Last weekend we took the family to visit relatives and attend the
Centralia IL balloonfest event, that was OK, but not as much fun as we
had on the way down.
On the way, we stopped at Rockhome Gardens between Arthur and Arcola,
IL. This was a family farm owned by my fathers employer in the 40's and
50's. It then became a tourist attraction, run by the Amish and
Mennonite for many years, and recently bought by a group of familys in
the Central Illinois area, hopefully guaranteeing that it stays open for
a long time.
It is a fun place to visit, especially for kids. Farm related
activities, the beauty of the Rock walls gardens and sculptures where
the name comes from, and examples of Amish/Farm life.
We took a Buggy ride, a train ride, the kids and I played in the big
treehouse, got great food at the restaurant, hand dipped ice cream and
fresh candy, watched a blacksmith and horse powered buzz saw, and played
tic-tac-toe with a chicken, that won every time! Went through the
haunted cave three times! Fed goats, saw horse farming and just had a
ball. If you go, look for the tree with a hole through it, you won't
believe what you see inside. (that is an inside joke).
Along the way at Arcola we stopped to visit the one and only Hippie
memorial. Really! And if you go at the right time (Sept 8,9,10) you
can see the Broom Corn festival in Arcola where Rick Baker (newspaper
humor columnist) is part of the precision lawn mower drill team.
Yea, I grew up in hicksville USA in Central Illinois, but it was fun to
visit again and watch my grandkids enjoy stuff I used to play on when it
was just the bosses farm!
Oh, and don't miss the huge rocking chair, you will feel like Lilly
Tomlin's little girl character.
Don Mallinson
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