Category: Other Destinations
Bring This Easy Christmas Tradition Home on a Small Budget
Have you see those charming photos or window displays with model trains chugging around the base of a Christmas tree? A few years ago, we wanted to create one of those scenes in our own home. Our goal for any new Christmas traditions is to keep them easy and low cost, and there was one…
Christkindlmarket 2025, Opening Weekend in Aurora
The Christkindlmarket in Aurora, Illinois is now open for the 2025 holiday season! We have created a guide for this perennial Chicagoland favorite. You can find that guide here: Christkindlmarket Aurora 2025: Tips for Your Visit. While that guide has lots of tips pulled together over our many family visits to Christkindlmarket in years past,…
Kids’ Travel Essentials: What to Pack For Your Family Trip
Sometimes it feels like the time it takes to pack for a family trip lasts longer than the trip itself. We want to save you some time and, hopefully, some stress. We have tinkered with our packing list over the years, and we have come up with suggestions we would like to share. In part…
Christkindlmarket Aurora 2025: Tips for Your Visit
Our family has embraced the tradition of the Christkindlmarket that has become so beloved in the Chicago area. For the last few Decembers (and Novembers) we have been celebrating at the Christkindlmarket at River Edge Park in Aurora, Illinois. We have visited Christmas markets in Germany and Poland, and more recently in Daley Plaza in…
Guide to Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago 2025
Our family visits Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo Chicago every year. We love the spectacular light displays (over 3.5 million lights for 2025) and festive holiday spirit. We want to help make this part of your holiday tradition with our top 5 tips for a great visit and information about dates and how to reserve…
Guide to BOO! at the Zoo and Halloween at Brookfield Zoo Chicago 2026
Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s BOO! at the Zoo! is returning for fall 2026! It begins Saturday, October 3 and continues through Sunday, October 25, 2026. As BOO! at the Zoo is still around the corner, I am basing this post on our visits in years past and the information currently available from Brookfield Zoo Chicago regarding…
