CLICK HERE to Get the Chicago Movies in The Park App Now

The Chicago Movies in The Park App is the best way to know which Movies in The Park are convenient for you.

Features Include:
- View a map of all participating parks
- View a map of parks sho movies on a specific date
- Listing of all movies at your favorite parks
- Calendar of all movies, listed by date
- Listing of all movies, listed by park

Chicago Movies in The Park runs June 18, 2010 to Sept 10, 2010

CLICK HERE to Get the Chicago Movies in The Park App Now

Southern Illinois Wine Country and the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail require a 5-6 hour drive from Chicago, but it is a trip worth taking. No matter what your level of experience, there is a lot to do, learn and taste in Southern Illinois Wine Country.

My favorite wineries seemed to have several characteristics in common. I enjoyed wineries that had a welcoming and knowledgeable staff, did not force you to make specific wine tasting selections, and had a relaxed atmosphere. I hope you find this information about Southern Illinois Wine Country to be informative.

Southern Illinois Wine Country – Favorites
Pomona Winery
Owl Creek Vineyard
Hogg Hollow Winery
Southern Illinois Bed & Breakfast

For more information about Southern Illinois Wine Country, visit the official Shawnee Hills Wine Trail website.

Chicago Ice Skating
Ice skating opens in Chicago at 9 public ice skating rinks on Friday, November 28th, 2009. The 9 ice skating rinks will be open thru February 28th, 2009 – weather permitting.

Skate rentals are available at all Chicago ice skating rinks, as well as food and drinks at most locations. McFetridge Skating Rink in California Park is the only indoor ice skating location in Chicago, remaining open all year except for the month of August.



Millenium Park Ice Skating
The Millenium Park Ice Skating Rink runs on a schedule separate from the rest of Chicago’s Ice Skating Rinks. The Millenium Park Ice Skating Rink opens on November 18, 2009 and will remain open until March 14, 2009. Entry is free. Skate rental is $10. The Millenium Park Ice Skating Rink is open:

2009 Millenium Park Ice Skating
Sun, 10:00am – 9:00pm
Mon, 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Tues, 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Wed, 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Thu, 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Fri, 12:00pm – 10:00pm
Sat, 10:00am – 10:00pm

If you make the trip to the Millenium Park Ice Skating Rink and find it overflowing with tourists, you may want to head 1 block East (across the Serpent Bridge) to the ice rink located at Daley Bicentennial Park (Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St.) You’ll get away from the crowds and still enjoy some ice skating in Chicago.

Chicago is also offering the opportunity for Wrigley Field Ice Skating. Operated by the Park District, more information can be found at our Wrigley Field Ice Skating page.
Open through February 28, 2010

Hours:
Mon – Thurs, 2pm-9pm
Fri, 2pm-11pm
Sat, 10am-11pm
Sun, 10am-8pm

Cost/Fees:
$10 – Adult Entry
$6 – Children Entry
$50 – Season Pass
$10 – Skate Rental

Below is a list of Chicago ice skating rinks as provided by the Chicago Park District. Prices and times are subject to change so please contact the Chicago Park District to confirm. You can contact the Chicago Park District at 312-742-PLAY or at their website.

Millenium Park Ice Skating Rink, 100 N. Michigan Ave – Chicago
312-742-5222
Open 11/18/2009 – 3/14/2010
Mon-Thur: Noon-8pm; Fri: Noon-10pm; Sat: 10am-10pm; Sun: 10am-9pm;
The rink is free and open to the public and skate rentals are available for $10.
Thur, November 26: 10am-4pm
Thur, December 24: 10am-6pm
Fri, December 25: 10am-4pm
Thur, December 31: 10am-8pm
Fri, January 1: 12pm-10pm

Wrigley Field Ice Skating Rink – Chicago
Open through February 28, 2010
Mon – Thurs: 2pm-9pm
Fri: 2pm-11pm
Sat: 10am-11pm
Sun: 10am-8pm
$10 – Adult Entry; $6 – Children Entry; $50 – Season Pass; $10 – Skate Rental;

Daley Bicentennial Park Ice Skating, Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St. – Chicago
312-742-7650
Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri: 11:30am-5pm and 7:30-9pm
Tues: 2-5pm and 7:30-9pm
Sat: 11:30am-1:30pm and 5-9 pm
Sun: 11:30am-1:30pm and 8-9 pm
$6 skate rental; admission free.
There is no concession stand, but hot chocolate is offered in a vending machine.

McFetridge Sports Center Ice Skating, California Park, 3843 N. California Ave. – Chicago
773-478-2609
Indoor Rink, Open all year except August
All ages: Wed and Fri, 3:30-5pm; Sat and Sun, 4:30-6pm
Adults: Wed 9:15-10:30pm
Teens & Adults: Fri 9:15-10:45pm
$3 skate rental; admission is $4 for children 12 and younger, $5 for ages 13 and older, and $2 for seniors 60 and older.
Food concessions are available.

McKinley Park Ice Skating, 2210 W. Pershing Road – Chicago
312-747-5992
Wed – Sun 12:30-7:30pm
$5 skate rental; admission free.
No food concessions are available.

Midway Plaisance Park Ice Skating, 1130 Midway Plaisance North – Chicago
(East 59th Street at Woodlawn)
312-745-2470
Mon-Thur, Noon-7pm; Fri: Noon-4:30pm, 5-7pm; Sat 1-9pm; Sun Noon-7pm;
$5 skate rental; admission free
Food concessions are available.

Mt. Greenwood Park Ice Skating, 3721 W. 111 St. – Chicago
312-747-3690
Wed–Sun, 12:30–7:30pm;
$5 skate rental; admission free. No food concessions are available.

Riis Park Ice Skating, 6100 W. Fullerton Ave. – Chicago
312-746-5735
Wed–Sun, 12:30–7:30pm;
Open Christmas and New Year’s Day from 12-4 p.m.
$5 skate rental; admission free. No food concessions are available.

Rowan Park Ice Skating, 11546 S. Avenue L – Chicago
773-646-1967
Wed–Sun, 12:30–7:30pm;
$5 skate rental; admission free. Food concessions are available.

Warren Park Ice Skating, 6601 N. Western Ave. – Chicago
773-761-8663
Wed–Fri: 3–5pm, 5:30–7:30pm;
Sat–Sun: 12:30–2:30pm, 3–5pm, 5:30–7:30pm;
$5 skate rental; admission is free. No food concessions are available.

West Lawn Park Ice Skating, 4233 W. 65th St. – Chicago
773-284-6078
Wed–Sun, 12:30–7:30pm
$5 skate rental; admission free.
No food concessions are available.

With many different tours to choose from, the 2009 Chicago Neighborhood Tours offers something for every section of Chicago. You can choose to do a single neighborhood tour such as Bronzeville or Devon Avenue – or try a Summertime Sampler, which will take you on a tour of several Chicago neighborhoods in one afternoon, such as Greek Town, Chinatown & Little Italy. Most tours begin at 10am on their respective dates.

For a full list of tours, dates and availability, be sure to check the official 2009 Chicago Neighborhood Tours website.

Chicago Neighborhood Tours

Mine the city’s hidden gems, its neighborhoods. From South Side neighborhood Beverly on the new Beautiful Beverly tour to historic parks on the new Garfield Park & Beyond tour, Neighborhood Tours showcase the arts, culture, history and people of Chicago.

Chicago Summer Events
Kooza Chicago
Merchandise Mart Artropolis 200
Looptopia 2009
2009 Chicago Air Show
MCA First Friday

The Shawnee Hills Bed & Breakfast is located on a sprawling property that features 3 ponds, hiking trails and a cave where Daniel Boone etched his name into the stone. For breakfast you can choose to have a stomach pleasing full-service breakfast in the main house or you may request a smaller but equally filling tray for you to bring back to your room. The innkeepers also provided ample drinks and snacks available at all hours of the day.

One thing that I particularly appreciated about the Shawnee Hill Bed & Breakfast was that the rooms are fully detached from the main house and each room has a private bathroom.

For more information about Shawnee Hill Bed & Breakfast, visit their Southern Illinois Bed & Breakfast website.

Shawnee Hill Bed & Breakfast
Phone: 618-893-2211
290 Water Valley Road
Cobden, Illinois 62920

Note: The location as displayed on Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, etc, is incorrect.

Hogg Hollow is a family owned business that was started by two friends. After learning to brew wine in their basement, the tandem decided to go big and open their own winery. A few years later, they have assembled one of the tastiest lists of wine in Southern Illinois Wine Country.

The staff at Hogg Hollow Winery is all family and everyone seemed to love what they were doing. The Hogg’s were even gracious enough to give us a quick tour of their facility so that we could learn a bit more about the wine making process.

If you’re staying at one of the Bed & Breakfasts along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, you’ll need to make a small trip to get to Hogg Hollow, but it will be a trip well rewarded.

For more information visit the official Hogg Hollow Winery website.

When we arrived at Owl Creek Vineyard we were greeted by happy puppy who dropped a ball at my feet. I tossed the ball into the grape vines and he happily ran off to retrieve his toy. After a few more games of fetch, we headed inside and upstairs to the tasting room.

After tasting their entire menu of wines and their specially made sangria, we bought a bottle and took a seat outside on their deck. There is currently a deck expansion underway, but there was no construction going on while we were there. The deck provides a great place to sit and relax after a long day of wine tasting.

For more information visit the official Owl Creek Vineyard website.

The staff at Pomona Winery was very informative and they led us through their entire wine list. As they poured, they would teach us a bit, talking a lot about the types of food that would complement each wine. All of the wines at Pomona were delicious and it was a great way to start our day on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.

With their unique variety of fruit and desert wines, knowledgeable staff and friendly atmosphere, Pomona Winery is one of the sure-fire stops on your trip to Southern Illinois Wine Country.

For more information visit the official Pomona Winery website.

Lollapalooza 2008 Schedule – Headliners
Friday August 1 @ 8pm – Radiohead
Saturday August 2 @ 8:30pm – Wilco, Rage Against The Machine
Sunday August 3 @ 8:15pm – Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West

Download the official Lollapalooza 2008 Schedule (pdf)

The Lollapalooza 2008 Schedule shows that there will be 7 musical stages, with 5-6 of the stages going at any given time. Music will run from 11am-10pm, Aug 1-3, 2008. This has become one of the biggest annual events during the Chicago summer and is something that you should definitely experience.

For more information about Lollapalooza, visit our Lollapalooza 2008 page.

Recent Features
Chicago’s Block 37
Chicago’s Olympic Bid
Vosges Chocolates
Chicago’s Taxi Gas Surcharge

The CTA has secured only enough funding to “… continue constructing underground tunnels to connect the Red and Blue Lines to the new station. It will also continue to work with Joseph Freed & Associates, the Block 37 master developer, to finish the shell of a station that would serve both lines. Scheduled work on both is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.”

Quite frankly, I am confused over exactly what the source of the problem is. Some people say that the CTA is seeking private investors to help fund the Airport Express service – while others say that the CTA shelved the $1.5 billion Airport project a long time ago. Whatever the issue, the Block 37 station will not be finished anytime this decade.

This is a major blow for CTA riders. Block 37 has caused major inconveniences and re-routes, promising easy transfers between the Red and Blue ‘EL’ Lines, but now we will get nothing more than a “shell of a station” – with no hint about when service might be restored to normal.

With transit already an issue, I has to wonder how this setback will effect Chicago’s Olympic Bid. The Mayor Daley claims that there is no connection, but it sure would be nice to show the voting committee a shiny new super-station when they come to visit Chicago next May.

For more information about the history of Block 37, visit the History of Block 37 page on ChicagoHistory.org .

Recent Features
Chicago’s Olympic Bid
Vosges Chocolates
Taxi Gas Surcharge
Museum of Science & Industry’s Green Home
Chicago Riverwalk Expansion