Not too long before summer, a friend told me about this park that her family LOVES to visit. I of course, love checking out new places so I was excited to go. We picked a Sunday afternoon, packed a picnic and headed to check it out with our friends the Penningtons. The park is called Cantigny and it did not disappoint! Robert McCormick, a rich and famous Chicago native donated his home and the surrounding properties to the state of IL so long as they would maintain it and offer it for free to those who want to enjoy it. Aside from a parking fee, the whole experience is free! Cantigny sits on 500 acres of land and includes, 2 museums, a visitors center, playground, picnic areas, a tank playground (actual old army tanks that the kids can climb on!), and miles of beautiful gardens. We spent the entire afternoon exploring the grounds and the "First Division" Museum. The museum was very interactive and held the kids attention while teaching them about WWI and WWII. We ended our day by finding a local ice cream parlor in a neighboring town. I'm sure we will be back again!
 |
| Fun Fact--there have been multiple movie scenes filmed at this mansion/reflecting pool. Our favorite?--A scene from "League of their Own" |
