges said to visit an arboretum. I was like there is one in Janesville. I told Stacy we need to add the Arboretum to our list of things to do.

Robert O Cook Arboretum is on the outskirts of Janesville and is owned in part by Janesville school district. It is open daily 5 am to 11 pm. It is 160 acres of wetlands, forests, and trails. 

We parked in the main parking lot and decided to hike the JSOL Paved Cabin Trail so we could see the historic cabin. It said it was only .29 miles. It should have been totally doable except it was hot and we had more hiking to do. 

We walked about half the trail and said the cabin was too far away. We headed back to the car to hike part of the Ice Age Trail. If we walked the outer loop (about 1 mile, we would have gotten to part of the ice age trail in the Arboretum. We did not. We wanted the tricky Devil's Staircase portion of it. 

The arboretum is actually a really nice place to visit. The trails are wide, dog friendly, and even great in winter. I would suggestion checking it out if you are ever down in the Janesville area and need some exercise. I did put see the cabin on the bucket list so maybe one day I will be back. 

5995. Cross the Zig Zag Bridge in Rotary Park in Janesville

Looking for things to do new Beloit, I discovered Janesville wasn't too far away and offered a few more adventures. One of them being Rotary Park Botanical Gardens. This sounded like a nice way to spend a Sunday Morning.

Rotary Park Botanical Gardens is open 9-5 and costs $9/adult to visit. Parking is free.

The Botanical Gardens had a lot more flowers than the Anderson Japanese Gardens which was great to see. They have several different gardens with easy walking paths.

The Zig Zag bridge is located by the pond. It is supposed to ward off evil spirits that can only travel in straight lines. It is a fun spot for pictures and enjoying the very murky pond. 

Another fun bridge for pictures is the arched bridge. It was really busy over there so we didn't get too many pictures of it. 

While you enjoy the gardens, you can find 29 different owls installations created by various artists. They were fun to spot. Some were more creative than others. 

And they had a giant chair to sit in. I love my giant chairs. This one was a bit difficult to get out of but it was still another giant chair.

The Rotary Gardens were also working on getting their displays set up for the Christmas light display. You could find lights on many of hte trees and pushes. The Christmas light display at the Rotary Gardens is supposed to be spectacular and is on my bucket list to enjoy one year.

The Rotary Botanical Gardens are great place to visit especially on a Sunday morning before it gets too busy. 

5992. Go to Totem Mound Park in Beloit

 Through my many Google Map searches and other various searches, I stumbled upon Totem Mound Park in Beloit. It is another Effigy Mound. I figured this would be another quick stop before headed out of Beloit.

Totem Mound Park is in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It is sandwiched between two houses like they saw the mound and built around it. 

To be able to see the mound clearly, they mowed the grass around the mound shorter. It is not a big mound. I don't recall seeing a sign telling about the mound. 

There is not much to see but if you are into Effigy Mounds, it is a nice quick stop if you ever find yourself in Beloit. 

5991. Go to Water Tower Park in Beloit

 Scanning Google Maps to find things for girls weekend, I stumbled about Water Town Park in Beloit. It is named for the old stone water town. After seeing the stone water tower in Whitewater, I was intrigued to see this one. 

Calling it a park may be a long shot. There is no easy way to get to the water tower. The water town sits on top of a hill. There is an apartment complex behind it with no public parking. The only street parking is below the water tower or across a busy intersection.

We ended parking in a small strip mall. The Dairy Queen might have been an option if it was open. We then hiked up the side of the hill. It was all very weird.

When we got to the top of the hill, there was a walkway around the Water Tower. It was slightly more accessible than the one in Whitewater. 

We could actually look into the water tower. It is falling apart but it was still cool to look at.

If you can find a place to park, it is definitely worth checking out. It may not be much but the history is always fun to look at.

Checking out Beattie Park Mound Group Historic Site

When planning girls weekends, I tend to check out websites like Atlas Obsecura and Roadside America to find random places to visit. I will eventually just play around on Google Maps to see if anything interesting pops up. While on Atlas Obsecura, I discovered a park in Rockford that had Indian Mounds. I added it to the list figuring it would be a quick stop.

Beattie Park Mound Group Historic Site is located in Beattie Park in downtown Rockford. It is sandwiched between a couple of buildings. Street parking is the only option. Late afternoon on Saturday is probably not a good time to check it. Parking and traffic was a pain. Stacy actually stayed in the car while I checked them.

There are 3 conical mounds, one turtle Effigy Mound, and a linear mound. One of the conical mounds is located outside of the park. I just checked out the ones in the park.

The mounds are actually very well defined. I was able to spot 2 of them right away. We didn't have much time before having to head to dinner so I didn't want to explore too much. 

I find Effigy Mounds interesting. I like the random ones the best, especially ones that don't get a lot of attention. I have been searching these out the last couple of years. Besides Effigy Mounds National Monument, I have found some in Sheboygan and Baraboo. Heckrodt in Menasha also used to have a couple. I don't think they are signed very well. I know there are more in Wisconsin that I have to check out. I remember going to one down by Milwaukee on a field trip. 

These are definitely worth checking out. They are signed and give you a good history of the mounds. It is a great stretch break or spend some time exploring downtown Rockford. Either way you will get a good history lesson. 

2289. See the Rockmen Guardians in Rockford

 One day I get a random message from Stacy saying "add a stop to our list" with a link to a Facebook Post. She wanted to see the Rockmen Guardians in Rockford. We both like random roadside attractions so this was an easy add that would not take very long.

The Rockman Guardians have kept guard over Rockford since the 1980s. They are located in  Sinnissippi Park. Getting there was a bit of a challenge as the GPS wanted to take us to the golf course across the street. We finally made it. 

Artist Terese Agnew created these stone giants out of boulders and cement. Each guardian is in a super hero pose. There are 4 12-foot guardians along the Rock River that watch over the city and the bike path.

They are quite the sight to see. 

It is nothing more than a stretch break stop unless you want to walk or bike the Rock River Recreational Bike Path or chase geese. They are definitely worth the stop though. It's not every day you get to see 12 foot stone guardians watching over a city. 

2287. Go to the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford

 When we started planning girls weekend, Stacy said she wanted to go to the Anderson Japanese Gardens. I added it to the list. We were planning on spending time in Rockford so this would be a good activity.

The Anderson Japanese Gardens is open seasonally 9-6 Monday-Friday and 9-5 on weekends. They do have a Christmas display in December. Admission is $14/adult. There are two parking lots. Our GPS took us to the overflow parking so we had to walk to the visitor center to pay but was right by the car when we finished.

It is 12-acre Japanese garden of winding paths, streams, waterfalls, & traditional architecture. That is a pretty accurate description. We saw more waterfalls at the Japanese Gardens than we did at Starved Rock State Park. 

We picked up a map at the entrance and thought we would not get through the whole garden before it closed. We had about an hour. We managed to get through the whole garden before they closed.

Winding paths took you to various areas of the gardens. We both were expecting more flowers. It was a lot of greenery, waterfalls, and Zen like settings. Nevertheless, it was still very beautiful.

I really enjoyed all the waterfalls. I love the sound of falling water. There are several waterfalls all around the park in various forms.. babbling brooks to more straight down waterfalls. The waterfalls alone were worth the price of admission.

The gift shop is full of Japanese gifts and snacks. I would have like to try some snacks but didn't really want to carry them around the garden. Some of them looked intriguing. 

Even though it wasn't what we were expecting, it was still worth the visit. It is a beautiful setting for a stroll or a wedding. It is definitely worth checking out when in Rockford. 

2372. Go to Buffalo Rock State Park in Ottawa

 While we were enjoying the views at Starved Rock State Park, we overheard a park ranger explaining to a tour group that there was a buffalo herd at Buffalo Rock State Park. I looked at Stacy and said "Did she say buffalo? We need to check this out." After a quick google search, we found out that Buffalo Rock State Park was only 12 minutes away. We decided we would check it out after going on the boat ride before heading back to Rockford. 

Buffalo Rock State Park is located in Ottawa, IL. It is open 8 am - 7 pm daily. There is no admission for Buffalo Rock State Park or any of the Illinois State Park. 

As we got to Buffalo Rock State Park, a tour bus pulled up to see the buffalo. There are 2 buffalos in a ben near the road. I was expecting more. This was like visiting a zoo. The pen seemed small for the buffalo. They seemed very bored. I was seriously disappointed. Even though they were almost close enough to touch, I did not pet the fluffy cow.

We decided to check out the effigy mounds that are in the park. This area was home to Illinois Indians when Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette first visited the area in 1673. However we really didn't have much luck. The mounds seemed much closer on the map than they were and it was hot. 

After about a 1/4 mile, we turned back and I decided I hiked enough in the park. Maybe one day I will get back to actually check out the effigy mounds. 

It is a nice picnic spot. The buffalo are kind of cool even though it felt like it is something I would find at the Menominee Park Zoo in Oshkosh. If you are in the area, it is worth a stop even if it is just to see the buffalo.

2367. Do the I & M Canal Boat Tour in LA Salle, IL

A few years back when I was searching for a stretch break between St. Louis and home, I found the I&M Canal Boat Tour in LaSalle. I was telling the hubby about this and he just rolled his eyes. When we started planning girls weekend, I told Stacy I wanted to do this. Since she was up for anything, she readily agreed.

The I&M Canal Boat Tour runs from late May through October  on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and most Wednesdays. Tour times are 10, 11:30 and 1. It is $24/adult and $10/kids. It is a mule pulled boat ride like they did back in the 1840s.

We bought our tickets at I&M Canal Visitor Center and Lock 16 gift shop. We also grabbed some ice cream bars to tide us over until we could get lunch as we didn't have much time. They told us to park down I & M Canal State Trail a couple blocks up the road on the other side of the bridge. They didn't give us any tickets which we thought was odd. When we asked about this they said they would know we were coming. She did print out a souvenir ticket that we could get stamped. 

While we waited, I also got my I & R Canal National Park Heritage Site Stamp. 

When we got down to the parking lot, they were brining the mule out. We took the chance to meet the mule and feed it some carrots. This mule came from the Amish in Kentucky and is going to be retiring after this season. 

Before boarding the boat, we learned a brief history of the canal boat and mule tendering. It was actually quite fascinating.

Upon boarding, they suggested we started inside to listen to the history lesson while they got underway. The mule walked the state trail along side the Illinois River. 

They took us about an mile down the river before turning around. Turning around was a quite an adventure using a mule and pole. 

It was an enjoyable boat trip but a bit short in my opinion. I wish would could have heard more of the history lesson but keeping a 6 year old entertained was more important.

I was telling the hubby about the boat ride and he wants to do it now. Go figure. I would highly suggest the boat ride if you ever find yourself in Central Illinois. It s quite an unusual way to travel.