118. Go to Hannibal, MO

 I gave the hubby the option of Hannibal, MO or Grant's House in St. Louis on our way to Kansas City. I've been bugging him for a couple of trips to go to Hannibal. We ran out of time last trip to KC. He actually picked Hannibal over Grant's House. Personally I think it was to appease me so I would stop bugging him.

Hannibal is the boyhood home of Mark Twain. I really just wanted to see his home and maybe a big paddlewheel. 

We ended up getting a Groupon deal for Mark Twain's Boyhood Home and Museum Properties. I saved almost 50% on our admissions. Normally it is $11/adult and I got admission for both of us for $13.50. 

Mark Twain's Boyhood Home and Museum is 8 different properties around downtown Hannibal, all within walking distance. Most of them are within the same block. You start at the Interpretive Center where there is a small museum about Mark Twain.

Then you can tour Huckleberry Finn's House, Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Home Shop, Becky Thatcher House, The Justice of Peace Office, Grant's Drug Store, and Museum Gallery. It is all self-guided tours. 

The best part by far was the Museum Gallery where you get to see what life was like in the 1800s along the Mississippi. You can blow the steamship horn. We can raft like Tom and Huck. Then you go to the top floor and there are a dozen Norman Rockwell original paintings. Even the hubby was impressed. You never see a collection like that in one place.

I also planned on going to the Big River Train Town and Museum since the hubby likes train. It was the one museum, I didn't double check hours before we left. We walked to it from the Museum Gallery only to find out it was closed. 

I did get to see the Tom and Huck statue.

Instead of climbing all the stairs up to the lighthouse, we drove to the top. Then only had a short climb to the lighthouse. You can't go into the lighthouse but it does offer some nice views of the Mississippi. 

I never did get to see the giant paddlewheel. Maybe if we took a boat tour but there was no time. 

Some people spend several days in the Hannibal area. We spent a few hours. It was more than enough time for me. I'd go back and hit some of the attractions that weren't open on Mondays if ever given the opportunity but like Grandma says there is not a whole lot to do in Hannibal for days on end unless you are into nature, caving, and camping. 

Hannibal is worth checking out if you are ever in the area. It is full of literary history and history in general. Molly Brown, of the Titanic, was born there and you can visit her house. I was not disappointed. I was glad we stopped and now I can stop bugging the hubby.

Getting to Jamestown

When the hubby got his bid to the World Series, we found out that if I came out for the entire trip we would have to foot the bill for the hotel for the entire 10 days instead of him getting his room covered. We decided that he would drive out to Jamestown and I would fly out a week later. This way we would save money on hotel, could take our time getting home, and I would not have to suffer through 5 days of pool play.

Once we decided that, I had to figure out where I was flying out of and flying into. Jamestown has an airport but only gets flights in from Pittsburg on SunAir. I could fly into Erie, PA or Buffalo. Erie was about 45 minutes and Buffalo was 90 minutes. I could fly out Appleton, Green Bay, or Milwaukee. Based on pricing regardless of where I was flying to, Milwaukee was cheaper.  Mom and Dad would take me to the airport. I could fly United into Erie and get in around 4pm or I could fly Southwest into Buffalo and get in around 11:30am. Because Erie was closer, we decided I would fly into Erie. I had a choice of taking an 8am flight out of Milwaukee to O’Hare or a noon flight out of Milwaukee to O’Hare. Either way I was on the 1:45 flight to Erie. Sit around an airport for 4 hours or sleep in… that was easy an easy decision.

I checked in and printed my boarding pass from home. I really like that especially since I wasn’t checking any bags. The hubby took my luggage with him. I just had my backpack and laptop. Once I got to Mitchell I was able to go straight to security which was a breeze. Then I entered the Recombulation Area..the only airport to have one. It's just a fancy name for the area to put your shoes on and get re-situated after going through security.

Once I got through security, I still had 90 minutes before boarding and there really wasn’t anything on my concourse. There was a sit down restaurant, a beverage kiosk, and that was about it.  I was really hoping that there was a Starbucks. The gate area was small too so I couldn’t even walk around. Good thing I had “Grey” to keep me company. If I wanted WiFi I had to pay for it. I used my free 20 minutes and that was all I got.

Finally it was time to board. Boarding was pretty easy. I had a window seat. Once everyone was boarded, the captain informed us we were waiting on maintenance because one of the engines needed oil. Once the oil was filled, we missed our push back window and had to wait to get clearance to push back. Needless to say we were late in leaving Milwaukee. My hour layover in Chicago was getting smaller.

Once we finally got to cruising altitude, our flight attendant attempted to give us beverages but before she could even get everything set up, it was time to start our descent. No water for me.  We flew half way to Michigan I swear before circling back to O’Hare. When we landed, ground control had us drive all the way around the airport before getting to our gate which we had to wait for. Now my hour layover is down to 15 minutes.

Of course, I couldn’t take off from the same terminal that I landed in. I had to hustle from Terminal F to Terminal B. By the time I got to my gate, they were not yet boarding. I decided I had time to go to the bathroom. Since there was a bagel shop next to the bathrooms that had no line, I grabbed lunch since I was starving. Luckily both of them were right by my gate. By the time I got back to the gate, they were pre-boarding.

There were no issues getting into Erie. We were only a few minutes late getting in mainly because we were late leaving Chicago. I found the hubby and off to Jamestown we went. Next time he gets a World Series in Jamestown, I will fly into Buffalo since it is easier to get to.

Flashback Friday #1417: Visit the Field of Dreams Movie Set

In case you didn't know it, I like baseball. Even before I met the hubby, I've liked baseball and now that love has grown. I like all things baseball. Once I even went to a Jacksonville Suns game because I had nothing better to do. So when planning our girls' weekend in Galena, I started looking at other things to do on the way home. It turns out the Field of Dreams movie set was only about an hour outside of Galena and they play baseball games on Sundays. I was sold and added this as a stop on the itinerary.

I really didn't know what to expect except I knew it was a baseball field in the middle of a cornfield where you could take infield, take batting practice, catch fly balls all on the baseball field. That is pretty much what goes on all day every day. People show up to play on the field, walk out of the corn, and relive the movie. It would have more fun if the hubby came with me. This is a great stop for baseball loving families on a road trip.

Playing catch in the outfield

Like I mentioned, on Sundays when the corn gets high enough, the players come out and play. Again, it was not what I expected. I thought it would be two teams playing a real game of baseball. It was more of a comedy show. The players, nine of them, come out of the cornfield and everyone gets introduced. Some of them were in the actual movie. Then they pick a dozen or kids from the crowd to be batters. The players take the field. Every kid gets a hit no matter how hard they it (or don't hit it). There are toddlers all the way up to 10 year olds. The players do spoofs and errors to "help" the kids get a hit and they act like nothing is wrong. I was in stitches for most of the time. I only stayed for a few batters since I was expecting a real game and had to get back home. Next time I will plan on spending the entire afternoon there, especially since the players hang around sign autographs and take pictures until everyone leaves.

The players coming out of the corn

There is a small concession stand, souvenir stand, and every small Port-a-Potties in case you need to use the facilities. I purchased a burger, chips, and water for lunch. It was reasonably priced, no different than getting the same fare at a local youth game. I did pick up the hubby a (wrong) t-shirt, some postcards, and few Christmas presents. Prices were not too bad. $17 for shirt, $8 for a mini bat. There was ample parking as well. I did get there early and it did start filling up closer to game time.

Overall it was a great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon before driving back.

Flashback Friday: #1227 - Go to Galena

Last year, my cousins didn't want to go to Door County again and since I couldn't join them and my parents in Lake Geneva, we decided to go somewhere else for a Girl's Weekend. We decided to head to Galena, IL for the weekend. None of us have really been there and it was on the bucket list. Jeanne was there once years ago but didn't really see much.

After visiting the Mustard Museum and the National Cheesemaking Historical Center, I met my cousins in Stockton. We decided to save a little bit of money and stay in Stockton which is about 20 minutes from Galena. Our hotel was on the edge of a cornfield. The drive to Galena was not too bad except it was curvy and hilly..definitely something you didn't want to drive after a few drinks.

Friday, after checking into the hotel, we drove into Galena to check it out. We wanted to see the Washburne House since it wasn't open on Saturdays and only until 4 on Fridays. However, the GPS was unable to find it. We did find it the next day. Instead we were able to find a parking spot downtown, which is a rare feat, and started looking for a place for dinner on Saturday. There was a local dinner in Stockton that we were planning on going to that night.

On our way through town, we happened to see a sign at the Galena Brewery for tours that started at 5. We decided to check it out. The cost was a glass of beer that we could enjoy during the tour. I had Fevre River Ale. It was alright. It tasted too much like Miller Lite which initially I thought I enjoyed but I decided I need a more robust beer. We were the only people on the tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and explained the entire process. I have been the Muhlbauer's Brewery in Germany which is very similar but that was over 15 years ago. It was a while since I had an in depth brewery tour. After the tour, we had plans to come back and get some bottles to take home but never got around to it which was disappointing since I can't get it in Wisconsin. I guess another trip is in store.

The rest of Friday was dinner in Stockton and chilling in the hotel with our mustard and pretzels.

On Saturday, we headed back to Galena and played tourist. What follows is a synopsis of the places we visited.

#1233 -- The Dowling House
This is Galena's oldest house built in 1826. It was a general store on the ground level and a residence upstairs. Our tour guide was a very knowledgeable even with the questions we threw at her. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed inside and we were locked in once the tour started. There were a lot of original artifacts in both the store and the residence.

#1234 -- The Belvedere Mansion and Gardens
This is Galena's first Mansion. It was built by a river baron and overlooks the Mississippi. It is privately owned and the owners actually throw several parties throughout the year there. There are a lot of period pieces but very few actual Belvedere artifacts. It is a gorgeous home.  Prior to the tour beginning, we had to wait outside on the porch. A new tour begins about every 15 minutes. The tour is given by several different tour guides depending on the part of the house you are in. All the tour guides were very good, I just wish had the same tour guide throughout the whole tour. After the tour, you had the opportunity to explore the gardens on the property.

#1232 -- The DeSoto Hotel
We didn't actual tour the hotel but we walk through it. There is an entrance to the hotel from one of the shops we visited. It is a very glamorous hotel that I would love to tour it the next trip. The DeSoto Hotel is the oldest operating hotel in Illinois and was built in 1855.

The lobby of the DeSoto Hotel

Victory Cafe

We had lunch here. It is your typical cafe but the breakfast is awesome. My pancake was bigger than my plate. I nearly ate the whole thing. Everything that we saw looked really good. I would definitely go back and would like to try the lunch menu.

Shopping and more shopping

Besides historical, Galena has a lot shopping. The entire historical district downtown is all shopping. We did check out just about every store that caught our interest including a few antique stores so I could say I've been antiqueing. I didn't buy much besides a few postcards and some caramel corn. It is always fun to browse. Besides browsing, there were a some samples to taste..mainly dips and the like. Sampling is probably one of my favorite small town shopping activities. I tried The Hottest Fucking Nuts and they do live up their name. 

    

Just a few of the random things we saw while browsing

Chocolat'

This was one of the chocolate/candy shops that we stopped in. By far, it was our favorite and the best. The truffles were to die for (and they made it home in 90 degree heat after 4+ hour drive). Besides chocolate, they also had wine tasting. I discovered the joys of Pink Moscato. I could have spent a lot of chocolate in here. Just another reason to go back.

Klein Market Bakery

OH.MY.GOD!!! The pie is amazing. We picked up a small peach pie to share when we happened to stop in on Saturday. It was the only pie left. The pie barely made it back to the hotel and was devoured quickly after we found the necessary tools to cut it. I picked up an apple pie on Sunday to bring home. It was just as good. There was all sorts of good stuff in here that it was hard to choose what to buy. 

Massbach Ridge Winery and Tasting Room

I didn't want to just sample some wine at various locations. I wanted to visit an actual winery. However, I think my cousins were just about to kill me by the time we got here. We followed the signs up and around some hilly back roads just to get here. If we didn't follow the signs and turned immediately it would have been 5 minutes instead of 20. IT.WAS.WORTH.IT. We each got to sample 5 wines and picked the wines based on our tastes. Being an occasional wine drinker, I had a hard time choosing what to sample. The vintner was very helpful and I ended up enjoying most of my wines. My cousin was ecstatic to find a Marechal Foch wine. Marechal Foch was named for Ferdinand Foch who helped negotiate the armistice terms after World War I. She was working on a big WWI/WWII project. This turned out to be her favorite wine. After we finished sampling, we checked out the vineyard and found the Marechal Foch grapes. The ride back was much quicker. I should have gotten a bottle of the Blushing Pink but didn't know when I would drink it. Just writing this makes me want it.

Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub and Grill

This is where we had dinner on Saturday. My cousin found it and we all agreed that it would be a good choice. I never ate a real Irish Pub. We had a table by the window so we could look out as well as could see the stage for the Irish Dancing that was happening during dinner. 

Since I never had Shepard's Pie, I wanted to try it despite the fact the whole mashed potatoes on top scared me. It was wonderful. I don't know what I was afraid of. I would definitely order it again and maybe I will even attempt it at home. For an appetizer, we split deep fried pickle spears. Another food I was afraid to try. I don't know why because they were very good.

To drink had the Irish version of a German Radler....beer with Lemonade called a Lemon Shandy. It was made with Harps. I truly enjoyed it. I also tried a Snake Bite -- Harps with Cinder. I didn't like that one as much.

After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel where we ate pie and relaxed.

When we woke on Sunday, we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed back to Galena for one more Historical Site and a little more shopping before splitting up. I was headed to Iowa and my cousins was going to stay in Galena for a little bit.

Our first stop of the morning was U.S. Grant Home and Museum. This is where President Grant lived in the 1860's prior to and after the Civil War. We saw his home as well other buildings of the era on the property. Again our tour guide was very informative. 

After going back to get more truffles, our time together in Galena was over. I headed to the Field of Dreams Movie Set while they stayed and had lunch. 

There are many more things in Galena that we didn't even get to see. It is a charming little town. It is perfect for a girls' weekend. I don't think the hubby would enjoy it as much. This year, we are planning on going back to Door County.