116. Go to Long Grove

 My cousins talked about going to Historic Long Grove and when writing my original bucket list, I wanted to go. So it went on the list. Then they said wasn't as good as it used to be and stopped going. Since it was still on the list, I wanted to check it out. Girls Weekend was the perfect opportunity.

Long Grove is Illinois Oldest Historic District and is located about 35 northwest of Chicago. It is known for its various festivals throughout the year. I made sure we weren't going on a major festival weekend like Apple Fest.

To get into downtown you pass under a one lane covered bridge which was neat.

Our first stop was the Sock Monkey Museum. It holds the Guinness World Record for most Sock Monkeys. It is actually worth the visit.

We then had lunch at Joanie's Pizzeria of Long Grove. We opted for inside because it was hot out.  I really didn't think I could eat a whole pizza and wasn't overly hungry anyways. I opted for a side of meatballs. Service was slow for not being really busy but the meatballs were amazing. Not quite as good as the ones on Mackinac Island or mine but still very good. The pizza was good too. I could take the hubby here and he probably won't complain. It really didn't smell like pizza though. 

After lunch we thought about going to Broken Earth Winery but after looking at the wine list, I didn't find anything that I really wanted to try. Maybe if we didn't have the kiddo with us and long drive home, I might have been more open to trying a glass or flight. 

We wandered into Vintage Charm Gift Shop because I liked the skeleton in the window. It sold art supplies and gift. You could get Assalt Grenade or Some Tree Juice. It was fun to look around. It was the only gift shop we went into.

I wanted to go to a chocolate shop for two reasons. I was looking for a giant caramel apple and I haven't been to a chocolate shop in Illinois yet so I wanted to get that crossed off. We ended up visiting two but neither had what I was looking for in a caramel apple.

First we went to Morkes Long Grove Chocolate. I picked up some truffles which we were very good. They didn't have a huge selection but they had truffles which is a win my book. The hubby got a malted milk one which I'm sure he'll love

Then we went to Long Grove Confectionery. They had more options available. I ended up some more truffles. They didn't have many options for the hubby but I managed to find two for him. 

Both were decent candy stores but I'm spoiled in the valley when it comes to chocolate stores.

We wandered for a bit and found some cute shops but didn't venture in.

We stumbled upon Pizza Fest which I'm sure the hubby would have loved. We didn't stop. They really do love their festivals.

Maybe we are bias but we are used to Historic Downtown Cedarburg. This wasn't even close. It was very haphazardly laid out. We never really did find Main Street. It felt very disjointed. Stacy mentioned maybe taking her hubby here for a weekend but decided he wouldn't like it. 

Long Grove is worth checking out but if you are expecting a lot of shops within walking distance, Cedarburg has more. The couple hours we spent there was plenty. Check it out and form your opinion. 

2296. Go to the Sock Monkey Museum in Long Grove

 One of things I wanted to do while in Long Grove was to visit the Sock Monkey Museum. I am not quite sure how I first came across the Sock Monkey Museum but it definitely sounded like a fun museum. I knew the hubby wouldn't be interested in it but it was a perfect girls weekend trip.

The Sock Monkey Museum is located downtown Long Grove. They are open 12-4 Thursday, Friday, and Sunday and 12-5 on Saturdays. There is plenty of free parking in the area. It is $6/adult and $4/child to visit.

The first floor is full of sock monkeys, a store, and an area where you can have birthday parties and sock monkey making classes.

Most of the museum is upstairs. A guide will take you upstairs and explain all about the history of sock monkeys, the various sock monkeys in the collection, and then let you browse the collection on your own. You can take all the pictures you want except for a special friend that greetings you when you enter the museum.

There are sock monkeys galore... in every nook and cranny imaginable. 

They have their playroom which rumor has it is a lot of fun but no one has been able to catch as sock monkey having fun.. just heard them.

There is even a scavenger hunt. There are so many sock monkeys that even if the guides haven't found all the sock monkeys in the scavenger hunt. I found three in the short time we were there.

Of course no good novelty museum is complete without some pop culture references. 

I even managed to find a sock monkey in Superman's Phone Booth.

This one is the oldest sock monkey in their collection.. almost 95 years old. From what I saw on Facebooks she now has her own throne.

We could have spent all day at the museum trying to find all the sock monkeys and I still don't think we would have seen them all. 

The Sock Monkey Museum makes you feel like a kid again and is just a feel good museum. It is definitely worth checking if for no other reason that to see over 2200 sock monkeys.