On The Go Chicago

I love getting the girls out of the city and exploring the neighboring suburbs.  This past week I visited two farms, Kline Creek Farm (look for another post later this week on Kline Creek) and Blackberry Farm in Aurora.  Just past the outlet mall is a great farm/amusement park for toddlers and young school age kids.

Blackberry Farm is a living history museum on 54 acres with a lake, ponds and a meandering stream. There are five buildings/museums you can walk through and see what life was like in the 19th century.  Many of the buildings have period demonstrations including blacksmithing, spinning, weaving, sewing, etc. In the farm area, they have a number of animals including chickens, sheep, goats and rabbits. You can even do a bit of fishing at Lake Gregory.

In addition to enjoying the beautiful grounds, your kids will love the restored miniature train, pony rides, carousel and tractor rides.  I loved the fact that I did not have to keep digging through my diaper bag for my wallet.  Your kids can enjoy unlimited rides all for the price of admission.

They have a small concession stand and lots of areas to have a picnic, so you can bring your lunch or buy something there.

For us the highlights were strolling around the beautiful farm, riding the tractor tricycles, checking out the geese and of course the train ride.  Unfortunately we were there when there were excessive heat warnings, so we could not enjoy the ponies.

It took us around an hour from Lakeview, but I would say it was well worth the drive.

• Where – 100 S. Barnes Rd., Aurora, IL
• Cost – Children $3.75 (non-residents $6), Adult $4.25, (non-resident $7)