Summerguide

The sun is shining, the sky is blue and it’s time for summer family fun. Pack for a picnic and head out in the car for a fun day under the Illinois sky. Let Illinois Times and a black ribbon of road be your guides. Historic Barns of McDonough County McDonough County, which centers on […]

More than 100 years ago, Illinois was the fourth largest wine-producing state in the nation. Now the Treasury Department holds Illinois responsible for just 72,000 of the more than 41 million gallons bottled in February of 2010. While other states may have surpassed ours, the industry in Illinois is actually a growing one. Thirteen years […]

Old Capitol Farmers Market8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 30 The excuses not to eat fresh, healthier and local just got fewer in number. Old Capitol Farmers Market spreads its bountiful harvest on the streets of downtown Springfield farther than ever. Downtown Springfield Inc.’s market manager, Ann Frescura, announced that this […]

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, more than 80 different films will be released in North American movie theaters. Some will fly under the radar, with total budgets amounting to less than what’s spent on advertising for a studio blockbuster. Others will be so overhyped it will seem like they’ve been in theaters long before […]

Remember the writer’s strike that hobbled Hollywood 18 months ago? While it had an immediate effect on the television industry, it’s only now being felt on the big screen as evidenced by the weakest roster of films to grace a summer season in many a moon. There are only two sure-fire franchise hits on the […]

If you’re craving fun in the sun or a relaxing romantic rendezvous this summer, bypass the travel headache and head for a nearby central Illinois winery. The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association lists five wineries within an hour of Springfield, and one more that’s just outside of Peoria. Each of these is family-owned and […]

Passenger rail may have seen its heyday come and go, but 21,000 miles of train track still crisscross America. Ten of Amtrak’s routes wind through Illinois and can connect those looking for summer fun with several destinations throughout the Midwest. Of all the options in the region, Amtrak’s Texas Eagle provides one of the best […]

Capital City Bicentennial CelebrationJuly 3-4 What happens when Abraham Lincoln meets the 21st century? The Capital City Bicentennial Celebration. The inaugural event fuses the Springfield Jaycees Capital City Celebration, Taste of Downtown and the Secretary of State’s Ice Cream Social in a two-day festival that also continues the celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday. The 16th […]

Remember Petula Clark? She used to sing, “The lights are much brighter there, You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares. So go downtown, things’ll be great when you’re downtown — no finer place, for sure downtown — everything’s waiting for you.” It is fun to kick the dust off your shoes, grab […]

Not a full year after the first organized baseball game was played in New Jersey’s Elysian Fields, in 1846, poet Walt Whitman is said to have written of the fledgling sport, “I see great things in baseball. It’s our game, the American game.” In the years since Whitman penned that line, baseball would indeed become […]

For some, a trip to the Peoria area is sheer Par-A-Dice, as they seek to fatten their pockets on the riverboat. While the riverboat is a popular spot, the river city, about 70 miles north of Springfield, has a variety of fairs, festivals and museums for the entire family. For example, you may bask in […]

For a river adventure with a bit of history, fiction and mystery, take a weekend and hit two Missouri landmarks, Hermann and Hannibal. Start with the farthest point and head for Hermann, then catch Hannibal on the way back. The trip will take less than three hours and if you head for Pittsfield and over […]