Search Results for: travel united states illinois

Do You Need Inspiration for a Family History Adventure?

If you are looking for a fun genealogy read online, check out the Ancestry.com blog. Mixed in amongst their other blog posts (which are also good), there are posts from a family of seven who are traveling the United States in search of family history information. The Great, Great, Great Grand Adventure began back in July, when the Brown family decided that they would spend some time together as a family, traveling the United States and learning about their family history. At the time that the monumental decision to make the trip was made, the Browns did not know that … Continue reading →

Where to Find a Celtic Fest This Summer

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A Celtic fest has nothing at all to do with the football team that has a similarly spelled name. A Celtic fest is a gathering where you can find music, dancing, art, food, gifts, and genealogy related items that connect to Irish, Scottish, or Celtic culture or history. Here is a quick list of where to find some Celtic fests, (or Irish Fests, or Highland Fests), this Summer. In Itasca, Illinois, there will be a Scottish Festival and Highland Games held on June 15, 2012, and June 16, 2012. There will be traditional Scottish food, Scottish whiskey, and Scottish music … Continue reading →

Ways to Save on a Six Flags Staycation

It’s never a good day when travelers are actually excited to see gas prices hovering near $4. Three dollars and 89 cents for a gallon of unleaded–SCORE!! While the cost of gas has fallen slightly in the last couple weeks, from its highest levels since July 2008, Americans are still paying nearly a dollar more per gallon than a year ago. As a result, families from coast-to-coast continue to restructure their summer vacation plans in order to preserve their household budgets, and still have fun in the sun. That goes double for clans living in and around Chicago. According to … Continue reading →

Planning a Fun LDS Summer Vacation for Your Family

The summer is a great time to plan a family vacation. It is even better if you can incorporate your gospel teaching into this time that you spend together as a family. You can plan a long road trip and hit most of the church historical sites or you can plan a shorter vacation and only see one or two of the sites. In the New York area you can attend the Hill Cumorah Pageant and visit the Sacred Grove and other museums that the church has set up in the area. This is all near around and Palmyra, New … Continue reading →

Where You Can Chuck A Pumpkin Without Getting Arrested

Tis the season to chuck pumpkins. Unfamiliar with the sport? I was too until I saw an episode of Food Network’s All-American Festivals that spotlighted the wonders of pumpkins. For all you pumpkin-loving people who thought the orange fruit was only good for pies, breads, and to decorate your porch during the month of October—-think again. Each year thousands travel to various parts of the country to watch grown men (and in some cases women and small children) hurl the popular autumn fruit into the sky at speeds that exceed 300 mph using a 30,000-pound cannon. It’s called pumpkin chucking … Continue reading →

Fall Festivals From Coast to Coast

There’s more to Labor Day than just the MDA Telethon (as noble a cause as it is). The long holiday weekend gives you one more chance to get out and enjoy the last remaining days of late sunsets and warm temperatures. Around the country major cities are gearing up for fall with noteworthy family-friendly festivals. Here are just a few: PORTLAND, OREGON The city’s 11th annual Art in the Pearl is a three-day extravaganza, which fills Portland’s streets with art, theater, music and hands-on activities for adults and children. More than 100 vendors pack the area with paintings, photography, glass, … Continue reading →

Hitting The Road In A RV

Call me naïve, but I figured with the price of fuel hitting record highs there would be far fewer gas guzzling recreational vehicles on the road this summer. Boy, was I wrong. Apparently, Americans (at least those driving through Illinois and Wisconsin) are denying high gas prices and hitting the highways in RVs. I know this because I was stuck behind a caravan of them on the way back from our family’s 4th of July festivities. About a year ago I wrote a blog about the costs involved in traveling in a RV. Price, it seems, has not affected the … Continue reading →

The Perfect Vacation Destination For Pickle Lovers

Attention fellow pickle lovers: let’s be friends… and carpool to Mississippi together. Seriously, forget about Hawaii, I think I was supposed to be a native of Mississippi. Die hard pickle fans know there is no better place to get a pickle than the southern state… if you like your pickle marinated in Kool-Aid. Locals will tell you that their relationship with pickles is… well, unique. Not only do they consume pickles in record numbers, they also batter, deep-fry them and dip them in mayonnaise. According to serious southern foodies, the Mississippi Delta, a region better known for its blues music, … Continue reading →

Five Reasons You Should Visit Chicago

When I moved to the Midwest from Hawaii nearly two decades ago I instantly fell in love with Chicago. It’s has that big city feel (though is immensely cleaner than New York), it’s located on beautiful Lake Michigan, the shopping is fabulous… and yes, the cultural diversity and world-class attractions don’t hurt either. If you have never made the trip to the Windy City I would highly recommend doing so. If the city is near and dear to your heart why not make a return trip this holiday season. When you do check out some of my favorite Chicagoland attractions … Continue reading →

Today in History: Owens Wins 4th Gold Medal

Jesse Owens is an amazing figure in sports history. Winning several gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin set back Adolf Hitler’s propaganda campaign for Aryan superiority. Who Was Jesse Owens? Born in 1913 to Alabama sharecroppers, Jesse Owens demonstrated his major track talent during high school in Cleveland, Ohio. When he went on to attend Ohio State University, he emerged as one of the greatest athletes in the world. On May 25, 1935, at the age of 20, Owen broke the world records for the 220-yard low hurdles, the running broad jump, and the 220-yard dash and tied … Continue reading →