along with some stunning gardens if you head 200 miles north this time of year. You also might encounter old bones and haunted spirits.
"Rockford is a little bit of a hidden gem," says Emily Plumb of the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We are diverse when it comes to things to do."
Diverse indeed. At the Midway Village Museum on the city's outskirts, visitors can learn all about Rockford's history, including the Rockford Peaches. The team was part of the All-American Professional Baseball League for 12 years in the 1940s and 1950s and was made famous by the 1992 movie, A League of Their Own, starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell. You also can pay homage to the Peaches at their restored Beyer Stadium on 15th Street in town.
The Midway Village Museum features Peaches' uniforms, programs, photos and other memorabilia and will host a baseball game with players in Peaches' gear on May 11 from noon-4 p.m. Admission is $14 for adults and $12 for seniors and children ages 5-12. Under 5 is free. The museum encourages attendees to dress in 1940s' clothing.
Other exhibits include a recreated millhouse, information on Swedish immigrants, early aviation attempts, Rockford's role in the two world wars and the creation of the red-heeled socks that led to a boast as the home of the sock monkey. Go to midwayvillage.com to learn more.
The grounds include a Victorian village and several gardens but for an even better treat, head to the 12-acre Anderson Japanese Gardens, rated one of North America's top Japanese gardens. A stroll along the meandering paths, koi ponds, waterfalls, streams, pavilions and lush greenery will confirm the ranking.
Rockford businessman John Anderson began the Japanese garden and then hired renowned designer Hoichi Kurisu to expand it. Anderson and his wife donated the garden in 1998, and visitors can enjoy its tranquility from May 1 to Oct. 31. See andersongardens.org for information on admission and activities.
For a garden experience all year long, the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens is a good bet. Located along the Rock River, the third largest conservatory in Illinois has tropical plants, ponds, sculptures, special exhibits and seasonal gardens on the grounds. The Secret Life of Butterflies lands March 23-May 26 and will offer a look at their whole life cycle. More information is available at nicholasconservatory.com.
Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden is a place to gaze at rare trees, let the kids run off steam at the children's garden with its water features and view gardens full of seasonal delights. Other outdoor spots Plumb recommends are Rock Cut State Park with trails and a manmade lake and the Rock River with water activities as the weather warms.
For a break from the outdoors, visit the dinosaur bones at the Burpee Museum of Natural History, part of the Riverfront Museum Campus along with the Discovery Center Museum and the Rockford Art Museum. The Burpee displays "Jane," said to be the world's most complete and best-preserved juvenile T. Rex, and "Homer," a teen triceratops. Housed in an old mansion, the museum has a large collection of other paleontology finds, a mock ancient forest, Native American exhibits and a smattering of live reptiles, fish and insects.
The Discovery Center will entertain children of all ages with its 250 hands-on exhibits and a giant outdoor park with mazes, water features, slides, a cave and a dinosaur bone digging site. Next door is the Rockford Art Museum with its collection of modern art and masters such as Lorado Taft, famous for his large sculptures.
You also can download a phone app that will guide you on a public art trail throughout the city and Winnebago County. The trail highlights 60 murals and sculptures. If you visit the last weekend in May, you can take in the CRE8IV Transformational Art Mural Festival in downtown Rockford, according to Plumb.
Plumb also recommends the Tinker Swift Cottage Museum and Gardens, an historic house museum. "Some say it is haunted," she says, explaining it is built on a Native American prehistoric mound. Several television shows investigating ghosts have included the cottage.
The Cottage will host several paranormal investigation events this spring but tickets sell out quickly. Go to tinkercottage.com for information and hauntedrockford.com for tickets.
The Rockford City Market's outdoor venue runs from mid-May to after Labor Day on Friday evenings and offers local produce, dairy and meat products, baked goods, prepared food, artisans' work and music.
For more information about these and other activities, visit gotorockford.com.
Mary Bohlen of Springfield enjoys spring gardens, baseball movies and history museums. A former wire service reporter and retired journalism professor, she writes travel articles for IT and other publications.
