We started the day in Springfield, the capital
city of Illinois, as well as home to President Abraham Lincoln for much
of his adult life.
We
explored the grounds of the state capitol, and though Springfield came
across (to me) as kind of a sleepy little town, this capitol building is
one of my most favorites of the ones we've visited so far. It is an
absolutely beautiful building...
{M
(4 years old) - "Don't touch him... This is MY guy, MY favorite
president..." - giving her brother and sister the "what for"}
toured President Lincoln's home...
and visited his tomb...
before continuing on up through Illinois making stops at both The Rootbeer Stand (it was closed) in Oglesby...
and the grounds of the Midway Village Museum (it was closed, too) in Rockford, the original home of Rockford Red Heel Socks and the birthplace of the sock monkey...
Did you know that the instructions for making a sock monkey still come in every package of Red Heel Socks?
We
soon crossed over into Wisconsin, a new state for 4 of the 5 of us.
Hubby actually made his first trip there earlier this year.
{I
already love Wisconsin ~ they have an awesome sign by the highway,
accessible from the welcome center, with a walkway to it and
everything.}
We made our way to Madison, the capital city of Wisconsin, and stopped by the capitol building...
and grabbed lunch (and free evening entertainment) at the famous, Ella's Deli and Ice Cream Parlor...
Everything,
I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, moved in this place ~ it either flew on a
cable back and forth, dangled from the ceiling, spun in a circle
or whirred in place ~ a mechanical wonderland, and kids' fun house of
sorts, with actually a pretty good deli (this vegetarian ate my first
Reuben ~ they make a version sans the corned beef) and wonderful ice
cream parlor... Sensory overload, maybe, for us parents, but the
littles absolutely loved it...
Let's
see...animated toys and electronics all around, an ice cream sundae
with 5 spoons, a ride on the authentic 1920s carousel and fireworks off
in the distance? Yep, a pretty great Independence Day on the road...
More {Road Trip} 2014 Fun
